Through the eyes of a geologist

Until the age of sixteen, I wanted to be a heart surgeon. I think it was religiously watching Holby City on a Tuesday evening that did it for me. However much I loved biology at sixth form, I wasn’t very good at it to be honest. I was lost and studying A-levels that I enjoyed rather than what I could see myself perusing in a career. It actually wasn’t until sixth form when I switched from the IB (International Baccalaureate) to standard A-levels, that I found out I could study Geology, let alone at a degree level. I sat in the office of my advisors office not knowing what subjects to take. One subject I did excel in was Geography, where my particular love for maps grew. I enjoyed understanding relationships between boarders and the social aspects, as well as getting nitty gritty with the physical aspects of volcanoes and other hazards. By understanding Geology, it lets me answer the ‘how’ questions. How did that volcano produce so much lava? Why? When will it happen again? I’ve alwa...

How’s everyone’s summer coming along? Mine has been pretty standard since arriving home from Arizona, as nothing can quite compete with that. However, one thing that many students do, including myself, is learn to drive over the summer and pass before term starts again in the Autumn. When I was 17, I did begin to learn however after 3 hours I knew I wasn’t quite ready as quite frankly, I was a wuss. At the fine age of 21 ½, I finally felt as though I had the ability to control a car without running somebody over. Consequently, the past 3 weeks have been filled with 20 hours of driving lessons alongside working nearly full-time at my (part-time) job. My instructor Alex had a personality and a half, and worked around my working hours which meant that many lessons either started at 7am or 10pm. As you can imagine I’ve had a hectic few weeks. Due to studying abroad, my theory certificate expired which meant I couldn’t book a driving test. I knew I had the ability to pass and thus ...