York St John in 2018 – Daniella Ibell
A few weeks ago we were delighted to share some of Jack Marsh’s memories of being a student at York St John in the early 1950’s, which got us thinking, how much has this changed over the years, and what is it like to be a student at York St John today? We recently had the pleasure of spending some time with current student Daniella Ibell, who gave us some insight into what student life is like these days.
My name is Daniella Ibell and I will graduate in 2019 with a BA Honours in Human Geography with Media. I lived in the Percy’s Lane student accommodation in my first year, and had the best student experience; fresher’s was of course a huge highlight that everyone remembers (or doesn’t!). It’s the first week to explore the bars and clubs within York, I quickly realised how many places there were to go!
What was really great was getting to know my degree course peers. Our degree holding annual fieldtrips allowed friendships to form and strengthen. I am now living with two of the girls in geography in private accommodation and I am loving student life even more! Some of my housemates and I are part of the York St John Dance Club so we walk to weekly rehearsals together and being in a club makes us feel part of the university. I had the chance to compete with the York St John Dance Competition Squad and I felt proud to represent the University. Regardless of which club you’re in at York St John, I think it’s safe to say that it becomes a huge part of your university life. Whether you’re training or rehearsing for games, shows or competitions, there is always an opportunity to get involved with your club, or to even get involved with joint club events. Dance has teamed up with a few other clubs such as York St John Football and York St John Netball for socials every other Wednesday which gives members a chance to socialise with each other and other societies in the best way through playing drinking (and non-alcoholic) games whilst dressing up in a theme the social secs have decided such as under the sea, decades, pyjamas, or the annual York St John Dance Club Glitter Social!
I base most days around what I am going to eat so I love exploring cafes around York, especially to go for brunch. It is great to see that a lot of cafes are student friendly – offering student discounts, however some places are just purely good value for money (Morrison’s café’s Full English Breakfast is the best cure for a hangover!).
The biggest struggle I have found being a student who loves to buy things is the fact that I can’t afford to buy things that aren’t essential; I make the weekly decision to buy food or clothes, and food always wins. However, if I do shop, I love looking around vintage stores such as Chinese laundry and Expressions to add a nice vintage item to my standard black and white wardrobe.
One of the best times of the year in York is when the sun starts shining and York becomes a great place to go for walks, either out the city where the views are scenic or in the city centre where you can tour around the many museums such as the castle museum, or choose from one of the 365 pubs in York and have a pint in a beer garden and start to feel drunk before even getting ready to go to the Sports Dinner *flashback*.
Having the opportunity to graduate in the York Minster in November 2019 is what will make the hard work throughout the degree worth it; I am very excited to celebrate such a huge life achievement with everyone I will have been studying with over the last 3 years.
Thanks for sharing this with us Daniella, and good luck with the rest of your studies!
Do you have a story to share about your time at York St John? or perhaps an update on what you’ve been up to since you left? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch by e-mailing us at alumni@yorksj.ac.uk
