It’s the mid-semester break, which means we are already halfway through Semester Two (😬). That is a mildly terrifying fact, as there are only six more weeks of teaching before exams… semesters really go fast – so much faster than a term at high school.
I’m down in Tauranga for the break, which is great – it’s nice to escape the city for a little bit and catch up with family down here. This holiday more than the others so far, there are also a fair few people who are just staying at the Hall. So it may not have been quite so dead as usual, but it’s still nice to be home.
Always nice to be back by the beach
I have some mid-semester tests the first week back though, so I can’t just do absolutely nothing for the entire break (unfortunately). I’m giving myself the first week to relax, then I’ll do some study in the second week. I’m pretty lucky compared to some people since my tests are after the break, some have them beforehand and I feel like that would be far more stressful. Science & Arts students seem more likely to have tests before the break, whereas all my Commerce ones are after.
I’m actually applying to change my programme, so maybe next year I’ll have to suffer through pre-break tests. At the moment I’m studying towards a BCom and Diploma in Languages – which would take four years to complete. However, I’ve decided to drop the Diploma and swap to a conjoint BA/BCom. This way I can get two degrees, still in four years – provided I do a summer school and a couple 5-paper semesters. Why am I doing this? While I’m enjoying Commerce and am looking forward to majoring in Economics, it has been my French papers that I’ve enjoyed the most this year, and also I want to pursue my interest in Politics a little more. So by doing a conjoint, I can double major in French and Politics & International Relations on the Bachelor of Arts side of things, and then do Economics through my Commerce degree.
When not studying, I’m taking the chance to explore a bit…
I thought changing what I was doing would involve some complicated process, but it’s just a matter of lodging an application online – much like you do to get your initial entry to Auckland (though with far fewer steps & paperwork). I won’t get the change confirmed until my semester two results are out in December, but I’m fairly confident it’ll be fine, the GPA required for swapping is fairly low.
The weekend before last, I was part of the Inside Word panel at Courses & Careers Day (hi to anyone who was there!) and something I really stressed was that if you have an interest in something – absolutely go for it and give it a shot. Initially, I was only planning to do a Commerce degree, then I decided to do a Diploma in Languages because I wanted to continue my French, and now I’m changing that into a BA and adding Politics into the mix. So if you’re not entirely sure on what to study, pick something and give it a shot. University is a great time to explore your interests, and it’s incredibly easy to swap and change – so you may as well.