This December 25th was the first Christmas I’d spent at home since starting University. Three whole weeks of home cooked meals, a laundry service and alas, no excuse to put off writing the dreaded bridge essay. Completing a first draft of this 10,000 word essay is (in addition of course to working with my sisters to cook the Christmas dinner, without too many serious arguments and only relatively minor disasters involving frozen horseradish and forgotten Yorkshire Puddings) one of my proudest achievements to date. Overcoming the daily struggle involved in simply disciplining myself to sit down in front of the laptop and begin writing has shown me that however daunting the assignment it can be completed, however horrible and stressful the whole process of writing is for both myself and anyone within a two mile radius! Returning to the now relatively safe environment of York city centre, I was looking at half price calendars and diaries displayed in shop windows I felt a sad nostalgia for my battered academic diary as I realised that this was probably the last year in which I would be one of those people for whom the year actually begins in September. In my current identity as a student entering their final ‘taught’ term, New Year’s resolutions made in January seem rather too late to be of any practical use. However, given the continual questions about what I intend to do after University, I suppose starting to make some practical career plans might be a useful resolution with which to begin the list! As part of my efforts to prepare for life after University, have been filling in the York Award application form. An exercise which prompted me to confront the question 'What had I actually achieved whilst at University?' I could think of plenty of things to put down for work experience and personal interests that I’d been involved in before studying at York but looking back over the past three years I realised that I’ve spent far too much time fussing about seminar reading and essay deadlines and not enough relaxing and enjoying ‘Student Life’. Perhaps the most difficult thing to accept was the contrast between the time when I had the confidence to dress up as Prince Charming (in retrospect the thigh high boots complete with ridiculously high heels was not the best outfit choice!) and the person I became when it ‘all went wrong’. In the end, despite my initial despair, this application form reminded me of many of the things I had actually managed to achieve whilst studying at York and perhaps most importantly of all the amazing people that I’ve met as a result. My experiences over the past three years haven’t all been positive but as I was keen to stress on the York Award form, they’ve played a crucial role in my ‘personal development’! Veronica | 
