Dear Davidson…

“Is it an ick to dress up for a pub trip?”  By Ruby Caballero-Roff and Keira McTernan Ok. So, everything and anything can be an ick, but why do you care?   We are becoming more familiar with terms such as ‘ick’, this can mean behaviour which is off-putting or unpleasant which can be funny at times when chatting to friends about a potential admirer to share some laughter, but it can also embed itself into how we judge other people. There are some cringe worthy actions, of course, but in reality, this is what makes life funny and gives you a story to tell friends and family over dinner. People dressing up for a casual social event or acting goofy is what makes the little simple events memorable. If you or any of your friends want to wear a wacky outfit, then go for i...

“I have so many deadlines and so little time! How do I get over the Winter blues at university?”  By Ruby Caballero-Roff and Keira McTernan Winter deadlines are fast approaching for most of us, whether that’s formative or summative assessments, it’s incredibly stressful and let’s face it, the cold, dark weather really doesn’t make it any easier. With the sky becoming pitch black at 5pm this can take a toll on our moods. We wake up and it may be cloudy or bright blue sky, and it feels that within only a handful of hours the day is over before dinner! This shift accompanied by the chill in the air can no doubt make the motivation to open our books or laptops a tiny bit more difficult. Do not think you are alone in feeling like this. I am a planner for sure so I would advise you t...

“I feel like a lot of people at uni have very tight knit friendship groups but I'm friends with lots of different people individually and sometimes it seems like I'm missing out when i see them hanging out in larger groups. What can I do to deal with FOMO and is it weird for me to ask to hang out with them more?”  By Ruby Caballero-Roff and Keira McTernan Making friends for life at university is one of those things that feels compulsory in order to have a good experience. We all hear stories from much older people who say ‘the friends you make at uni are the friends you have for life’ or a bundle of other anecdotes from the time they spent at university. We’re all in the same boat and we know making friends when you’re older becomes more difficult, but that doesn’t mean you sho...

As winter is now upon us, it is the prime time for chick-flicks and movies which areobjectively terrible but also provide a sense of comfort. In nearly all these movies there is asocially popular, pretty and vain teenager or young adult who eventually learns there is moreto life than the next Gucci handbag, a sort of Scrooge ending to the stories. This brings homethe message of what we were taught when we were younger, to be considerate and care forothers around us, to not be vain. Vanity is chained to feelings of selfishness, being self-obsessed or being wrapped up in ones-self. Therefore vanity is bad, right? Of course, we mayagree with this statement, however the qualities of being vain may not be all negative. To bevain can be an accumulation of different qualities such as being narci...

Modernity. A term used to denote a period within time, such phrases have long been used to helpus conceptualise and understand human history or social changes. We are now considered in aperiod of modernity but before this came terms such as postmodernity or the industrialrevolution. My thought today is, what comes next? We seem to identify key features to benchmark through time. Such as rebellious art movementsand anti-authoritarianism as seen in postmodernity. Take the industrial revolution, for example,in simple terms, there was an influx of new technologies and factories during the time and evennow this was considered significant and was believed to create positive opportunities. Nowhowever, we can see that this was not all entirely rainbows and sunshine, the conditions let’s say,wo...

“As a first year, I'm worried about balancing my studies and my social life. Do I prioritise friendships, especially when my grades don’t count towards my degree this year?” By Ruby Caballero-Roff and Keira McTernan While the notion that “first year doesn’t count” is heard in every hall of residence block and every pre-drinks across campus each year, first year does count in more ways than you think.  First year is the exciting introduction to the next chapter of your life, it’s for you to explore being independent, navigate through friendships, relationships, and really have your eyes opened at the Fetish Friday event at the SU!  First year will set the ground for your referencing skills and critical analysis techniques that you will need to use straightway in secon...

"Me and my partner have completely different political views and this often causes arguments that lead to no suitable conclusion. What should I do?" By Ruby Caballero-Roff and Keira McTernan There are so many elements to a relationship, and it can be simply put as there being the good and the bad. With the added personal stress of living a university student life, the bad parts can often be amplified whether that’s through emotional outbursts or rather nasty arguments that can’t be reconciled.  If you have already attempted the obvious and simple solution of confiding in friends and family, you may have already been given the astounding advice of “just don’t talk about politics!”. Which seems simple enough, right? But unfortunately, it just isn’t as simple as avoiding the to...