I wake up at around 8:00 in my house near the Bill Bryson Library. I do both maths and philosophy so it helps to be right between the two departments. I will always have the same breakfast of oats and fruit (that’s right, oats and cold milk, not porridge) and two slices of buttered toast. Shower, teeth, pack my bag with laptop, chargers, any relevant books and notepads and we’re away.
The day begins…
Generally, if I don’t have any lecture,s I’ll head five minutes up the road to the library. But if circumstances make it more convenient or I fancy a change of pace, I’ll go further uphill to the Maths Site or further downhill to the student union.
My week contains a healthy mix of contact hours and independent study, and I’ll always make sure to balance my time evenly between my two subjects (taking into consideration the difference in contact hours). When studying philosophy, I’ll alternate between reading for my dissertation and studying my other modules.
To pick readings, I’ll go through module reading lists, books my dissertation supervisor has recommended to me, things I’ve discovered in the references and citations of other books, or anything which sparks my interest. I’ll take many notes on these and record links to where I found them, in case I need to revisit them later.
I’ll also carve out time to write sections of my dissertation. Everyone has their own method for this, but I start the process with a lot of general reading to really hone in on what interests me and refine my question. Then I spend time planning out sections and subsections and writing more general outlines for what would be in them, before doing further reading and writing to flesh them out. I will make sure to email my supervisor for periodic meet-ups, especially if I feel confused, stuck or just need some clarification on a topic.
I’ll also spend time planning and writing summative essays if they’re due soon. Generally, I’ll plan them out around three weeks before their due (as this will allow me to have had enough time getting familiar with the course), then I will spend about a week writing them and a week editing them.
Supervisor meetings
Around every other week or so, I’ll head to the Philosophy Department to meet with my supervisor to discuss my dissertation.
Here I’ll ask any questions I’ve been holding about topics that have come up in readings, and we’ll also discuss any arguments I’ve come up with already. This back and forth will often unearth new ideas or counterarguments, giving me more to read up on and will inspire me for the rest of the dissertation. I’ll usually springboard off this session to go straight into writing some rough paragraphs of the diss so I can get my ideas onto the page to refine later.
Lunch
Can’t miss lunch! This will generally be at my home. Sandwich? Salad? Soup? Something with beans?
Lectures
Because of the modules I’ve selected, I have 40 credits dedicated to my dissertation and 20 credits for Metaphysics. I have one metaphysics lecture a week on a Thursday afternoon in the student union.
These are fascinating, covering topics I’ve enjoyed since I started the subject (for instance, the philosophy of time and the possibility of time travel). Both lecturers for metaphysics do a really good balance of teaching content and opening the class for questions and discussions. Unlike most other modules, I’ll generally save my philosophy note-taking for a bit after the lecture, where I’ll recap the topics by making summaries of the lecture handouts.
Discussion groups
Every other week, we have a discussion group straight after my lecture. These allow us to go into topics in depth and really test the limits of our understanding. I’m very active in these discussion groups, often going in with a handful of questions and gaining more as they develop. It’s so fab to hear the perspectives of fellow philosophy students too, and these discussions can often unearth ideas and perspectives that we wouldn’t have thought of elsewhere. In fact most of my essay arguments are typically inspired by conversations had in discussion groups.
The rest of the day
I’ll spend the rest of my day with more independent study as above. Then at about 5 o’clock I’ll head home to relax a bit, before cooking my evening meal. In my own time, I love to read science fiction and fantasy, and write books and playscripts. I’m also very involved in Durham Student Theatre, and will partake in all sorts of acting, writing or directing roles, so generally you’ll find me in a rehearsal room in the evening.
And the end of the day, I’ll come home, maybe watch a TV show episode, do some light reading before bed and hit the hay.
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