How to make the most of semester two as a third year student at the Uni of York

Third years, our time here at York is quickly running out! It seems like semester two is going really fast, how are we already in week six? With only five weeks left of semester two, I’m sure many of you third years are worried about how to make the most of your final couple of months living here in York. Not to worry! This guide will give you a rundown of things you have to do before we’re all finished for good.

Climb the Minster

If you haven’t already, make sure to go into the Minster and take in the views from the very top before you leave. You can see the entire city from up there, so make sure to go on a sunny day! It is free for University of York students to enter and discounted to climb the central tower so make sure to take your student ID. Take some mates and get some great pics to keep as a memory before the semester is over. You can’t leave York before experiencing its most famous attraction!

Day trip to Knaresborough, Whitby or Hebden Bridge

Being in Yorkshire, there are so many amazing day trips you can do! If you haven’t already, make sure to make the most of the train station and go for a little day out. These towns and villages have so many amazing independent shops, it may just be the perfect place to find a momento to remember your time in York.

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Get some fish and chips at Whitby or some coffee in the cafes Hebden Bridge has to offer. This is a perfect way to spend a quiet weekend with friends and really make the most of your time left in North Yorkshire. Make sure you have a railcard so the trains are a little cheaper!

York Restaurant Week

York Restaurant Week is running from the 10th-23rd of March! This is the perfect way to visit that restaurant, pub or cafe you haven’t managed to get to yet. There is so much choice as many places in York are taking part. You can get great deals at Ambiente Tapas, Marzano Italian Grill and many more!

Also keep an eye out for York Cocktail Week which is coming up soon. Head over to the York Restaurant Week website to see a full list of offers and how to get your discount!

Walk the city walls

With the sunny weather, now is the perfect time to walk the city walls! You’ll be able to see so much of the city and maybe even come across somewhere you haven’t been before.

Take a day away from the dissertation, job search and assessment prep to appreciate York before the end of the semester. This is something you can do alone with an iced coffee and your headphones, or take a friend along and have a good chat while you wander.

Go to a Roses game

If you’re a third year, the final Roses of your degree will be held here in York! Go along and give your favourite teams a cheer. We haven’t won the tournament since 2019, so an extra bit of morale might just do the trick. There are so many different sports teams taking part in Roses, so there will definitely be something you are interested in to go and watch. The tournament will start at the beginning of May, so get those assessments handed in and head down to watch a game.

Study somewhere new on campus

Not all of these suggestions were going to be fun – we do all have dissertations due guys. York has two pretty big campuses and I’m betting there is somewhere you’ve not been before. Head across to a new building, grab a coffee and get to work! My favourites are Church Lane, James Costa and the Ron Cooke Hub. Better yet, use the uni room booking service and get somewhere booked for the day. There are lots of options to choose from and you may as well spend as much time on campus as you can before the end of semester two.

Sunday brunch with friends

York has some of the best brunch places on offer, so make sure you get the most out of them before leaving! With only six Sundays until the end of semester two, I can’t think of a better way to spend them than brunch. Rise, Robinsons and Partisan are all student favourites, so head down with your friends and get some great food. Start your Sunday right!

Do a bar crawl

York famously has a pub for every day of the year, so it would be rude not to tick as many off as you can before walking across that stage in July. Over the three years of your degree, you’ve probably been to a fair few, but move out of your comfort zone and try something new. Yes, we all love the Dusk two for one, but remember to give some new pubs a go before the end of semester two. This is quite an easy one to do as-well! With the weather getting a little warmer, the pub gardens are coming back to life, and what’s better than a pint in the sun?

Make the most of your student discounts

Unless you are going on to do a masters or plan on cheating the UniDays system, you better make the most of your student discounts while you still have them. York has so many shops, restaurants and cafes which accept student discount, so hit up your favourite spots soon!

The York City- Screen Picturehouse offers a student discount Monday- Thursday, so it’s definitely worth going to see a few films before the end of semester. Student discount is also a perfect way to escape the craziness of trying to get a seat in the library, so head into town, grab a student discounted coffee and get your assessments done!

Enjoy your final semester at York third years! Hopefully this list will give you some ideas on how to spend it!