Exams and mince pies :p

Usually exams are in either January or just before the end of the academic year - I have TWO exams in December. When I found out I didn’t see why it was so early and why it wasn’t a January exam instead. Then I started to see the advantages, exams in the next two weeks and then no exam preparation needed during my Christmas holiday! 

Now I am definitely looking forward to Christmas. Last year I had a deadline in January which meant I wasn't able to have a lot of free time during the holiday, so now it’s such a great feeling to know I have SPARE time. I definitely have to make up for last year haha. 

Obviously this doesn't mean I won’t be doing any work at all - I will do some reading and research to be prepared for the courses for term two but it will be a lot more relaxed. Yes, relaxed! Mince pies, cappuccinos and movies - my favourites especially this time of year when it is raining and super windy. 

Have a great Christmas everyone, make sure you rest well and don’t worry about over eating. During this festive time of year you can never over eat J

Planning Ahead

I decided to go to Poland for the weekend, literally from Friday night to Sunday night. As you can guess that didn’t work out well – the flight was cancelled. As soon as I got to the airport I was told to go back and rebook a different date as there will be no flight.

I started to panic a lot as I knew I would be missing my lectures, they’re very important at this stage as I have presentations, essays and exams all due for and happening in November and December. I obviously had no resources with me that I could work on which lead me to panic even more.

It’s crucial to plan ahead, if you go on holiday during term time (which I strongly advise you not to do) then take some work with you. I know the aim would be to have a break but once your flight is delayed or something else occurs then you’re bound to panic anyway until you return back, having no work with you for the prolonged time when deadlines are approaching you will definitely feel more pressure than you should.

On the good side, I did manage to catch up with my work. It did mean that I had to work longer hours, but I’d rather get it over and done with now that try to catch up with my work a few days before the deadline.

Keep your head up high lovely people! J

Presentations

Okay so my birthday is coming up and I really want to do something fun. I'm going to be 20  - I suppose it’s not as being 21 but I still have some time until then. 

I can’t get too carried away as I have to do many presentations. Lets face it, many people think presentations are lame and boring, and it’s true - they can be. If you’re in a room full of people with the presenter reading what’s on the screen then you probably think ‘I could read that myself, what’s the point in me even sitting here?’.

So just a few tips when you do a presentation yourself, regardless of which degree you are doing:

• It’s better to know what your presentation is actually about, especially when in a group rather than relying on others.
• Have visual images, not hundreds of words per page as the audience will find it hard to read.
• Be prepared to answer questions - if you're unable to answer then don't worry, just say you're not too sure.
• Allow yourself to shine, be confident and smile!

For now it’s time for me to think about what I’ll be doing for my birthday! (Whilst doing preparation work of course).

I’ll see you later :)

Just don't forget…

My first blog

It’s now approaching the time when we will all get cold, soaked and tired. As the seasons are changing it means we well feel demotivated rather than motivated to continue with our degree preparation work. To keep yourself happy and not too overworked remember to also have some fun evenings and weekends. Go out for dinner, visit friends, go to the cinema - just don't party too much! If you get too carried away you will find yourself rushing with all the work rather than taking your time to perfect it. Rushing may conclude in minor errors such as grammar, referencing and not staying on task which would then lead onto losing very important marks; these marks may be a difference between a First and a 2:1, so always give it your all! 

For those who are doing a Business related degree, you will find that you have a lot of coursework to do as well as both presentations and exams. Make sure you manage your time well to cover everything that needs doing. Another important aspect is proof reading - it sounds boring but honestly if you read your work out loud I can guarantee you will want to make some changes to ace your work. 

Remember due to the weather you can drink plenty of delicious hot chocolates without having to feel guilty!