As soon as I overslept for my Thermodynamics Exam i knew my final year would be certainly a difficult one. I was fortunately able to start my final year despite failing the prerequisite module. Doing that mean, I would be doing 8 modules at once..... Engineers get it bad at the best of time. There is so much work to cover, its very rare to have a one semester module, like the rest of the university.
Normally, semester 1 would start off at 8 modules, with 1 or 2 finishing that semester, leaving 6 modules in the second semester. I however have all of mine across both semesters. Very very heavy going. I knew it would be tough but the past 4 weeks has pretty much killed me.
This is my work hand ins for the end of this semester
Week 8 - Aerodynamic Technical Review
Week 10 - Chassis Engineering Adam's Viva Coursework
Week 11 - Diss Interim report, Thermodynamics Diesel Engine Lab Report, Engines Data Analysis
Week 12 - Group Diss Interim Report, Motorsport Vehicle Performance Cwk
I am thankful that my MVP lecturer messed up on VLE so the hand in is now Monday week1 next year, in addition to that I have Aerodynamics WInd Tunnel testing to do...
So the past few weeks.... Have pretty much consisted of me going to uni for lecturers, staying their till 8/9 then coming home and attempting to do work. At first, doing work in the living room worked well, then it just didn't. So the Library become my new home away from Wheatley.
My Aero report had a 3 day extension, which was slightly annoying, i literally handed it in with 5 minutes to go, when my motivation had gone from doing it.
I am grateful that I managed to make a start on my literary review for my interim report early. I had read Tremanes, Science of Safety, which gave me lots of inspiration to write alot. If you get the chance, read that book, its an incredible journey, emotional no doubt but a great insight how how F1 got to where it is today.
Week 10 I had my Adams assignment. Adam is a dynamic modelling software, which i found very difficult to understand. Admittedly being behind on the practicals didn't help matters. I spent most of week 10 doing my best to avoid it. Luckily Ryan came in on Weds and shut my laptop forcing me to go to Uni. Annoyingly i didn't do any Adams but caught up on Chassis lectures I had missed. Thursday evening came, and I would miss my first Karaoke of the year. I had slowly figured out what was needed and caught the last bus back home. The next day was our interviews, I forced myself up at 6:30 and got the first bus to Uni (7:30). To a deserted Uni, i carried on with my work. I entered the viva (interview) under prepared and with the attitude of marks are marks.... somehow I ended up with 56%.
By this point, I had already spent the past 2 weekends in Wheatley, and staying till 8/9 working. Week 11 was deadline week. My week consisted of the following sleeping pattern
Thurs Sleep at 2am
Fri Wake at 6:30 Sleep at 2am
Sat Wake at 11am Sleep at 5am
Sun - Wake at 10am Sleep at 2am
Mon - Wake up at 8am Sleep at 3am
Tues - Wake up at 8am Sleep at 4m
Weds Wake up at 8am Sleep at 4am
Thurs Wake up at 8am Sleep at 6:30am (in the library)
Fri Wake up at 7:30 - Passout at 11:30
Sat Wake up at 1:30pm!
So pretty much running on steam. Thermo i got the majority of it out of the way Sunday (thankfully). My interim report became a living creature, finding new things to talk about and 7,500 words later I am very proud of what I have written. You can view the 44 page beast here. An all nighter (bar an hour snooze in the library) didn't help matter. Then I had engines, what a horrible bit of data analysis this was. I just didn't expect how long this would take, I prob spent a good 20 hours on it, most of it figuring out what to do.
Engines was due on Friday, so I printed out my interim, got it bound and carried on with engines, hoping to finish it. Come 5pm, i still hadnt finished it and uploaded whatever I had done onto VLE. I then spent the rest of the weekend trying to find any form of motivation to finish it. Thankfully I handed it in on Monday (My lecturer is in India and the lecturer who was gonna pick them up had hinted he might not do it till Monday).
So here I am now, on Tuesday of Week 12. I spent today with Jamie, slotting in our group project report together. Its nice to know that by tomorrow that will be out of the way stress free. However I must, finish writing up the concept selection method. But I can't, I am close to finishing, but I am exhausted, completely drained. i Just want to sit down play ps3, chill with friends. anything but uni work. I have till 12 to finish it, it wont be hard.
Pretty much the past 4 weeks has 100% been Uni. I have had very little time to do anything but. Working at least 12 hours a day including the weekend with little down time to be me. Friday was horrible. Me and Ed decided to go to pub. The bus journey was so funny. Both of us dead to the world, even confusing ourselves to what bus we were on. That 14 hour sleep helped a treat, and a similar dose on Saturday night helped. Playing the PS3 was so nice, relax, relax, relax.
I want to be human again, i feel that I am no fun. I want to be me and Uni has taken over my life (not a bad thing) but in the quantity I doubt I could have coped much longer. I know I messed up a bit park way through the semester, I became ill then lost all motivation to go to Uni, I fought through it and lived it 24/7.
Christmas in in 12 days, I get to be with my family soo. I can't wait to get away, but I know in the back of my mind I should be working....
