Lessons from the year
My second year at university saw success on three fronts: more work, more reading and more writing. Somewhere along the way, I learnt quite a bit; about myself, journalism and politics. And so, having, like a lot of journalists, bemoaned the advent of the ‘listicle’ (which I still maintain should not be a word), I present you with the highlights of these lessons.
- There is absolutely no point in reading an entire book that you don’t understand just because it’s required reading (in my case, political theory from the 18th and 19th centuries). Find one that explains the core text in intelligible English and save time, boredom and exam season stress
- On a related note, John Rawls is god’s gift to politics students
- Planning essays is the best way to revise
- My academic interests lie in security studies, human rights, justice and feminism. I am probably a constructivist but I believe in moral imperatives
- It’s probably high time I transferred my essay-planning skills to pitching articles (by which I mean: knowing what my point is before I start)
- There is nothing as gratifying as reward for hard work
- There is nothing as uplifting as well-loved friends making you laugh on a bad day
- No matter how inconveniently-timed the urge to read a novel or write something is, do it and don’t feel guilty for not doing other things. You’re probably learning more than if you were writing an essay and the inspiration is fleeting
- My heart lies with 20th century American novels, the Guardian, New Yorker and New York Times, and inexplicably compelling internet think-pieces
- I am not an aspiring journalist. I am a journalist
- Not to overdo things. Take a break if your brain is no longer absorbing information. Lie in if you know that extra hour will help you function at your best
- Coffee is wonderful
- I write best between 11pm and 1am. I do not know if this is a blessing or a curse but count me in for the night shift
- Old friends are precious. So are new ones
- General elections are simultaneously banal, depressing and riveting
- Being open about my disability is, with the right people, very freeing
- I do and don’t need a plan. I wish I knew what I wanted to do after university and what the best course of action would be, but I’m happy to take the time to work these things out – as I am always being told, I have plenty of time
Not bad for a single academic year. And at least I spared you the GIFs.
Lucy Webster 