The first questions I ask myself most mornings is ‘Where shall I work today?’. The answer varies depending on my mood, the weather, and what resources I need access to. Sometimes I work at home to save money on transport and food, but often I need to travel to a library or go to a seminar. Ideally, I make a packed lunch to take with me, but this doesn’t always go to plan.
I like working in the British Library when I’m researching, as it has the best and most extensive collection in London. The downside to working there is that you can’t take much into the reading rooms with you – ie. no water or snacks to keep you going. But this does force you to take regular breaks, which can be good.
The Maughan Library at King’s is where I study between seminars as it’s close to the Strand campus and Virginia Woolf building where all of my classes are held.
If I fancy a change, I go to Senate House as it’s a good environment to work in and often has lots of interesting and available books. Also, it’s really close to SOAS where you can grab a free vegetarian lunch from the Hare Krishna stall – perfect for when you’ve not had time to make lunch but can’t afford a Pret sandwich!
Most days during term time I’m in college for a seminar, visiting an academic’s office hour, or attending a research seminar in the evening. As an MA student, I have access to some exciting events both at King’s and other institutions. The English Department research seminar is open to all MA students and is a good opportunity to hear speakers from other universities share their work. I love going to The Media History seminar held at Senate House. It always has really interesting speakers and is relevant to my research interests so I try to go along whenever I can. LSE often has interesting talks in the evening too.
In the evening, I meet up with friends to watch a film at the Prince Charles Cinema or go to the pub if it’s been a long day. I sing in a choir every week which I have found is a great way to socialise and switch off from studying.
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