Typically I wake up at about 8am, make some breakfast and head into Belfast on the bus as I live outside the city. This gives me some time to listen to music and relax before the day starts to get busy.

Monday seminars

Then I’ll go to class, on a Monday I would have two – a seminar titled 'The Historian’s Craft' and a lecture in my 'Belfast: Place, Identities and Memories' module. Both of these are really interesting and are attended by students across a couple different MA courses, so it’s a great way to find out how other people are doing and catch up with them. 

A day in the life of a Queen's student from the school of HAPP

I have to wait until Tuesday for what I think is the most interesting of the MA History modules, 'Pathways Through History', where three different members of the department come in every week and discuss the topic of history they look into. These are grouped together into themes like politics, gender, the environment and class. Hearing the many different approaches to exploring history and how these successful people got to where they are in the field is really interesting and at times inspiring for a student like myself. 

The two Monday classes I have are back-to-back and normally last between 12pm and 4pm so I only have a quick break to grab something to eat. Most other days I have classes I would buy lunch but normally for time’s sake on Monday I would bring something and eat with other students who took both classes. This is good way of getting to know the others in your modules and if you have some similar time in your schedule I really suggest you do the same, although hopefully you’ll get a longer break between classes than we do. 

Check out these must-visit spots during your study breaks!

Study session and snack break!

After class I normally take a break for a while and have a chat with some friends before heading to either the library, or more likely for me, the Students' Union to get some studying done. I normally head over to the SU, get a snack and head up to the second floor to work on assignments or to fix up my notes from the day, (that is after I make a short detour to say hi to my friends and my boyfriend who work there). This usually takes about 2 hours or so, but I’m not going to lie with it being so cold and dark outside I may have slipped away early once or twice. 

Evening plans

Then it depends what I’m doing that night – if I’m staying up in Belfast with my boyfriend I’ll wait for him to get out of work and then we’ll walk back to his place and make some dinner before watching yet another episode of How I Met Your Mother. If I’m going home I grab a bus back and feed and play with my dogs (Doug and Arthur, photos below because I know that’s what you really care about) and either make some dinner or hope someone else already has and eat with my family. 

Throughout the week this routine changes a bit, I’ll do more work or try and go to the SU or the library on days I have more free time, and I have my part-time job to fit around everything - but hopefully hearing how a typical day in my life as a Master's student gives you more of an idea of whether this type of study is right for you. 

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Study MA History at Queen's

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Why Queen's for PG study

Niamh O'Neill MA History | Postgraduate Student | Downpatrick, Northern Ireland Hi, I’m Niamh, a 22 year old student from Downpatrick, a town a little south-east of Belfast. I have a passion for stories of all kinds which is why I love my course and also why I’m so talkative if you meet me in person. I’m a member of a few different societies, but the main one you’ll find me at is QUB K-Pop Soc where I’ve been a member for 3 years now. I hope my blogs give people a new insight into Belfast and Queen’s because I know it has a lot to offer. Please come say hi if you see me about campus!