As J.P puts it in Fresh Meat “Third year is fear year” and whilst he may be exaggerating slightly, pressure certainly has increased in my final year. Having had a great summer, with the high point being watching the man, the myth, the legend, Kanye West at Glastonbury, it was with some trepidation that I returned to Bristol for my final year of academic study. As I am living in the same house with the same group of friends it has felt more like a continuation from second year rather than a fresh start for third year. The preparation for my seminars and my dissertation has kept me amply busy. The two areas of history that I am currently working on right now are ‘Origins of the Old Regime’ which examines state formation in early modern Europe and ‘Pirates’ which as you can imagine looks at Pirates. I am also presently working upon my first essay of the term which explores the importance of iconoclasm in the Edwardian reformation. It has been a challenging and sometimes stressful experience, but hopefully my work rate has paid off. If you don’t hear anything about the essay in my next post just assume it didn’t. I have also begun work on my dissertation which in its current form is looking at the significance of ‘favouritism’ in the courts of Edward II and Richard II.

Outside my academic studies, I have once again become involved with the Bristol drama scene and am currently rehearsing for two separate short productions. Reviewing theatre, as well as being part of it, is something I have decided to try my hand at this year with my first ever review being of ‘The Crucible’ at the Bristol Old Vic for an online magazine called Inter:Mission. I am also still an active member of the Bristol Jazz orchestra, the Labour society, the sketch comedy society and a local church. Sadly it looks like I may have to tone down some of my extra-curricular activities this year as my degree does come first. It is the thing I’m at University for after all, although that is easy to forget sometimes. Third year will almost certainly pass in the blink of an eye, probably in approximately three blog posts, so it looks like I may have to start thinking about my post-university future, which I am still almost certainly in denial about. Life after University is a terrifying, but exciting, but terrifying prospect.

– Luke

Comparing my second year to Queen’s celebrated anthem ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ may be stretching it slightly, but I have to admit it has been a brilliant year. Life at University always seems to pass so much faster than you can ever comprehend. One minute it’s Freshers, the next it’s Christmas, and then suddenly you’re all saying your goodbyes for summer wondering where all those days went. I have to confess my days were primarily spent this year running from one dramatic production to another rather than in the library. That’s not to say I didn’t work hard. Just that I forfeited any hope of ever having a good night’s sleep. Having spent first year heavily involved with comedy at Bristol it has been great to get really stuck in with Drama in my second year. I’ve met a whole new bunch of people and shared some great memories along the way.

A personal highlight of the year for me has to be directing my first ever student production, a play called ‘Hymns’. It was a daunting process that I would never have dreamed of undertaking if it wasn’t for the support of an incredible production team and some seriously talented actors. It taught me a lot about patience, retaining a positive outlook and most of all knowing that nothing ever goes to plan! The reason I’m actually at University my study of history also ran in parallel to this dramatic fever. Specifically, my study of the history of paganism in Britain was particularly fascinating. This allowed me to study a vast breadth of history, from the Romans to the modern day. Part of the course involved writing a research driven project that was five thousand words long. I chose to centre mine on the ancient druids. These mysterious figures were incredible rewarding to delve into and opened my eyes to the fundamental role spirituality plays in ancient and modern societies. I’m looking forward to my third year although honestly am slightly daunted by the task of writing my dissertation. My plan for the summer is to have a long think about what to focus on and how to frame my question, along with a whole host of other plans!

I cannot talk about my final few months at University without mentioning the General Election. As an active member of the Labour Party I campaigned in Bristol for our local candidate, Thangam Debbonaire. I honestly can’t praise her enough, her tireless commitment to the people of Bristol is a marvel to behold and I believe she really can help change Bristol and Britain for the better. Campaigning for her turned out to be a lot of fun, even when it was raining! Campaigning essentially involved knocking on doors and entering into conversations with voters about how they were planning to vote. The reactions I received varied but I can truly say people were very grateful for a chance to chat to you. Every view and opinion matters. It saddens me that my generation is portrayed as not caring when it comes to politics. Most of my fellow campaigners were in fact students who had a similar passion for change but it is true that more engagement from young people is needed. Without it, how democratic can we claim to be as a nation when a large section of it doesn’t have a say. My passion for drama I now feel is only rivalled or even surpassed even by my passion for politics. I am a strong believer in social and economic justice and do believe that Britain can be a fairer place. Of course election night was a disappointing one but the shining light was the election of Thangam to Bristol West by a five thousand majority. I only played a small part in making that happen but I am proud to say she is my MP.

For those of you still reading thanks for sticking with me. For those of you who gave up half way though, I don’t blame you. I do ramble on. Finally I can only wish you the best of luck with your University careers and I hope that you enjoy your experience wherever you go as much as I have. God Bless.

– Luke