‘My field trips were a highlight of my time at the University of Hull’

Hello, my name is Leah, a recent BA Human Geography graduate from the University of Hull.

My time at Hull has been filled with lots of wonderful memories, however, a favourite part of my student experience was the exciting field trip opportunities.

As a geographer, field trips are a great way to throw yourself into your course and bring what you learn in the lecture theatres to life. In this blog, I’ll tell you about the two trips that had the most impact on my university experience and helped me develop as a student.

A standout memory of mine must be my first field trip to Shropshire. Having only been at Hull for a matter of weeks, the idea of going on a residential field expedition (with my new course- mates!) felt daunting.

However, this trip became significant as it introduced the skills required to study geography at degree level.

After arriving at the hostel, we spent the next few days learning the ropes of different field techniques that we would then use for the duration of our course. The variety of activities allowed us to make the most of the experience and gave a true welcome to our degree from the Geography department.

A highlight was meeting lots of new people and becoming great friends with a group of girls that have stayed with me throughout my time at Hull. So, although the thought of the Shropshire field course was initially scary, it later became one of the most rewarding moments of my student experience.

History and social media in Berlin

In Spring 2019, we visited Berlin as part of our second-year module. Berlin was a place I had never been to before, so it felt exciting to have the opportunity to go with my course. The trip allowed us to study cultural, heritage, and tourism geographies in a real-life setting.

During our trip, we conducted a research study, which gave us great practice for our dissertations in a few months. My group decided to research how social media is used in the tourism of Berlin. Who knew Instagram had such a huge influence on tourism!

A high point of the trip was appreciating first-hand the long-standing history of Berlin. By visiting the East Side Gallery, we observed how powerful the paintings were in symbolising unity in the city. It is experiences like this that emphasise the importance of field trips for understanding the world around us.

If you would like to find out more about my trip to Berlin, take a look at the video we made whilst over there!

The field trip element was the main reason I chose to study Geography at the University of Hull. Experiencing these trips was just one of the most rewarding times as a student. Exploring the world around us has developed my skills as a geographer and has shaped who I am as a person.

More highlights

There are many other key moments of my university experience, such as creating wonderful memories with friends on campus and exploring what Hull as a city has to offer (lots of nice restaurants and bars!). Perhaps, I will discuss these and the rest of my favourite Hull moments in a future blog.