As a Combined Honours student, my day can be more unpredictable – in the morning I could be learning the neoliberal model of British Education, and in the afternoon learning about the ethics code of the Police.
But this is why I chose this degree – it allows for ultimate flexibility in my studies by providing me with the opportunity to customise my degree to my interests.
First year
My first year really highlighted this since I was studying 4 subjects: Politics, International Relations, Sociology, and Criminology. The great thing about Combined Honours is that you get to try subjects you have possibly never studied before like me with Criminology, and there is no commitment as you can ‘drop’ a subject after a year; I did this with International Relations.
No day is the same
Therefore, no day is really ever the same, but I can provide the recurring elements of what a typical day might look like!
Usually, I have 1-2 lectures and/or a seminar every day. This means I will have a few contact hours spaced in between my work hours (9am-5pm). During my time outside of lectures or seminars, I will be preparing for any other classes I have that week by doing the mandatory reading and answering the questions set. I normally allocate at least 3 hours a day to academic work which I hope to finish by 5 pm.
Extracurriculars
In my time outside of the working day, I participate in many societies and have some leadership roles. For example, I attend a 2-hour weekly practice for the Caledonian Society every Tuesday which is a Scottish dancing group. Similarly, I will attend at least two pole dancing sessions every week as well to improve my technical skills and create choreography to be performed at showcases.
A great part about Durham is that there are so many societies you can join that can keep you occupied during the day while providing a fun and supportive community in something you are interested in.
In social science subjects, we don’t typically have jam-packed days filled with contact hours – this means there is a lot more time to explore your passions and try something you haven’t tried before, which I really appreciate.
College events committee
Similarly, the collegiate system as well as societies mean that there are many student leadership roles on offer that I also participate in. For example, I am in my college’s Events Committee and Summer Ball Committee which means I help organise the events at my college including Trevs day/night, Trevs stock, and the winter and summer balls.
All these activities take up most of my day as a student studying Politics, Sociology and Criminology in the Combined Honours in Social Sciences course.
Discover more
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