Where to start? Walking into that first lecture I had no idea what was ahead of me, but, heart thumping, I took my seat. I sat in the middle not wanting the lecturer to think I was hiding in the back, whilst also not wanting my peers to think of me as a ‘geek’ on the front row. Within the first few minutes, I soon relaxed and realised I had been worrying myself over nothing.

My lectures started from the basics and, having taken Economics A level, this made the first few weeks of term one big revision session. I had never taken Accounting and Finance before, but again the lecturers were very aware that the majority of us hadn’t and so they took time explaining the core principles.

With week 8 tests approaching my heart rate slowly began to rise again. However, by carefully balancing out my hours in the library with time spent with friends and participating in sports, I was able to keep my head steady and do much better than I had expected.

This balance is so important at university. Yes, socialising is fun, and yes sports help to maintain a healthy physique, but the biggest benefit for me was to my mental health. Living away from family for the first time can be daunting, scary even for some. Engaging in societies, such as Lacrosse and Bar Sports, whilst also undertaking the role of Sports Officer for Cartmel College, kept me busy and gave me purpose outside of my studies.

Exams themselves can be stressful, no matter how level headed a person may normally be. One of the biggest struggles by all may be finding a seat in the library, a near-impossible feat. I used this as a great opportunity to find some other study spots around campus and also make use of the library and learning zone pods for group study sessions.

The LUMS Careers team have really helped to mould my experience this year. From providing cover letter and CV structure advice to just having a chat to help me figure out what I truly want for my future. They have helped me broaden my network at the various Alumni events organised and I also recently had the experience of an Insight Day at Deutsche Bank in London. The LUMS Careers team also gave a great amount of support to the newly founded Women In Finance group, which is set to really take off next year.

The key thing with university is that you get out what you put in….cheesy I know. But I have honestly found that by throwing myself into the various JCR events, sports teams, societies and careers events I have been able to keep myself as well rounded as possible in terms of my CV, whilst also actually enjoying my university experience!

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  A day in the life of an MSc Economics student

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  A day in the life of an MSc Finance student

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