What have the Editors in Chief been thinking about this week?
Hello there! Thank you for joining us, we’re your Co-Editors in Chief for the year, Molly and Isla, both History students in 4th year (is it just me or does it feel so weird to say that we’re in our 4th year of uni?) We have been friends since we met during our Early Modern European History seminar in Year 1, and the rest is…history! Over these 4 years of friendship, it’s not been unusual for us to dive into a weird or concerningly profound conversation whilst pretending to read sources for a class, so we thought that as your Co-Editors in Chief this year, we’d bring you along for the ride. As the first of our EIC Spotlights, we will be sharing something that we’ve been talking about this week in the hopes that our weird and wonderful conversations (and the high possibility of several Brooklyn 99 references) might bring you a little spark of joy or simply something thought-provoking for you to ponder during a dull lecture or whilst waiting for the kettle to boil.
This week we’ve been thinking about finals:
Isla: Not exams of course, but the last moments, memories or events that we’ll be experiencing now we’re both in our final year as undergrads at university. To be completely honest, this is something Molly brought up in conversation, but it got me thinking about it as well. Admittedly I was mostly thinking about the cute pictures I took for the sake of a ‘last first day of Uni’ Instagram post, but Molly does have a point. Amidst all the stress of midterms, deadlines and dissertations, we are going to be having a lot of final moments this year to cap off our time at University before we have to stop living in ignorance to enter the big scary world of work. Whether the final procrastination brunch, the final Costa study date, or the final board games night, outside of weekly seminars and academic essays, it’s important to make time for the small things and embrace the art of living in the moment. It all feels so bittersweet to be truly appreciating and prioritising this time when in a few months you may have to say goodbye to your closest friends. It’s tough to have to focus on these important memories you desperately need and will treasure in 10 years time when you’re so focused on your dissertation and all of those bloody deadlines!
Molly: For me, this year also represents not just the end of my university chapter, but also the end of my time living here in the UK. After graduation I plan on returning home to Canada. This is so bittersweet for me, as there is so much to look forward to back home and so many things I have missed (notably Tim Hortons Iced Capps…I mean family and friends!) However, leaving Edinburgh is going to be one of the hardest things to do. I have made so many memories in this amazing city and leaving for home without plans to return in the fall (like I have for the past few years) is going to be very surreal. I’m going to miss seeing the friends I’ve made here on a regular basis, I’ll miss the beautiful atmosphere of this wonderful city, and although I won’t miss the misty-rain and unpredictable weather, I will truly cherish this chapter of my life.
Something I’m trying to work on this year is staying present throughout all of the lasts. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking about “what’s next” particularly with grad school applications. I am trying to stay in the moment and savour every second. I’ve been working on making an “Edinburgh Bucket List” to ensure I haven’t missed anything (any and all suggestions welcome!)
On a more academic note, working on my dissertation which covers Canadian First World War History has bridged a gap of being here in Edinburgh while learning more about a specific part of the history of my own country. It is fascinating to read the stories of Canadian nurses coming to Europe to do their part for the war. One of the Nursing Sisters wrote in her diary, talking about how she travelled to Scotland while on leave. Reading about their stories makes me all the more thankful that I am able to be here in Edinburgh to attend university and be able to study here.
Isla: I’m sure most of you can relate to the difficulties of flatmate drama or the breakdown of friendship groups. As someone who has recently been through a rough year in the realm of friendship and flatmate drama, I now understand how an experience like that can completely break you down and force you to re-evaluate the decisions you have made, make you question all of your actions and really consider the people you have allowed to play a big part in your life. This year feels like the perfect time to focus on prioritising the experiences that make you happy, the people that put a big smile on your face or make you laugh until your sides hurt (I’m talking about you Molly during that high stakes game of Monopoly!) What makes this epiphany so bittersweet is truly understanding who you are and what makes you happy at the time when you're reaching a finale in your life and about to experience what may turn out to be a considerably unstable period that comes after graduating.
To get a little profound for a second, I’m glad that the two of us have this EIC thing to make sure we are forced to spend time together every week. It’s sometimes tricky to remember to spend time with your friends when you’re struggling through deadlines and uni work, and even just meeting up for a study date can be fun time spent with your besties (and of course the joint stress makes those pesky deadlines a little easier of a burden to bear.)
So, our challenge to you this week is to make the most of your uni experience and try to stay in the moment amidst all the chaos of being a student. Whether this is your first year or your last–or somewhere in between–it’s all too easy to get caught up in the overwhelming workload or life struggles. Take a wander through the meadows, get yourself an overpriced hot chocolate, or make the most of Edinburgh’s free galleries and museums. Enjoy experiences without worrying about posting them to whatever social media accounts you have. Try to embrace one experience this week without thinking about your Instagram story and just have fun living your life.
However you choose to spend your time this week, we hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and stay tuned for more ramblings from us next time.
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