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Hi! That’s so funny, I chose that exact course at Manchester as my insurance! First of all, I wouldn’t worry at all about fitting in. Universities are huge, there’s a much better chance of you finding “your people” at a uni than in the smaller school you’re coming from. Lots of people put loads of pressure on first year to be an amazing time where you make loads of friends instantly, and it might not go like that straight away, but the important thing to remember is that everyone there is in the same boat. Everyone’s trying to make friends, and if it doesn’t happen overnight, don’t give up, because it will all come together. I have lots of friends at Manchester (some even in higher years on the same course as you will be I think), and they all love it. The size of the city can be intimidating, but it means there’s always stuff going on and loads of people to meet. If that’s a concern of yours, definitely get into some societies, there are loads and it’s a really easy way to meet people you already have an interest in common with. In terms of the degree itself, it’s far more independent than lots of other courses. Chances are you won’t be in uni being taught most of the time, you’ll be doing independent work. That basically just means reading. Your lecturers will set you reading lists and they’re a great place to start, I always try to do the essential reading set every week (probs 2-4 pieces) and then use the longer reading lists as starting points for essay research. It takes good time management to stay on top of things when so much of the course is independent, but they don’t expect you to be perfect at it right away, and don’t be worried about going to your lecturers for help. Some people worry about bothering them, but they’re paid to help and are happy to do it. Finally, Id hugely recommend picking modules that you think you’ll enjoy. I’m not sure how flexible the course is at Manchester, but if it’s like mine you’ll get lots of optional modules to pick from. Pick based off what you genuinely think looks interesting, there are some really niche aspects of both history and politics that I’ve discovered I love because I picked a module on a whim. It’s your degree at the end of the day, you might as well make it as enjoyable as you can. If there’s any more specific advice I can give, please feel free to message again and I’ll do my best, or even once you start (eg essay writing advice). Good luck for the next few months, you’ll have a great time wherever you end up!

I’m currently in my final year studying BA History and Politics, and am in the process of applying for a scholarship to study MA History of Medicine. For the application I need to write an diss proposal, it only needs to be a side of A4 and I have some ideas but no idea how to tell if they have potential or where to take them from here. If anyone has any advice or experience with these sorts of applications or with the field it would be amazing to run some ideas past you. Thanks!

had a busy library day today, tried to motivate myself by fully embracing some kind of warm autumnal academia spin off🍂🥀

visited the site of the battle of flodden field the other day! despite studying the tudors at a level, id not appreciated the death toll of the three hour battle til now! the photo on the right shows the memorial, and the right shows the church where it’s claimed the body of king james iv of scotland was taken after his death.

the gorgeous grand gallery at the national museum of scotland!! ft this amazing light house bulb!

some more of the amazing clothes i got to see today in the fashion history gallery at the national museum of scotland!! absolutely gorgeous☁️✨

medical history will always have my heart, but who can resist a bit of fashion history?? could have spent hours looking at these in the national museum of scotland today!🦋🌙

lovely day out in edinburgh today! couldn’t resist getting photos of some of my favourites of the paintings i got to see in the scottish national gallery!!🍇🥀

summer holidays are for iced coffee and modern classics

ive had a nice little break between deadlines which has given me a chance to really focus on my last exam of the year, for my soviet experiment module. i’d always take a coursework style essay over an exam (even open book like this one will be), but at least getting a choice of questions means i get to pick the areas to focus on in revision. as you can tell (if you can read my handwriting), i tend to be drawn to social histories more than anything else, so i’m hoping some good questions come up!

my 48 hours us gov and pol exam starts in 20 mins!! ive been nervous for it because with other deadlines so close together it’s been tricky to give it as much time as i’d have liked, but this morning i’ve gotten up, done some pilates, showered, had a nice bowl of porridge and read thru my notes, and i’m ready to take my best shot at it. wish me luck!!

That it’s just “learning about dead people”. Technically, there is a lot of this in History, but often the conversations expose so much about how we live now that this assumption doesn’t really capture the subject. I’ve learnt so much about the world we live in now by studying what brought us here, and lots of History isn’t as long ago as you might think.

got a big day of essay writing today, determined to do well on this one so i’ve spent what feels like forever planning it and now i’m finally ready to write it all up! 🌼📖

back at my uni house! so good to be back and getting lots more work done, which is a relief since exams are nearly here! newcastle weather means blue skies one minute and heavy rain the next, but i’m enjoying being able to go for walks more often than last term now the evenings are warmer and lighter🌸