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Nathan extends his stay in the UK
Nathan studies MA Contemporary History and is from Columbia, MD. Here he tells us of his success in securing a place for further studies at Sussex, and his plans for exploring Europe over the summer:
"March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb."
That's what my Mom always told me growing up, and while I am sure that the old adage mostly refers to the weather, the first half of spring's first month has been nothing short of amazing for me!
After a great run in the BUCS cup tournament, our University of Sussex Men's 2nd rugby team has a dream match next term, as we are set to play in a cup final at Adams Park - the home stadium of the London Wasps! While I have certainly enjoyed playing home matches for the team at Falmer Sports Complex here on campus, this cup final guarantees to have a few more spectators present, as Adams Park seats 10,000 people! With the match not coming until the first week of May, I certainly have something to look forward to, and it is perhaps best to view it as a reward after completing term papers.
And it is two term papers which I now must devote my efforts towards. Just as with the autumn term, my postgraduate study for an MA in Contemporary History requires that I complete a 5,000 word term paper for each of my two history classes in this spring term, both of which are due after the Easter break. With a depopulated campus leaving no queues for the library computers, I have little excuse to procrastinate, and I will find a corner in the library to make my second home over the weeks to come.
A trip to the British embassy in London is in order, as I now will be staying in Brighton for another year! I applied to several schools for a second postgraduate degree for a MSc in Global Health & Medicine, and I learned this week that I have been accepted in the program at the University of Brighton & Sussex Medical School. While I am still waiting to hear back from a few other schools in the United Kingdom, I think it is safe to say that I will continue my studies here at Sussex, as I already have roots in the place, and have loved my time here in Brighton so much.
In my stay here in England thus far, I have yet to travel as much as I would have liked, and I hope that this will change in the months to come. While the upcoming months are dedicated solely to work on my terminal thesis, I believe that a few weekend trips across the continent are acceptable. I have an interview in a few weeks' time to work at the Wimbledon Championships in late June, and I see that as a fantastic opportunity, and an event that I would certainly look back on for years to come. Money earned from that fortnight of work in London would then go to a trip in early July to Pamplona, testing my masculinity by competing in the annual Running of the Bulls. I have naturally yet to tell my Mom about this later excursion, and am still in the process of finding famous museums and monuments in Pamplona to disguise my true intentions.
While the conclusion of the spring term here at the University of Sussex has seen a mass exodus of undergraduates back to their respective homes across England, there is still a vibrancy both to campus and to Brighton. My academic studies are my #1 priority, but I will be sure to document firsthand the Brighton beach scene, trying to strike a balance yet again between what Brighton has to offer socially and the University of Sussex offers academically.
I am so excited for the months to come!
