Last Friday I graduated from Durham University with a First Class Honours degree in Geography (BA). To be honest it hasn't quite set in yet that not only do I have a degree (!!!), but my time in Durham has come to an end. I'm going to do a separate post reviewing my third year but I just wanted to capture my experience of graduation because it was the most magical day and I want to remember it for a long time (as a side note, here's the post I wrote after my school graduation).

When I arrived in Durham in October 2015 as a fresher I had no idea what to expect. I'd visited once before during half-term of my final year of school and I'd liked the university 'campus' part and my college, but if I'm honest what really drew me there was the university's reputation and league table rankings. I suppose it's as good a reason as any to choose a university, and I really didn't know much about Durham as a place. Fast-forward three years and I've fallen in love with its cobbled streets, quaint shopfronts, the cathedral and castle, the marketplace, the riverside, Gilesgate, the local cinema, even North Road. There's something special about Durham; it's a tiny, beautiful, ancient place and in many ways it is very much a university town, but alongside the student life there's also a vibrant regional culture that draws on the proud history of the north east of England. Given the importance of the cathedral to both town and gown alike, as well as its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, I think it's very fitting that the graduation ceremonies (or congregations, to use the official name) take place in that incredible building on Palace Green.

Once we were inside we walked past the rows of guests to the transepts on either side of the main nave where we waited while the ceremony was opened and the dean of the cathedral and the vice-chancellor of the university both addressed the audience. Then the time came for the conferment of degrees, and we were called up in alphabetical order to shake hands with the chancellor. Unfortunately we didn't receive our actual degrees on the day as they are only posted out later in the summer, but this was sort of the equivalent. Once we'd shaken hands we returned to our seats to wait for all the other degrees to be awarded, including Masters and PhD students. Finally there was a closing speech by the chancellor and then it was all over, lasting about an hour in total.

With the main formalities over, we all headed up to the science site for a reception hosted by the Geography Department outside the main geography building. There were lots of refreshments and canapés and it was still an extremely hot day but it was nice to chat to some people I hadn't seen yet and to catch up with some of my lecturers. As well as just chatting, the head of department also awarded some prizes for academic achievement - and I got a prize! I received the Robin Mills prize for the second-highest first class honours degree in geography, but I also got the highest mark in third year alone. Also, the person who achieved the highest overall mark was on the BSc course, so I can say that I got the highest mark on my course as I was BA. It was a huge honour and I totally hadn't been expecting it, but I was so so pleased! All the recipients of the various prizes (6 or so in total) received a certificate and a cheque, but for some reason the Robin Mills prize also includes a huge trophy which Robin Mills (who was a geography professor and later worked for the UN) donated to the department in 1978. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to keep it, but it has all the names of the people who have been awarded it over the last 40 years engraved on the side so at least I know that I will have left my mark for years to come. I don't usually make a big deal out of my academic achievements in real life or here on my blog, but I am hugely proud of myself for this so I wanted to mention it, especially as it was such a lovely part of my graduation day!

So what are my plans for the future, I hear you ask? Well, in September I will be starting an MA in International Security at the University of Sussex, so I'll be moving to Brighton for a year which I'm hugely excited about. At the beginning of June I went down to view my new student house for next year and visit the campus, and while Durham and Brighton are pretty much polar opposites in every single way I think it'll be a really interesting experience to live somewhere in the south, by the sea and in a much bigger city. After that I'm hoping to get a graduate job in a field related to my degree(s), but that's all to come and for the moment I'm just planning to enjoy the summer!