Tag Archives: university

Medicine as a mature student at the University of Cambridge (Rousse)

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Aged 25, and after several exam attempts, I was finally admitted to the University of Cambridge as a medical student. My mother and sister S came with me to Cambridge on my first day to help me settle in. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged book, bookshop, Cambridge, commercialisation, dining, dinner, gender, hall, medicine, segregation, shop, sister, student, toilet, university | Leave a comment

Big changes at the University of Birmingham (Rousse)

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Childhood friends SB and KH met me in Birmingham to scope out venues for next year’s university reunion. We were in for a shock when we reached the University of Birmingham campus. The French department was completely unrecognisable. The corridors … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged banner, Birmingham, Chinese, corridor, French, hall, lecture, navigation, reception, reunion, student, university, venue | Leave a comment

University finance genius earns special treatment (Rousse)

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

DM brought a sudden end to the lunch party, reminding her guests that some important afternoon commitments now required her attention. As she shooed us out of the door, she checked that I had remembered to collect my raspberries and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bay, cursive, finance, fruit, genius, ledger, lunch, party, potatoes, raspberries, redcurrants, script, scullery, special, tin, treatment, university | Leave a comment

Contributing to a Media and Cultural Studies compilation in Canada (Rousse)

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I had only volunteered to review a couple of papers, so it came as a shock to be told that everyone taking part in the compilation of the book was also expected to write a chapter on a relevant theoretical … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bar, bus, campus, Canada, chapter, city, colleagues, compilation, drink, lift, lost, media and cultural studies, model, paper, professor, review, theory, university | Leave a comment

Two double beds, four American exchange students, and an older woman (Rousse)

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I soon guessed WB’s plan when she invited me to spend the day with her at her ex-husband AB’s house in the country: matchmaking. I willingly made the visit with her, but also insisted afterwards that the pair of us … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged American, bed, biology, campus, degree, double, ex-husband, exchange, matchmake, old, student, threesome, university | Leave a comment

In defence of the ‘Nonsense Norwegian’ (Rousse)

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The residential staff retreat was a dreary affair. As I stood in a queue waiting for my turn to take part in the next ‘exciting’ activity – charity shop shopping – my mother-in-law lifted my woollen jumper to check that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blade, charity, cousin, defence, Edinburgh, hall, jumper, lecture, mother-in-law, navigation, nonsense, Norwegian, Nottingham, poke, retreat, shop, shoulder, suit, technology, university | Leave a comment

Housework for a ride (Rousse)

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I had an appointment to meet Steve Rickman in his office at the university at 8:00am. It wasn’t far along the coast, so I planned to walk along the shoreline to our rendezvous. I hadn’t considered that this would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged America, campus, guest, house, housework, lift, meeting, phone, ride, sea, shoreline, tide, university, US | Leave a comment

Identifying elite US and UK universities (Rousse)

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I told a gaggle of American students that everything that I had ever learnt about elite US universities came from watching films. They were impressed that this ‘strategy’ of mine was so successful. I then asked them if they could … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged American, Cambridge, Edinburgh, elite, higher education, library, Newcastle, Oxford, top, UK, universities, university, US | Leave a comment

Riding a water envelope is more fun than house clearing and lecturing (Rousse)

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Dreamaticus

When we were recalled to my parents’ house to finish the clearing job, we admired the garden in the beautiful spring sunshine. Our progress was slow, especially because all the utilities had been disconnected. Even the simplest of tasks, such … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beach, boat, cave, clean, clear, envelope, father, house, lecture, mother, parent, ride, salami, sister, sports, TPR, university, water, wine | Leave a comment

Shamed at a Newcastle University seminar (Rousse)

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Dreamaticus

TPR and I travelled to Newcastle for two visits to my mother in her care home. Between the visits, TPR consulted physics text books in Newcastle University library, then we both attended a research seminar in the School of Fine … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged campus, care home, fine art, head, library, mother, Newcastle, physics, school, seminar, shame, TPR, university | Leave a comment