What’s next
Picture this: it’s mid-April in your final year of undergrad and whenever someone asks what you’re doing when you graduate, you answer: “Oh, I’m not sure yet! Just moving home until it’s time to start my grad school applications.”
It’s not the worst answer in the world. And besides, who really knows what they’re doing anyway? I felt unsure about the finality of my plans and started to wonder how I was going to survive a year of slowing down after going non-stop for four years.
Durham was recommended
Through sheer luck and happenstance, a former teammate of mine reached out and let me know about Durham. I’d studied abroad before, but it was just for two months and I was based in London. I loved everything about it. My teammate had no way of knowing, but I’d often pondered how I’d get back to the UK to experience that again.
So it’s mid-April. I have one phone call with David Heller (International Officer) and I’m sold.
From there, time went lightning fast. I applied the following week, working on my personal statement while I packed my college life away. In early May I was accepted. And then I got my accommodation and my visa was approved. Finally, finally, I felt proud of what my plans were.
First time in Durham
In September, my mom and I flew to Newcastle and visited Durham for the first time. No, I had not seen the campus or the city at all. Google Maps can really only convey so much. When we arrived, I knew I’d made the right decision. I had a bit of time before classes started, so it was straight to work in lacrosse preseason.
My teammates are such fun, sweet girls. Right away, there was banter about us Americans and in return we made fun of their accents (it’s only fair). Durham is a challenging uni, somewhere exactly like what I’d hoped to experience at an American university.
Balancing sport, academics and social life
Training and matches allowed me to take some of the pressure off and find the joy in balancing sport and academics again. The hours spent are relatively similar, but I got my weekends back which makes a huge difference in the life of a student athlete. My Sundays are spent recovering from a Saturday day trip or planning out assignments for the week ahead.
It’s so easy to become involved in the university as well. There are always formals or dinners to attend, events at your college bar, or you can join one of the many societies. This is a great way to make friends outside of the team and make the most of such a short year! It’s nice to have more people to spend term three with since the season ends in March.
There is the obvious challenge of balancing coursework, attending seminars and workshops, and going to lectures; however, it’s reminiscent of the life I wasn’t quite ready to let go of yet. Coming to Durham gave me the opportunity to fulfill a few dreams and live life on my own terms before the real-world hits.
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