Be Included
A Day in the Life of St Mary’s Student - Grace McDonough
08.00 – 08.45:
Set off on the bus journey to St Mary’s. The College has seven buses that pick students up from around East Lancashire and this service is free to all students - which is a great help financially!
08.45 – 09.00:
Arrive at SMC and get my notes in order for the first lesson of the day.
09.00 – 10.20: Geology lesson.
We have covered many topics including Energy Sources, Plate Tectonics and the study of fossils. Geology is my favourite subject at college as a lot of independent research is involved which will help me develop skills that I can later use at university.
10.20 – 10.35: Break time.
Break time is usually spent in the Refectory with my friends. I tend to grab a quick snack, usually fruit, to get me through to lunch.
10.35 – 11.10: Tutor period.
This time with your tutor keeps you in touch with all the events that are happening at college. It is also a great opportunity to talk to your tutor about any problems or issues you might have. At the minute my Tutor is helping me with my Personal Statement for my university application. After St Mary’s I aim to study Marine Zoology or Wildlife Management.
11.15 – 12.35: My Biology Lesson.
Recently we have been studying DNA and looking into how each strand works and for what purpose. Group work, practical experiments, lectures and answering past paper questions are all techniques used to help your learning and ultimately remember this interesting science.
12.35 – 13.20: Lunch.
I tend to meet up with my friends and socialise with them for the 45 minute break for dinner.
If it’s nice we sit outside on the field. I usually bring my own lunch but every now and then I treat myself to something sweet from the Refectory.
13.20 – 14.40: Geography.
This subject complements Geology very well.
We have recently been looking at rivers, how they form and how they change over the course of time from the source to the mouth. Finding out about how and why the environment changes around us naturally is fascinating.
14.45 – 15.20: Study period.
I normally spend this time in the Study Zone or the Library recapping previous work, doing homework or making revision notes. In both the Study Zone and the Library you have many resources at your fingertips to help you with your study.
15.20 – 16.00: Psychology.
This is Additional Learning Support. For every subject you study you have a
session, either one-to-one or in groups, which gives you an opportunity to catch up on any missed work or go through any work you don’t understand with the subject teacher. Throughout my time at St Mary’s I have realised the support you get from each teacher is second to none.
16.00:
The end of the college day and I catch the SMC bus back home with friends. I usually do one and a half to two hours worth of study each night depending on what has been set as homework throughout the day.