In Semester 1 of studying Geography at Queen’s, students must take 2 core modules and then choose a module from outside of the course from a designated list. I have 7-8 classes per week, usually running in the morning or early afternoon. The latest I finish classes is 3pm, which is great as I have lots of free time in the evenings to meet up with friends or work a part-time job. Currently I’m on campus 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week, but next semester I’ll only be in 4 days a week.

All of my lectures are held in the Elmwood Building which is dedicated to Geography and my practicals off campus have been really engaging. Having classes in the Elmwood Building is great as it’s just a couple of minutes’ walk away from One Elmwood and the Lanyon Building. This is excellent for all of those travelling into classes by bus, like I do, as there are bus stops right outside these buildings.

Come along with me to a typical Thursday of classes…

9.50am Human Geography Lecture

On a Thursday I have a 2 hour long Human Geography lecture but some weeks the schedule changes and I’ll have a tutorial too. The lecture I had today was from 11pm-1pm. As I’m living at home, outside Belfast, I leave my house at 9.50am and get on a Metro bus into town.

I arrive at City Hall at 10.10am and head for the Donegall Square East number 8 or 9 bus stop. These buses are really regular and one will arrive every 10 minutes or so. Once I get on, it’s just a few short stops before arriving at Queen’s. On nice days I’ll just walk from town up to campus which only takes about 15 minutes.

^{The number 8 buses from outside City Hall stop right outside the Lanyon Building}

10.25am Head to the Student Resource Room

I’ll typically be pretty early for my lectures and usually get there around 10.25am, but this gives me time to organise myself and read over what the lecture is going to be about. If the lecture hall is empty I sit in it but if there’s another class on then I head upstairs to the Student Resource Room. It’s usually empty but if there are students in it they’ll always give you a smile or say hello.

11.00am Don't forget to take notes!

Lectures start promptly and we register our attendance online by scanning a QR code on our phones. I take notes on my laptop throughout my lectures and write down in my diary any books that have been recommended that I will want to check out of the library.

^{Prepping for a lecture in the Student Resource Room}

1.00pm Lunch at the Students’ Union Spar 

After my lecture I decided I’d go and get some lunch from the Students’ Union Spar and then head to the McClay library with some friends to finish an essay that I have due. The library is filled to the brim of resources and I can always find what I’m looking for. The subject librarian we have is very helpful and she’s great at helping students find books and journals that would be useful for specific tasks.

4.00pm Meet my personal tutor

I then headed back to the Elmwood Building to have a Personal Tutor meeting which we have 3 times a semester. We have structured things to talk about each week including the transition to student life, how to approach assignments and University policies. There’s also time to just give feedback on how we are finding our course. The personal tutors are only assigned 4-5 students so it is easy to talk to them about everything you want to.

5.00pm Trip to the City Centre

After my meeting I went back to the bus stop outside One Elmwood to wait for a bus back into town. When I got to the City Centre I decided that I wanted to have a wander around the Christmas Markets at City Hall. All of the food stalls made me so hungry so I couldn’t resist leaving without getting a waffle which was delicious! After that I walked back to the bus stop that I use to get home.

^{The Lanyon Building at night}

6.00pm Wind down time!

At the end of what was quite a busy day for me at University I made myself some dinner and then spent some time with my family. At around 10pm I headed up to my room, got ready for bed and then settled down and watched some Netflix. I always try to get a full night’s sleep during the week so that I’m fresh and ready to face classes the next day!

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Geography at Queen's

Charlotte Lock Geography| Undergraduate Student | Northern Ireland I am an 18-year-old Geography student at Queen's and I am really loving it! Something that makes my degree so special is that it is so open and mixes sciences and the humanities together. I'm really enthusiastic about learning about Earth's amazing processes and how our future might look on a warming planet. Outside of the lecture hall, I love to do all sorts of crafts and travel with friends all across Ireland and beyond!