All posts tagged: University

The end of an old chapter, the start of a new one

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I often start the beginning of a blog post saying something on the lines of ‘wow, I can’t believe I’m writing this’ etc. But when writing this blog post, I have to repeat myself. I cannot believe that the time has come for me to pack and move to Paris. It seems so long ago that I had found the family and skyped them for an interview. Yet here I am. It’s finally hit me. I’m moving to Paris for a year. Although the road has been smooth sailing so far, one thing that has had a slight effect on me is packing. Many people enjoy packing, and don’t get me wrong, I also do on the odd occasion. But when you’re trying to cram everything that you think you’ll need for the year in one luggage case it can get quite tough! But woe is me. How bad does that last sentence sound?! It feels a bit like getting ready for my first year at University again. Except for all the Supermarket value alcohol. That …

Oxford Post-Graduate Trip

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After what feels like a decade away from academia, my mother and I ventured to the quaint city that is Oxford to have a noisy around the University and Colleges. As many may have read throughout my blogging, I am hoping to continue further study after my year in Paris and want to complete a Masters focusing on Medieval History of Art. As I will be away for the next year, I thought it was probably wise to get started in looking at potential universities so that I get a ‘proper’ feel for the place before applying. I have only been to Oxford once, and that was when I was only a small child so my memories of the city are quite limited! The city is beautiful. It shares many similarities with York, which I love. One of the main advantages of the university is that it is spread out throughout the entire city. Oxford truly is the University’s city. I am not saying at all that I did not enjoy the centralised nature of …

The dreaded word for many students: Results day

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I just wanted to write a quick blog post wishing every one out there that is receiving A-Level results to tomorrow a big good luck, although, you won’t need it as I am sure many (if not everyone (!)) have worked so hard. I know it’s easy saying this, but, if you don’t get the results that you desired it’s not the end of the world. Results day for me was probably the worst days of my life. The night before I would be physically sick, not eat anything, get very little sleep and cry …a lot. One tactic that I did find helpful is something called Mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of just situating yourself in the present – focus on your breathing, all of your senses – for example, thinking about what does your fingers feel like? Weird I know, but if you attempt to focus your mind on your body, position and surroundings, this may help take your thoughts away from the stresses of what is to come and make you realise that you …

J’ai fini!

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Wow, I cannot quite believe that I am writing this post. It’s official. Yesterday I graduated from York with a First! I am over the moon! It was such a lovely ceremony, and it was great to see everyone before and after. Despite my gown taking every opportunity to try and wriggle its way off me, I managed to survive the graduate fashion. After the graduation ceremony, the History of Art department hosted a lovely get together with some yummy pastries and drinks! From there, me and my family ventured onto the Minster to take some photos by York’s iconic building. I don’t like the thought of calling myself a graduate now… I am still a student at heart! So now I have a month before I move to Paris for the year, and from there, I plan to begin studying for a Masters in History of Art so do expect more to come from my blog! I hope that everyone had a wonderful day yesterday – everyone looked so lovely, and it was sad not too …

Last ‘official’ teaching week

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Wow. I cannot believe that I am sitting here writing a post about the last ‘official’ teaching week of my undergraduate degree. How time flies. This week has been pretty hectic, but our final seminar on Monday for ‘The Virgin’s Places’ was awesome. Our tutor Michele brought in food and drinks (including some amazing home-made focaccia), and others in the seminar group brought various treats. I made some raspberry and orange cupcakes to bring in, and sadly I wasn’t able to eat all of the delicious treats that others brought in as I have given up chocolate for Lent 😦 I’m not going to lie, it was pretty hard to turn down some mouth-watering chocolate brownies. So Easter is upon us, and for many that means a time of relaxation, catching up with family and friends and hopefully doing the odd bit of work! For us third years, this easter break will pretty much be full of writing and researching for our Dissertations. Therefore, my home for the next few weeks before I go back …

MET: ‘Radiant Light Stained Glass from Canterbury Cathedral’

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Between February 25th and May 18th the Cloisters Museum at the MET in New York is hosting an exhibition presenting stained glass from England’s historic Canterbury Cathedral, dating from 1178-80. I find this concept quite unusual I’m not going to lie, as the exhibitions features six Romanesque-period windows that have never left the cathedral since their creation. Bringing stained-glass from the Cathedral to the MET – why when you can just go to Canterbury itself? I guess through bringing the glass over the pond, so to speak, allows more people to see the beauty of Canterbury’s windows. However, I feel that taking such works out of their religious context renders them almost ‘dumb’ in the sense that they’re not functioning in the religious manner that they should be. I guess times have changed so much anyway, that perhaps the religious function of the stained glass windows are becoming more over-looked and less part of their identity. Having studied Canterbury Cathedral last term, I fell in love with it. I have never been there myself, but having seen …