Hi, my name is Grace Gudgeon and I am the President of the Lancaster University Criminology Society 2020/21. Today, I’m going to be talking you through a day in my life. As a first year student, studying online during the Covid-19 pandemic, my routine can vary but this is typically what I aim for on my dedicated 'uni days’.

8:30am: I wake up, take my dog Elsie outside to do her business and make my bed. I have found that 8:30am is the perfect time for me to wake up, as it ensures I get a good night’s sleep every night and means I can still get my day started at a decent hour.

9am: I take Elsie out on a short 20-30 minute walk. This is not only beneficial for her but also for me, waking me up and getting me in a productive mood for the rest of the day. I find that morning walks really set the tone for the day and improve my mood.

9:30am: Lecture 1 of the day! I aim to watch 2 or 3 lectures a day but can end up doing more if I am in a productive mood. My lectures are split up into 3 or 4 parts so I tend to watch one section, take a short phone break then repeat for the other sections. I use the Forest app to help with productivity and keeping me off my phone for longer periods of time. It costs £1.99 and allows you to plant trees in your virtual forest whilst you work.

11am: Lecture 2 of the day! As a first year, I do two minor subjects (Law and Psychology) so I try to do a subject a day almost. This means I dedicate one day to criminology, one day to one law module, one day to my other law module, and one day to psychology. Sometimes, if I am feeling productive, I get started on another module that day too, which frees up some time the next day for other activities such as Criminology Society meetings, planning content for my ‘studygram’ (@crimwithgrace) or going out on a walk with my dog.

12pm: Lunch break. I always try to schedule in half an hour/an hour to step away from work, watch a YouTube video. and have some food. This really helps me to let the information I have learnt that morning sink in before I get back to work.

1pm: Virtual group presentation meeting time. In my first year Criminology module at the moment, we are preparing to deliver a group presentation as part of our assessment. So every week, we meet for an hour to discuss the research we have done and plan what we want to get done for the next week.

2pm: Online Criminology workshop. This term my workshops have been fortnightly which really helps in terms of having more time to complete our group presentation research. I am really enjoying this term’s topics as we are covering things such as prisons, probation, and youth justice. These topics are really helping me to shape my interests and will also help me to choose my second-year modules in the next few months.

3pm: Dog walk with my boyfriend. Due to the current lockdown restrictions, walks are the only time I get to see my boyfriend. We aim to do two walks a week due to our clashing work/uni schedules. Dating in a global pandemic is fun!

4:30pm: Home time and time to watch lecture 3 of the day! I had a spare hour so decided to get one more lecture done so that I could clear my to-do list a little more. I find that I sometimes feel a rush of motivation in the evenings so can sometimes end up doing lectures as late as 9pm. It really depends how I feel and I try and be flexible with myself.

6pm: After tea (you can’t call it anything other than tea if you’re northern, I don’t make the rules), I hop onto a Teams call for my virtual Police Cadets meeting. I have been volunteering as a cadet leader for around two years now for the Preston force. My role involves running sessions for the cadets and helping them to learn about the police and how they work. More than anything, the cadets is a safe social space for young people to meet new friends and better themselves. I have had so many opportunities as a cadet leader, including chatting with Lancashire Police Chief Constable Andy Rhodes.

7pm: Off one Teams call and on to another! The Criminology Society executives and I try to meet once a week, whether that is for an event or just as a group to discuss future events and our social media presence (@lancastercriminology). The girls and I have become really great friends, and I am looking forward to meeting them in person again when Covid restrictions allow.

8pm: It’s finally time to wind down for the evening. As I am studying from home due to the lockdown my mum and I sit down most evenings to watch Netflix together. We are currently watching The Crown and are on season 3. Although I am not a royalist, it is really interesting gaining a bit of background knowledge on the royals. It has definitely changed my perspective on them.

11pm: Bedtime. I never struggle to sleep after a long day of university work. I am normally tired out and can’t wait for my head to hit the pillow in preparation for a new day.

Blog written by: Grace Gudgeon, first year Criminology student

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