Walking the long walk to classes from Regs – the overarching view of St Mary’s Quad with the dark mist over the old buildings and the crinkle of October leaves under my boots – I realise how the university mimics that from a book synonymous with the dark academia genre.
Maybe that’s the perspective from my English literature background, but I’ve always loved October; I agree wholeheartedly with the statement from L.M Montgomery, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
I’m not alone in that ideology. From art history students to my wonderful women in STEM, there seems to be some agreement about the magic made by the university during October.
However, the problem with trying to live a dark academia lifestyle is that it can become somewhat chaotic. Instead of spending long nights in a lantern lit library, scrawling out award winning essays that will revolutionise the field with a Mont Blanc pen, I find myself exhausted at 4pm, screaming at the fact that eduroam had decided to cut out for the fifth time. In the middle of my fifth edit of an essay too – which still seems to read as if written by a primary school student.
This is the common experience. As someone who has romanticised university since the age of five (when I discovered that school did not have to be about just maths and sports) yet, I could spend four years reading and writing about really cool books in old buildings with academics in the top of their fields, I found that it was easy to become overwhelmed when university was not like the early part of The Secret History.
Nevertheless, university is still easily romanticised. Long walks along the beach watching the choppy waves hit the rocks, like something from a Daphne du Maurier novel. Drinking a concerning amount of coffee before going off to study with friends in St Mary’s library. The thrill of submitting your first piece of coursework and cosying up under the covers at night with an Agatha Christie novel and a cup of tea.
Credit: University of St Andrew’s website.
These dark academia Octobers are something to be enjoyed wholeheartedly, even if they don’t live up to the expectations presented in books or films. It is up to you and your experience as to how you choose to live out your academic dream.
In sum, happy October everyone!
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