Five epiphanies you will have as a first year in Epiphany Term

Barely three weeks into Epiphany term as a first year student, I have come to two main realisations: Firstly, walking up and down the hill multiple times a day is worse in mid-January than it was in Michaelmas. And secondly, this term is about to be quite the experience.

The consensus among second and third years also appears to be that Durham’s seemingly longest term is bound to be the most eventful time of the year – and with that come certain revelations which may hit you at the most random of times, whether it is on the morning of your 9am seminar, during your walk up 50 hills back home when it’s pitch black at the prime time of 5.37pm, or in the bathroom at Billy B. As such, there are many epiphanies which Durham first years are likely to have in Epiphany Term. 

Epiphany one: The to-do is endless

Goodbye michaelmas formatives, hello epiphany summatives. If you thought all your first formatives last term were scary, I sincerely apologise for what you are going through now upon realising that the upcoming summative deadlines are looming nearer and nearer with each passing second. As if that wasn’t enough, there are extracurriculars to take care of too; we are, after all, ambitious Durham first years desperate for experience.

Between trying to make it to as many lectures and tutorials as possible, meeting deadlines, getting firsts, and trying to stay involved enough with things to yap about it on your CVs and LinkedIn, you are certain to have a sudden realisation that your little pocket diary, where you make a billion to-do lists to stay organised, is almost out of pages.       

Most Read

The truth behind wild picture of ‘Jeffrey Epstein alive in Israel’ has finally been revealed

Here are Bad Bunny’s translated Super Bowl lyrics, so you know why people are angry

I worked on the hospital ward with Lucy Letby at the time of the deaths – here’s what it was like

Epiphany two: Seasonal depression is real

As I write this, it is three degrees outside, feels like minus eight, has been bucketing down all day, and it’s the Monday-est Tuesday ever. Almost lost an eye and got poked in the head by at least four umbrellas on my way back to college from a lecture, and before I could be properly upset about it, I saw that everyone around me was already looking like they were undergoing a profound sense of hopelessness.

So, another epiphany due to be had is that the unfavourable weather on busy university days is about to get under your skin like nothing else. Make sure to get your vitamin D tablets: It’s about to get dismal.

Epiphany three: Brunch needs to be more than just a latte and a brownie

Coming back to uni as a first year in a self-catered college in Epiphany after spending Christmas at home…let’s just say that often it hits 7pm on the clock, and you realise that maybe the reason your 5pm lecture was so painful was because all you have had since you  woke up is a coffee from Calman, and a brownie from Cooplands. Delicious as they are, please do consider eating at least one or two proper meals besides them during the day.    

Epiphany four: So much of being an adult is just doing the laundry and groceries

Weekdays are for studying, and weekends are for catching up with reading, doing laundry and groceries, and conjuring up the will to actually cook. Every once in a while though, if you’re self-catered, you’ll be locked-in at your desk, you’ll feel hungry, and you’ll walk to the kitchen. You’ll then open the fridge, and lo and behold – all you see is a singular slice of bread and half an onion, because you forgot to do the weekly shopping.

If you’re in a catered college, don’t feel smug about not having this issue – to some extent, you all are guilty of a worse crime: Putting off doing laundry until you are forced to re-wear the same pair of socks that got wet yesterday when you stepped in a puddle the size of the Pacific Ocean outside St Oswald’s Church. You will (hopefully) be granted an epiphany, and finally understand that the laundry and groceries are not going to get themselves done.

Epiphany five: In spite of it all, it is good to be back

I realise that this has so far been a pretty pessimistic list, and it might give the wrong impression that Epiphany term is the worst thing that could happen to a first year Durham Uni student. But it is not so, even if it feels like that (especially with this week’s terrible weather). All it takes is time well spent with your friends at Durham, a sweet treat from your favourite cafe in town, a kind word from a stranger you will never see again, a call back home to update everyone on how everything’s going, and a good laugh over a lame joke with your flatmate, for you to realise that even the most demanding days are simply making room for some upcoming joy.

Just a month or two until the sun doesn’t set until 9pm, and all your summatives are submitted, and the endless to-do list feels a bit more manageable – though it will likely still make you want to rip your hair out. In any case, the most important epiphany to be had this term is that there are moments of happiness to look out for even in the constant rush of stress that Uni can bring. If you have not had such an epiphany yet, don’t worry. It is just around the corner.

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The Durham Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.