It's been all over the place for me; there are times when I love my university experience, and times when I hate it. I really like Durham as a place and I've met some really good friends, but I never actually know what to think about my course (French and Spanish). It's a strange course because only 1/3 of it is actually languages stuff (grammar, translation, speaking), so I don't think I've improved significantly in my linguistic abilities over the past year. I think they're relying on the year abroad to boost students' abilities, rather than focusing a lot on languages classes. The rest of my lectures are "cultural modules", which are about foreign literature and film. Sometimes it feels like I'm doing English Literature but in another language... At times I like it but overall I think there's too much of a focus on these cultural modules (plus some of the modules I did this year have been very historical, and I'm not great at that kind of stuff). I've found these modules pretty stressful, particularly around exam time - I just don't feel that exams are the best way to test someone's knowledge of literature.
Also my coursework essays have been quite inconsistent - I've had low 2:1s, high 2:1s, and a 1st. The marking seems very dependant on the individual lecturer, and some are significantly harsher than others and seem overly critical. I'm hoping that it will help in the long run and I'll work on the criticism, but initially when I got some of the feedback it was a bit overwhelming (not helpful too that some of the lecturers seem to write sarcastic comments on the work...)
I think I'll probably enjoy second year more than first year. I'll be living in a rented house with three of my friends (sometimes the collegiate system at my university feels a bit institutional and it'll be nice to have a bit more freedom). Plus the modules I'm taking next year sound so much more interesting than the ones in first year (there was a greater choice as well, so I'm happy I don't have to study anything about medieval languages and literatures (that is, if I get my module choices)).