As I come to the mid-point of my degree, it feels like an appropriate moment to take some time to reflect on how far I’ve come and on what I’ve been doing since joining Bristol a year and a half ago. The past few months have probably been some of the busiest and most enjoyable of my life. One thing that I’ve really tried to make the most of this Autumn has been the social side of my course and some of the most rewarding academic experiences have been those not in a lecture, but in a pub or cafe where you have the freedom to discuss the ideas that interest you most and just argue about what you find fun to talk about. Anyone can go and buy some books to read themselves at home, but quite often the most valuable part of being at university is making use of the like-minded people around you and that’s definitely something I’ve come to appreciate recently. This term is also where I’ve been able to narrow down what I really like in Philosophy. When you first arrive, it’s sometimes intimidating to know just how much knowledge is out there but I’m finally managing to get my head around it all and hone in on the niches that really excite me.
There’s still one more week of revision lectures this term to try and collect myself before most people (unfortunately I and a few other housemates have jobs in retail meaning we’re here in Bristol until Christmas Eve) head back home over the holidays. The end of term comes a little too quickly and there’s a rush to cram everything you’ve forgotten to do in between all of the Christmas festivities like Ice Skating and the flat’s Christmas Dinner but hopefully the next few weeks should give us all a bit of a chance to relax. I’m quite looking forward to having the time off of Uni over the next few weeks and hope to be able to catch up with family and revision before the January assessment period. I’ll be back with an update then when I know how exams have actually gone.
James 
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