Jade Taaffe
English Language and Media BA(Hons)
Monday
I generally wake up to the chirpy sounds of my seven housemates hammering on my door shouting "Breakfast!". It's better than an alarm. We all walk down to breakfast together at 8.00am and meet our other friends from other flats in the cafeteria (I am in catered halls accommodation, which is great because we get a tasty breakfast and selection of dinners prepared for us every week day, included in the cost of our rent). We discuss all of the frolics and fun that occurred over the weekend as we tuck into a full English breakfast. Then at 9.30 we all leave to go to our separate classes.
On Mondays I have a media lecture followed by a session in the brand new recording studio. At the moment my assignment is to create a short promotional/informational piece for students. My group have decided to create a promo film for a very popular club night in Brighton called Rebel Bingo. Everyone has separate roles similar to those in professional studios, and we all have an important part in the structuring and production of the film. The briefs are very much open to our own interpretation, so we have a lot of free will with what we choose to pursue. I love the independence!
Tuesday
Tuesdays are my free days; usually I would chill out in my room or go to Brighton town centre and do some shopping in the lanes. It's only a nine minute train ride from Falmer or a 20 minute journey on the 25 bus. Sometimes I head down to the beach with a few friends too. However, today I've signed up to put on my blue t-shirt and be a student ambassador. I give prospective students, like you guys, a tour of the campus.
In the evenings we all sit in our communal area chatting until 5pm when we go down to the cafeteria for dinner. On Tuesday nights there's a really good indie night at Audio called New Slang which we usually go to. When I first came to Brighton I didn't know what to do for alternative nights out so I asked people in shops (who were always so friendly and happy to help) and checked the local free magazines like Source and XYZ for listings. The music scene is really eclectic in Brighton, with literally something to suit everyone.
Wednesday
I only have one English language lecture today so I’ve arranged to meet up with my group after the lecture and book some studio time. It's important to utilise your time as much as possible at university. A lot of the work you do at university is 'on your own back'; making use of the library, studios or labs. Therefore, it's important to manage your time and priorities well.
Thursday
Today I have a Powerful Texts lecture. On my course (English Language and Media) I am able to choose an option on top of my core subjects; these options include things like photography, journalism, 20th century history and British literature, creative writing and even a foreign language course.
After this lecture I have one seminar in English language and one in media. Seminars are different to lectures because they are more like a college classroom. In lectures we take in all of the information, we then process that information and try to understand it better in our seminars through discussions and debate with fellow students and tutors.
This evening I came home to my housemates 'celebrating' with jugs of mojitos. One of our friends just got a job in a bar making cocktails. Which is great for us for obvious reasons.
Friday
Today I have been informed by email that there is the option to go to a special lecture with a highly regarded linguist whose book I have been studying. Though these lectures are optional I try to attend as many as I can and they differ so much. Sometimes there are discussions with professors analysing a piece of literature, sometimes people in the media industry discussing theories and current trends.
This afternoon I also have a meeting with the film makers society created by a group of students. We are putting on a film night at a pub near the centre of Brighton to showcase student made short films. There are plenty of societies to join at university, no matter what you're interested in the society will probably already exist. If it doesn't you only need 20 people who are interested to make your own society.
I'm very excited because tonight my group and I are doing the main section of filming for Rebel Bingo at Concorde 2, a local club. We've spoken to the promoters and arranged to get in for free, go backstage and film onstage while they play Rebel Bingo. It just goes to show that assignments at university can really open up opportunities and give you the chance to be involved in some pretty awesome situations!
