With very few shopping days to go and umm, well, far too many presents to buy, life is beginning to get ever so slightly stressful. Plus the assessed essay, due in on the final day of term, becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. This sense that pressure and workloads have been building up was confirmed when exchanging moans with fellow students over how much more reading, researching and essay writing is required now that we’re moving into our second year. Naturally, I have succeeded in making life much harder for myself through my propensity to regard writing an essay in terms of a life or death experience (last week’s freak out over the ballads of Robin Hood was particularly impressive!). With my new positive or, more accurately, pragmatic attitude to life I intend to make the most of the trauma induced by my struggles to finish this dreaded assignment on the night, and in the event, morning before my 9.15am seminar. Discussing the whole thing with a fellow history student made me realise how stupid it was to allow essays become such a terrifying prospect. I have therefore decided how to respond the next time I feel similar tension building. Rather than sitting for hours in front of my computer screen writing and then deleting random sentences, I will take a proper break and do some valuable research: I might perhaps watch ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’, which, after all, provides a valuable insight into the manner in which such outlaw myths have become part of popular culture! After all, with a supportive tutor who has provided much needed support with planning and drafting my essays, and displays an understanding attitude towards students who arrive a little late for their seminars, I have far less to complain about than most. | "perhaps I should buy some mince pies for those hungry carol singers" | |
My friend, for example, seems to have the tutor from hell. Not only did he declare in front of the whole seminar group that she’d disrupted the flow of debate by arriving five minutes late. He used her next tutorial to tell her that although she had the potential to get a first, unless she could recite and defend her essay in the face of what he termed ‘constructive criticism’ she deserved the mark of 48 that she’d received for her most recent effort. I reassured her over some much needed coffee and chocolate that this was most likely the tutor’s way of inspiring his students to work harder. Still, I know how badly I’d respond to similar tactics! Despite my complaints about the stressful side of preparing for Christmas I must admit that certain aspects of the festivities are welcome. The increasingly cold and dark afternoon trips to the library, as the battle for any remaining books begins, are currently livened up by the competitive displays of flashing lights in front gardens. There’s also the duty to write Christmas cards to relatives I’ve never met, and of course to find time to inform everyone of my own Christmas wish list, which provides a valuable excuse for putting off essay researching for a little while longer. Which reminds me, before I tackle that article about ‘Aspects of cultural diffusion in the Later Middle Ages’ perhaps I should buy some mince pies for those hungry carol singers... And there was that cinema trip to see ‘The Lion the Witch and the wardrobe’ I said I’d organise. Plus, with my family bravely agreeing to come up to York over Christmas (armed with hot water bottles, blankets and thermal underwear) I should probably think about decorating and cleaning the house. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time to read that article later and as regards revising for exams in January…I think that can wait until after the New Year! Veronica | 
