Change is as good as a rest

They say a change is as good as a rest, so we hope you'll find our change to blogs.gre.ac.uk/studentlife a pleasant one! You can catch-up with me, Amanda, if you click here to view all of my posts.

Rest!

Now that I have reached the end of my second year it is time to have a rest! 

I think it is nice being able to finally relax and not have to worry about all of my submissions, exams and running out of time when writing my coursework. Even activities such as jogging or meeting with friends I used to take for granted until I realised that I do not have much time. So now I can do all the things I enjoy. 

I am also working part-time, so I have a holiday booked between work, in order for me to have a break. Not long as I will go full-time in July. It is something I am also looking forward to as I will have a set routine, rather than constantly having different activities to do for my degree at varied times. Full time work is until mid September and then back to complete my third year of my degree. 

I know that my third year will be very challenging but I can’t wait to be studying something I enjoy. Studying a course I enjoy does make things a lot easier – especially focusing during lectures which is important. J

Panic Mode

It’s the time of year now that all the students will be stressing due to having exams, I am definitely one of them! Luckily I only have one exam in May because I had all my previous exams before the Christmas holidays, so that is nice but it does not mean I am stressing any less – it is just as important to do well in my exam this May. I am trying to revise each night even if it is just for a half an hour, obviously things do turn up which means that I cannot revise everyday which puts more pressure on me. I mean there are things that I am also being distracted by such as thinking about my holiday in two months’ time and shopping, such a huge distraction haha. I guess it will also keep me motivated, because once the examination period is over; I can focus on work and go on holiday to enjoy some time off. In the mean time I will go back to revising so that I can achieve my absolute best. Just remember not to leave your revision until the last minute as that is not the best idea, more stress on you!

Open Days – Join us!

On Saturday we had a great Open Day! New excited students willing to join the university. My part was to work in the registration team and it was really nice to see everyone smiling as soon as they have entered the university, ready to look around and speak to the academics. I know, it doesn’t sound too exciting but it honestly was – especially since the transition from college work to a degree is such a huge step. The open team tried their best to make everyone at ease!

The good thing about student staff working during Open Day is that we can answer questions about how we find the university, from accommodation to studying. You can ask us anything, without hesitation. It would be so nice to see familiar faces at the campus, so even once you do start your course – I am always here to help!

Even though I did work during the weekend, I have four deadlines within the next four days; being organised is such a huge part of my daily routine as without it I wouldn’t get anything done at all.

I will be posting again soon, but for now – adios! J

Chill Out!

Hey guys, I hope you are all well :)

Within the Business School, most deadlines are between now and April so many students will be panicking. I don't mean as in, call a friend to say that they are stressed out. I mean spending the entire night in the library (yes the night, whilst everyone is asleep) so that they can meet deadlines. 

If the deadline is not met then that will be a failed grade straight away - how upsetting is that? So I have to make sure I submit everything on time as well as revising for my examination in May. 

It can be done, I did it all last year but it’s hard to get started, once I get started with my essays, they flow so easily and can be completed in no time. In terms of presentations, I find them the easiest way to be graded on my knowledge, because a lot of preparation goes into it and there is a main title to focus on, just like with an essay - you could consider it as a spoken essay :D The exams are the hardest for me, as all the knowledge has to be stored at once and once I start the exam I start to panic… Not the greatest of reactions but it happens. I have to make sure I plan and prepare so that I can feel as calm as possible.

Not to worry, it will all be done by May! 

For this year anyway…

Good grades!

The Christmas break was great, I was able to relax and stop stressing over university work. But I knew that the grades for the work I had submitted would be out during Christmas. Of course I was worried as to what I will get but at the same time I was excited, I wanted to know whether my hard work has paid off. 

When I received a call from my friend to say the grades are up, my heart was seriously beating so fast - not sure whether it was because I was scared or panicking. I received First Class overall for all of my work for term one. 

Seriously, the work does pay off! As long as you try and are motivated you can achieve anything, if you doubt yourself then that's fine as everyone does at some point so it's totally find. Just keep up the great work! I know people always talk about being organised but that really is such a good thing. 

Once I’m organised I know how much time I have to prepare my work/revise, rather than panicking straight away. Then it makes everything much easier and you can achieve whatever you desire! 

Best of luck in all of that everyone! J

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!