I remember enrolling at LSE like it was yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to pick up my Biometric Residence Permit on the same day as my campus enrolment so I was running slightly late. I decided to take an Uber to campus but here came challenge number one – I had no idea what to put into the destination because there is no “campus” per se! After asking several passers-by and frantically navigating the “How to find LSE” map, I finally reached the correct building, only to be sent to another building to do a rapid flow test. When I got to the testing centre, I found a long line and at this point I was convinced that my LSE life was cursed. I cannot believe it has been five months since this day because my life at LSE has been anything from cursed. While London and LSE both intimidated me back in September, they have become a part of what drives me to do my best every day.

The fastest way to get to campus for me is to take the tube to Temple station. While getting out of the station, I go to the left and start walking towards my classes or to the library. On my right is the Thames and an obscure, extremely un-touristy view of the London Eye. I often see this scenery when I am heading back home, right before entering the station. It always seems to brew a sense of discomfort in me. The Thames and the London Eye, two of the most iconic parts of London, have become a part of my mundane daily life. It is almost like the London Eye is mocking me when I am going back home after attending uni, urging me to achieve more. The distant pressures of job applications, dissertation, graduate visa, and worst of all, the “future” seem to be heading closer by the minute.

One year seems like a lot of time but when it is divided into three terms of eleven weeks it literally flies by. Lent Term is a time to take a step back and reassess your goals and motivations. By the end of this term, I would have been living in London for half a year. So far, I feel like I have been living week to week, trying to get my readings done and making it for seminars on time. When I started my degree, I was so excited about studying in London but I spent Michaelmas term mostly in classes or at the library. In Lent Term, I am trying to find a balance between giving my all to my degree and enjoying the fact that I actually live in London now.

Lent term brings with it the ease of familiarity yet the dread of the inevitable. By the end of this year, I will (hopefully) have a master’s degree. On a more uncertain note, I will also hopefully have a job in the sector I like. Funnily enough, Lent term is the easiest part of your whole degree. You have learnt from the mistakes of Michaelmas term and Summer Term is still far away, you can figure out a plan of action by then. Lent Term is scary and exciting at the same time. It is time to buckle down and start getting serious, while also making the best of LSE. And if either of those feel too overwhelming, don’t forget, you still have Summer Term!