Meet Jack: A Third-Year Wildlife Media Student
Hi everyone! My name is Jack and I’m a third-year BA (Hons) Wildlife Media student, which means I’ve only got a couple of months left until my time at the University of Cumbria is over – which is terrifying. I have absolutely loved my uni experience, and whilst I’m super excited for the next chapter, the prospect of stepping out into the real world is kind of scary.
I’ve been asked to write a day in the life – except that’s pretty hard, because there really is no such thing as a typical day as a wildlife media student!
There’s No Such Thing as a “Typical Day”
Usually, my day starts at 7.30am. I procrastinate getting up for a bit before grabbing a bowl of cereal (I cannot function without breakfast) and watching one last YouTube video.
Living and Studying in Carlisle
Generally, I have just one lecture a day – either 10.00-12.00 or 13.00-15.00. I live in a shared house in town, so I’ve got a 30-minute walk through the park to campus, which is a lovely way to start the day. Unless it’s raining, in which case it’s a 10-minute drive through Carlisle’s road network.
Why Lectures Are The Best Part of the Day
Lectures are great fun – unlike school or college, going to uni is one of the best bits of the day. I’m literally getting taught how to do my favourite hobby and getting a degree out of it, so of course it’s going to be fun.
That’s not to say it isn’t lots of work though, it’s just fun work.
Our assignments get set at the start of semester, and are all due in at the end, giving us plenty of time to get on with them.
From Coursework to Creating Award‑Winning Films
Writing this, I’m sat at my desk next to a tank containing a breeding pair of harvest mice, who I’m filming over the course of a few weeks before they’re released as part of a captive breeding programme to boost their struggling population. That’s just the sort of thing you end up doing as a wildlife media student!
For previous assignments, I’ve filmed friends climbing mountains, spent hours sat by the River Petteril watching dippers, and spent the best/most chaotic week of my life on the Isle of Mull running around after interviewees and otters. You can see what I got up to during my week on Mull here.
That Mull film led to the most intense month of work I have ever experienced to get it finished in time, but I’d say the results were worth it – it won in its category at the Royal Television Society regional awards! (Cough, cough – please go watch Mull Man on YouTube.)
A Busy Final Year with Incredible Opportunities
This year, alongside the harvest mice film, I’m off to the Isle of Man to film wallabies, South Cumbria to film pine marten monitoring and recovery (in VR!) and who knows where else to create a short film about bouldering. And I’ve got an exhibition to put up. And 2500 words of critical appraisal to write. All in the space of the next month. Wish me luck!
So yes, it’s safe to say that come the end of term, my daily life revolves pretty heavily around Getting Stuff Done – arranging interviews, badgering photography technician Dave Hurn to lend me a camera (again), printing exhibition photos, editing films and all sorts of other bits and pieces.
Balancing Deadlines and Downtime
But there’s still plenty of room for fun. In the evenings and weekends, I try to spend as much time outside as possible, be that hiking in the Lake District or photographing wildlife both close to home and further afield. Carlisle is amazing for wildlife – we’ve got otters, kingfishers, dippers, roe deer and more within the city, and you’re not far from the Solway or the North Pennines or the Lakes.
I don’t think I would have made it through uni without being able to easily escape into a green space to forget the world for a bit – nature really is the best medicine. If it’s raining (or just dark) and I can’t get outside, I spend my time editing the thousands of pictures I have tucked away on hard drives, or bouldering at the local gym with friends, or playing Fifa.
Finding Your People at University
And the best bit of all of this – doing it with friends. If I suggested to my friends back home that they should spend an afternoon with me sat in a field waiting for an owl to turn up, they’d look at me like I’ve got two heads. Up here though, and I’m sat in a class full of people who all love the idea of a trip to a nature reserve or a wander along the river. I’ve still only convinced one of them to join me on a freezing cold Lake District wild camp, though.
Why I Don’t Want To Leave Uni
And that, in a nutshell, is why I love uni so much, and why I don’t want to leave. I get to spend my days doing cool things, with cool people, in cool places, and I just happen to be getting a degree at the end of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me – the sun’s just come out, and I fancy going and taking some pictures.
Discover our Wildlife Media Course
Our Wildlife Media course – based at our Carlisle Brampton Road campus – explores the fascinating world of wildlife biodiversity, habitat, and behaviour while diving into the theory and practice of film and photography. Visit our course page to learn more.
.jpg)
.jpg)