LSE - Small Logo
LSE - Small Logo

Lea Musisi

January 8th, 2016

Time differences and preparing for a new term

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Lea Musisi

January 8th, 2016

Time differences and preparing for a new term

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Something that any prospective LSE student will read about over and over again is how international the LSE is. The repetition can get a bit tiring, but once you actually arrive at the LSE you realise why it given so much emphasis as a selling point of the university.

Because it is true.

As I’m a law student with no exams to do this January, I broke up on the 11th, and will return back to my accommodation of Rosebery Hall on the 11th. In an effort to keep up to date with what each other is doing, some of my friends decided to make a group chat.

Let me put things into perspective. About two of my friends live in London and one is in Chester while I’m in Essex. Another is living in France, and two are in Hong Kong, though one was in Vietnam for a few days.

I found the general experience of communicating with each other very enlightening. I didn’t expect it to be difficult as only the minority would be affected by major time differences, but I was yet to be surprised.
In order to communicate with my friend in Hong Kong, due to her unusual sleeping pattern I would often only be able to speak to her when it was midnight or one in the morning here, and about 8 in the morning in Hong Kong. By the time the conversation was in full swing I would be fast asleep, and similarly when I was readily available to catch up at six o’clock in the evening, she could barely keep her eyes open.

This was further accentuated by the schedule of those who were preparing for their exams, and so were getting sleep at very…unusual hours.

The reason I felt it necessary to write about this, is because despite only just finishing the Michaelmas term, I can already picture myself keeping in contact with the friends that I have made when we all leave university. Most of them will go back to their home countries, and so being away from Rosebery for just a few weeks has made me realise that ‘keeping in contact’ may not be easy as I thought. Even Skype can be a bit complicated when members of your family are trying to sleep!

Alongside keeping in contact with my new friends, I have also tried to use the Christmas break as an opportunity to catch up with any outstanding work that I may not have understood (or read at all)  before the Lent Term presents me with a whole new list of challenges, including the LSE100 and the introduction Property Law.

My new timetable is nowhere near as merciful as the one I had during the Michaelmas term, so I realise that it is integral to be able enter the new term not feeling as overwhelmed as I did leaving it. The reading for law can feel never-ending (to put it lightly) but as long as you manage not to put it off for too long, classes are manageable.

There is also the warm welcome of Refreshers* to kick off the term, which I’m sure the majority of us are looking forward to.
( *DefinitionLiterally the exact same thing as Freshers, apart from the fact that it occurs in January, you actually know the people surrounding you (though perhaps not) and are far less likely to get lost on your way home)

I think it’s safe to say that I’m ready to go back to London.

About the author

Lea Musisi

Posted In: Student life

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Bad Behavior has blocked 2274 access attempts in the last 7 days.