LITTLE RED: university

Sunday, 7 July 2013

The Sunday Post: The One Where I Graduate

On Thursday the 4th of July, I officially left the world of education and graduated in sunny Reading. Earlier in the week I posted a What I Wore, which you can take a gander at, I was really pleased with my last minute grad dress purchase, what do you think? I also finally got my hair cut and spruced up for the occasion, and my oh my does it feel and look ten times better than the scraggly mop it was before.

The weather held out, Pimm's were to be had, and it felt strange that three years at University had come and gone so fast. I've now got the daunting prospect of actually living my life, no more hiding in the education system, it's time to figure out what I want and do the things that have been on my bucket list without excuses of coursework to put me off. I do feel ready to start a career, I feel like this blog has opened up my eyes to a path I do want to take and I'm already taking baby steps to achieve it.

The ceremony was actually quite quick but whilst I was waiting to walk up to the podium, shake hands with the chancellor and collect my certificate all I could think about was tripping in my heels, thankfully I didn't, but I was left with some nasty blisters...

I was chatting with lot's of my friends from my course and some are taking the year off to just laze, or go travelling, or you know think about what the hell is their next move in life. Some have already landed jobs, some, like me, are making their way with internships and trying to put their name out there ready for the world to sit up and listen.

Have any of you ever had the 'Oh God, I'm getting SO old, and I have so much I want to do' moment? Yeah, I'm having a little bit of that right now, which seems silly as I know I'm twenty one but I swear yesterday I was only sixteen, going to house parties and starting sixth form?!

I'm just happy I did it, University isn't always the best option for everyone and I did struggle a lot at times but I've done it and I'm proud of myself, and excited to see what happens next...

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Wednesday, 5 September 2012

starting university? freshers advice!

A-levels done and dusted, the not so sunny summer holiday's over and thousands of you are about to embark on one of the greatest journeys of your young lives, cheesy as it may sound. I've headed back up to university this week for my third and final year which I'm both crazy excited for as well also quite worried due to how stressful it's going to be what with my dissertation but I'm definitely up for the challenge and determined to make the most of my last year as a student, waa!

This time last year I made a 'freshers advice' video which I thought I'd share for those of you who are slightly apprehensive and struggling to remember what's best to bring and what not. I hope it helps, it's only a few of my top tips of what I found most useful to know - just remember to have fun, be yourself, and time management is key - however, don't stress too much first year isn't all too bad as long as you attend your lectures and make notes you should most definitely be fine!

So some top tips are:

Storage containers are your best friend, I found having thin clear storage holders that I could slip under my bed were a life saver as university rooms in halls tend to be on the smaller side so compact storage really does help. I stored all my towels and bed sheets in them as well as originally housing all my pots and pans.
Stationary wise I tend to go a bit loco! but I'd say a clear study dated planner is a must as well as post it notes as when it comes to revision you'll find these will be decorated on all your walls. Study planners are great for keying in upcoming events, lecture timetables, and deadlines.
Don't hide away in your room. I know for those of us on the more introvert side will find meeting new people and having to make a whole new set of friends EXTREMELY daunting BUT trust me pretty much everyone is in the same boat and conversations are easy to start up just by asking what course someone in your halls is on. People on the same floor/flat etc. tend to stick together when it comes to freshers week - I found leaving my door open was great way of becoming approachable
Budget! Pre-drink before nights out and look out for student nights and deals on shots, they will be floating about everywhere and are a student's best friend! I'd advise paying for an NUS Card as you will get a bunch of discounts from Mcdonalds to Topshop!
Print off photo's! I found having a bunch of pre-printed photo's from home made me feel a lot more settled as well as adding a more personal and homely touch to my room!

So get ready for a diet of super noodles and eggy bread, late nights, and lot's of reading (especially if you're an English Lit student like me!) but try not to stress too much and first year is a great year to socialise and take advantage of the student lifestyle. I regret not going out so much in my first year as I was pining for home, sitting in my bedroom didn't help the matter and I missed out on some really fun nights out with the friends I did have there. You will get homesick at some point but Skype is a great way of keeping in contact with family and friends and I find that by just going and having a natter with a friend in your halls really does help as they're most probably feeling the same way too!

I've added some of my fresher photo's as well some snaps from second year to hopefully showcase how much fun I had - ah memories!!