Student Jennifer shares what she gets up to after lectures, when she's done being a student for the day!
Cannon Hill Park, just 20 minutes from campus!
Being at university can be challenging at times when deadlines are hanging over your head and you’re attending your third 9am lecture this week. This is why it is important to lead a second life outside your assignments!
My double life starts every week on a Tuesday evening, where I meet my friends to play some cards as part of the Tabletop Gaming Guild Society. Other nights with the society feature board games, puzzle games and more, but by then I am already focused on my next mission – making some music.
After my day as a student ends, you will find me making music in various University Music ensembles (an extra-curricular programme open to all students and staff). This year, I joined the University’s Symphony Orchestra which rehearses on Thursdays, a collective improvisation group ‘Creative Exchange’ on Wednesdays, and I formed my own piano duet (with the help of the Chamber Music collective). I also like to attend concerts on Fridays and Wednesdays to watch talented musicians perform. The great thing about University Music is that there is a place for every musician, so be sure to check it out!
I also went undercover as a fairy in the latest production of ‘Iolanthe’ by the Guild’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society. I made great new friends through rehearsals (usually on Saturday) and it was great to try something new to get involved in. Though I have only mentioned a few societies – the Guild of Students offers so many more!
To keep up with my alternating lives it is very important to stay fit. I try my best to keep active throughout the year, so I have been going to Social Badminton events, where you meet new people and have fun exercising together! Otherwise, I like to go roller skating around Selly Oak and Birmingham every so often with my friend. If you are more of a sports person than me there are also many sports teams to join which you can explore during Welcome Week each year!
Of course, every double life gets hard, so when I need to relax I go to Cannon Hill Park – a gorgeous natural area with an arts centre and lots of ducks – which is a perfect place to have a picnic with friends! Winterbourne House and Gardens is also a place I love to visit - it's a beautiful landscape of flowers that offers free entry for University students! Another of my favourite recreational activities is visiting cafés. My two favourites so far are Bisque and Bean (a pottery painting café in Selly Oak) and a cat café in the centre of Birmingham.
There are many more opportunities in Birmingham that are waiting to be explored after your lectures end. But remember, the key to leading a double life is keeping both lives balanced!
Music BMus
Hello! My name is Jennifer and I am a second-year BMus Music student from Vienna, Austria.
