Firsts and Lasts

It's week 24. My last week of my last term at the University of Kent. Tomorrow, I have my last lecture here, and then it's just revision before the end in May. It's kind of scary thought, realising that next month I'll be done with my degree. It's quite a good feeling too, though. It means my hard work will finally be paid off (well, assuming we don't get a marking boycott - see my last post!), and I'll be able to move on to bigger and better things.

Before I get to finish everything though, I still have revision to do. I hate revising. I know, I'm a good student and I spend most of the revision period in front of books and notes, so you'd have thought it was something I didn't mind. Quite the opposite. Revision is boring. Making notes is boring. Especially when it's on topics you don't care about (I'm looking at you, Applying Psychology). Still, it is worth it. My grades this year are the best they've ever been across my degree, and this is something I hope to continue with the final pieces of work. I did figure out that I only need 40-something per cent in my exams this year to end up with a first in my degree, but now my grades are nothing more than a matter of pride. It's reassuring that I should still end up with a great degree, but I want to get the highest grades I possibly can - which means locking myself in my room for a month to pore over books and notes. Ah well, it's just over six weeks until  the end, so I'm sure I will cope.

Aside from revision, I have two pieces of work left to complete: my dissertation (currently 69 pages long and with a results section and half a discussion still to write - god help my printer!), and a neuroscience extended essay. The dissertation is, frankly, a pain, as my study hasn't quite gone to plan. Nothing that can't be fixed, it just means I'm using statistics I've never seen before, or resorting to descriptive results (which are very wordy, and difficult with a 6,000 word limit!). The neuroscience essay on the other hand is a piece of cake! It's about hemispatial neglect, a topic on which I have already published a peer-reviewed journal article. How many students write the coursework after they publish the papers? It's great, and it means I'm able to cite my own work (purely out of pride). While this work isn't due in until May, I think I'll be done in a week or two (with time for preening and tidying).

So, apart from the relatively boring coursework/lectures/revision, what else has been going on? I've been tutoring again, and I think I'm helping my student come round to liking biological and cognitive psychology. It's been fun overall, and I'm really happy I could help someone with their studies!

I have lots of things to look forward to as well. This weekend, I'm having a break from everything by taking myself off to Paris! I'm stupidly excited about this, and I'm looking forward to seeing and doing new things. No doubt there will be endless pictures. After my exams finish I'm going to Geneva in June. Again, something I'm stupidly excited about. In July, I'll be graduating, and in September I'll be starting my MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at one of the most prestigious universities in the UK (and Europe. Maybe the world?). No wonder I'm so happy!