Uni 3rd Year Classes - I'm Suspicious

Is anyone else here in the third year of university? Is anyone else suspicious? Okay then.

Hey everyone, the first post in this week’s back to university theme is going to be my first impression of this year’s modules.

So, a quick recap of what I do. I’m a Creative Writing student. The classes I’m taking are prose, screenwriting and something called ‘Writer at Work’ where we have to develop our own project and then either do it or talk about what we would have done if we were doing it (we have to do at least one work related module or we can’t graduate).

To be honest, my first impression was actually ‘why these colours?’

Are they taking anyone else back to primary school? Who decided these were the educational colours?

The induction for the course came on the 13^th. This is where they supposedly introduce us to what we’ll be doing in the year, and it when pretty much the same as the last two years:

‘Here are your timetables.’

‘Are there any clashes?’

‘Any questions?’

‘Okay, you can go.’

It was scheduled for two hours and lasted about 45 minutes (half an hour longer than last year).

It was all very quick and I still wasn’t that concerned, though it did surprise me to learn that this year makes up 75% of the overall grade. I knew it would be worth more than last year, I just didn’t expect that much more, I thought it would be more 40-60 or something. I don’t know why.

Last week brought us out first classes. I’m surprised that this year there’s nothing where we have to write an essay on an already existing film or story. I also didn’t expect myself to be so disappointed about that.

The classes are as they were last year, lectures followed by workshops. The assignments seem almost too easy, hence the suspicion. Yes, they have to be professional quality now but it’s still hard to believe there aren’t any nasty surprises they’re waiting to spring on us.

I already have plans for most things.

I’ve gone completely sci-fi for screenwriting. Over the summer I started watching Star Trek again, for the first time properly since I was a child, and became completely addicted. Already being in love with another popular sci-fi series, Doctor Who, I’ve gone a bit mad for the genre, currently making plans to re-watch all the other old sci-fi shows I used to love. I think it’s probably best if I move on now before I lose track completely.

I’m going a different route for prose. I love sci-fi, I do, but here’s the problem, I watch it. I’ve read a little before but nowhere near enough to think I’m qualified yet. It comes down to this – do I research a new genre now and hope I’m good enough to get high marks by writing it in two months time, or do I go with another genre that I have significantly more experience in and love just as much? Honestly, I’m leaning toward the latter, which would likely be horror, though I suppose I could try a combination. I haven’t decided anything for definite there yet.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do about this work module and I have a feeling it will be the hardest one. I have ideas, but they’re all just small fragments right now, and there isn’t a lot of help available for us in terms of deciding what we want to do.

So there it is. My general view is ‘it seems easy, but it probably isn’t what it seems’.

At least I only have 8 hours a week actually in class, and I still have my three day weekend!

Why I should never be asked to pose. Wanted to add a second picture to this... it went quite wrong. Those eyes look ready to kill.

So, my question of the day is, if you’re studying anything right now, what is it and what do you think of it so far?