What I Learned From Final Year at University

So this week I officially came to the end of my degree!

It's been tough and a real learning experience for me. There have been many ups and equally many downs, but I guess that's the whole point of life.
I think it's nice to sum up final year with lessons that I have learnt myself. Of course, everyones university experience is different, but seeing as mine has come to an end, here are a few things I've picked up on:

1. A lot of people actually start to do work

When I first started third year, I missed freshers due to being in America. As soon as I moved back in, I wanted to go out and see everyone that I hadn't seen all summer, but even after the first week, most people had kickstarted their coursework, lecture notes etc. This completely shocked me as I felt like I had to start putting effort in, but I suddenly realised that I do the work and could have fun at the same time. Some people find the balance tough, so just because everyone else seems to spend all day everyday in the library, doesn't mean you have to. There will be a point (around disso hand in time) when you have no other choice but to practically sleep in the library, but my advice would be to enjoy freshers one last time and let loose before starting the work.

2. You have to grow up a lot

The was a point at the start of third year when I realised that graduating uni isn't all that bad, and the thought of starting full time work in the real world started to feel like the next adventure. I didn't seem to dread finishing, rather I was kind of looking forward to it. I started searching for graduate schemes or travelling programmes I could do after university. Also, although I enjoyed going out, it started to get a bit tedious and repetitive after going to the same club nights for the past 2 years. Nights in suddenly seemed more preferable and I started opting for staying in and completing uni work rather than a night out.

3. Make the most of third year

Your final year is easy when it comes to having a solid foundation of friends and knowing the university lifestyle inside out. One thing I will advise is to enjoy and savour being a student for one last year. I did this by joining a new society, where I made so many new friends. I also joined up to the universities RAG adventure cycling from London to Paris. These opportunities aren't easily available after uni, and it provides another way of meeting new people. It also helped keep me motivated with the last year of uni, and meant that I really felt like I had made the most of final year.

4. Enjoy the small things

You don't have to go all out for your third year, but simple things like going to the union for a snakebite or using our student discount at restaurants and shops means you are taking advantage of the last time you can enjoy these pleasures.

5. Don't pay attention to anyone else around you

Some people had already finished their disso before I had even started mine, which slightly scared me! But then I realised, each course is completely different. For starters, I was not doing a dissertation but rather a research project. Also, some of the people posting it on facebook went to a completely different university which means they operate in a whole different way. So relax, and focus only on you.

6. There will be a point where you will need to do some work

This happens at different points for everyone, where you get a sudden wave of realisation that you need to stop your partying antics and procrastinating, and buckle down to some work. Your finally year is not for partying, get that out the way in the first two. This is the year that people go to university for, to get that degree. So the sooner you start motivating yourself to work hard, the better and easier it will be. Don't listen to that person that calls you boring for choosing the library over the nightclub, at the end of the day, you are accumulating a lot of student debt to get a good degree, so it would be stupid to throw it away for a few nights out. The summer is for chilling, relaxing and partying. Right now, get those books out and start organising your education. It's only temporary, in a few months it will all be over and it will all be worth it when you're celebrating with a good degree classification at the end.

Final year doesn't have to be stressful. If you remain organised and on top of your work, it can be quite easy.
I warn you now, you cannot breeze through final year without stressing, panicking and maybe crying the odd time. I certainly did not, and there were times when all I wanted to do was give up, but knowing that it was only temporary got me through.
They say you get out what you put in, and I truly believe in this saying. I was one of the last person I knew to finish my exams, but I remained focused and tried to not let that hinder me from trying my best.

On a final note, if you are contemplating going to university, I would say go for it. It truly is a learning experience and builds you as a person.

I wish you the best of luck wherever you are in your education ladder!

Confessions of a third year student...

These days, my life seems to resemble a pair of scales: balancing a social life and sanity with final year university work and insanity.

My lack of blog posts and ideas have been a result of this. I knew this was coming and I tried to prepare myself for the stress and copious amounts of work that would come my way.

I won't sugar coat it, final year is hard, it's meant to be. 

As we approach the end of April, the deadline for my thesis is just around the corner. I've spent pretty much every day since January in a laboratory, desperately trying to gather results to give me something to write about.

This is the life of a final year biomedical science student. It's not fun, but at the same time I am weirdly enjoying it. For those who choose to study a scientific course, then it is most likely that you will end up doing a research project. Not only do I think it is harder than a dissertation, I also think it is waay more stressful but at the same time way more rewarding.

Having to design, plan and conduct a research project by yourself is hard and without proper training, it means you have to use your own initiative on a daily basis to make sure you actually know what you are doing. There were times when I felt like crying in the lab because I had no idea what I was doing and none of my experiments were working. This is where patience comes in handy.

I've learnt so much in a matter of months, not just to do with my course but to do with myself. I definitely do not want to go into research as a future career, and I have also realised that the best way to complete something is to just sit down and get on with it.

I suppose the one thing that keeps me going is that it'll all be over in a couple of months. It's actually scary how quickly time goes when you are so preoccupied with various assignments and revision.

I think it's this point in a degree where you have to make sure you have chosen the right course and that you enjoy it. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to find the motivation to do anything.

Gone are the days of partying almost every night. In fact, after a days work I feel mentally exhausted and the last thing I want to do is get glammed up for a night partying into the early hours.

The coping mechanism's I have acquired are getting enough sleep, which is incredibly important and really effects your performance. I also try and go to the gym a few times a week, as well as going to local dance classes as this fulfils my other passions. It makes for a really good break and keeps me sane.
The most important one however is to START EARLY! I seriously cannot emphasise this enough, the earlier you start, the less stress and panic there will be towards the end. If you find yourself with spare time, make a head start. You will thank yourself for it later.

I can't say I have changed my diet to enrich me with brain boosting omega-3 or anything, I simply indulge in chocolate most of the time to satisfy that sweet craving and as a reward for all those revision notes I made. And there is nothing wrong with that. I also have become a procrastibaker, as you can see from the pictures below!

Blueberry Cake

Strawberry fairy cakes

Easter egg chocolate cakes

So I guess this post is like a diary entry and when it is all over I can read over it and take comfort in the fact that it's all over.

That Sunday Post...

Ahh... there is nothing in this world that beats that chilled Sunday feeling. I love Sunday mornings. It's a chance to forget about the stress of day to day life, and to spend the last bit of the weekend doing nothing without feeling guilty.

With the changing of the clocks, I arose from my bed feeling refreshed with the extra hour of sleep, and was greeted with the autumnal sun shining through my window.

After a lazy morning spent eating breakfast in bed, it seemed only fitting to do a tiny spot of Sunday baking. Being a student at university, I don't have the luxury of being able to use my mum's range of baking equipment that she has accumulated over many years. Instead, I go back to the basics when baking at Uni.

Something I hadn't baked in a while were brownies.

Nothing beats the smell of them baking in the oven, and the first taste of warm, gooey chocolate brownies that seem to melt in your mouth.

So, armed with tesco's basic baking ingredients, I managed to create the perfect (well, to me) chocolate brownie with a hint of orange.

The orange gave it an autumnal, almost christmassy kick, as well as providing a way of using up any leftover fruit I had lying around.
Seriously, when I was baking them, the kitchen smelt like Terry's Chocolate Orange. It was the perfect addition to spice up the simplest of recipes.

Speaking of the recipe, I followed the BBC Good Food Best Ever Brownie recipe (found here), but as I'm baking I tend to meander away from the steps and add my own little additions. You can do this to, creating it to your own taste by adding nuts, raisins, more chocolate, whatever! It doesn't have to be perfect, just as long as it tastes delicious!

So, when you're feeling lazy and in need of a cosy weekend treat, give these tasty little brownies a go!

What I learned from second year of university

Another university year is about to begin and as I'm going into my final year, I thought it would be useful to share my experience of second year. You will find lots of posts about freshers and how 'wild and crazy' it can be, but what no blog posts ever say is that first year is a good time to prepare for second year.

It was tough. That's one thing I found out. There were times when I felt down and whilst I wasn't depressed, I certainly felt lonely. It may have been my course, or it may have been the fact that my first year was amazing! Whatever it was, I'm glad to have survived second year and now i shall embrace third year as the final hurdle before finishing my education!


- Second year gets a lot harder

The first thing my course leader said was that second year is the toughest out of the 3. I couldn't understand this. Surely third year, the year that actually counts, is the hardest?

I found first year really easy and felt like it was one big catch up year so that everyone from a variety of different backgrounds is bought to the same educational level. I found that this is true, by the results of my first year exams! Plus it doesn't count so you only need 40% to pass onto second year.

However, second year isn't so easy. I found is extremely tough! So tough that I have experienced many lows. It has gotten to the point where I have considered on more than one occasion of dropping out of uni. I found that I suffered from anxiety as well, which is a first for me. There were a lot of struggles and it certainly did not live up to how good first year was.
My one bit of advice is to power through, no matter how hard it gets. If it doesn't go to plan, you still have third year to make up the grades.

- You won't want to go out as much

I have to say, I partied hard in first year. I frequently went to lectures hungover and going out 2-3 times a week was the normal thing to do. However, this changed dramatically in second year!

With the amount of work, it is impossible, but I also found that I favoured a night in watching Gossip Girl over a night out in a club. This also coincided with me actually suffering from hangovers, which I never used to get in first year. Now, it takes me a whole day to recover, and when you have mountains of work due in, it isn't the most practical idea.

On the plus side, you save a lot of money and live a healtheir lifestyle!

- You will drift away from friends

Living in halls meant you go to know so many people. You will barely speak to these people in second year! I was close to the girls in my flat, but as I didn't live with them in second year, I hardly saw them and when I did it was on a night out so was very brief.
This is just one of life's things. It is a natural occurrence and you will make so many new friends.

- The library will become your best friend

Towards the end of the year, the coursework will start to build up and you will find that staying in the library all day will become a daily occurence. Especially around exam time. You will also find that the library will get so busy that sometimes there won't be a single computer free (depending on your university).

One piece of advice I will give you is to break up your day by going to the gym/going for a walk. You will go insane staring at a computer for 8-10 hours. If you want to remain sane, make sure you do go home.
Libraries are open 24/7 but that doesn't mean you have to live their whilst exams are on, as some people do and you can smell them. Just so you know, most libraries don't have showers.

I am extremely proud of how I handled second year and my exam results surprised me. I worked hard, probably too hard, but at the same time I learnt so much about my personality and learning styles.

Now to do it one final time to complete my degree. Wish me luck!

My Summer Awaits...

I can finally say that exams are OVER!!!

It feels so good to not have to revise, or feel guilty about not revising! I have worked my butt off for these exams and I have revised properly since January. I have to say, second year of university has been tough in so many ways, and I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle.

There have been times where I have felt like giving up, but I persevered and I am so glad I did. My one piece of advice for anyone in a similar position is that no matter how hard it is, it is only temporary and by working hard and having motivation, it pays off in the end. I now have one more year of my degree and then I will hopefully be a graduate! But for now, I have 3 months of living and working in the USA to look forward to!

So now I am back home and I have begun packing and sorting out all my documents. This week I have my dad's birthday, my birthday on Thursday and then New York on Saturday. A very exciting week up ahead.

Hopefully I will be blogging over summer, so expect lots of posts about my adventures! For now, its back to packing!

Ways to Save Money As a Student

So I was going through my recent posts and released its really obvious that they are thought about on the spot. Due to the amount of uni work I've had recently, I haven't being pay as much attention to my blog as I would've liked, and I've been writing pointless blog posts for the sake of posting something.

However, when thinking about what to actually write about, I had some inspiration. I'm a student and have been for about a year and a half. A couple of friends have been moaning about their lack of money and I realised, I'm quite good at budgeting! So, I thought I would share my advice as a student about how to spend and save money cautiously, where you can still splash out and afford things for yourself but are not left in your overdraft at the end of every term.

• The first tip is an obvious but sometimes not practical one. Get a job. Some people do this whilst at uni, and there are plenty of part time student friendly jobs. Club promoters recruit students to hand out flyers for student nights, although word of advice, you will annoy everyone that walks past and may not be liked as much! The uni will offer jobs for students as well. I was a student ambassador in first year where I would show people around on open days and visit schools to promote the university. The pay was very good, I think it was around £8 an hour which is very generous.
• If you don't want a job while at university, theres always the chance to work over summer. You have about 3-4 months off depending on your course, and many events companies hire students. There are dedicated student websites that only advertise student jobs so they are worth checking out.
• Sometimes a job is not always possible, so the next few tips are about saving on things associated with lifestyle.
• One way to save money on food is to look out for offers and only buy say crisps, or cereal, when it is on offer. This applies to fruit. I only buy the fruit thats on offer as it's quite expensive!
• Also, avoid big brands to cut down costs. Things like pasta are perfectly fine when they are value brands, however some people aren't keen on using value meat. I used to buy meat, divide up the packet and freeze into portions. That way I would get 3-4 meals out of one packet which is a lot!
• Another thing I would do is make my own pasta sauce by using half a tin of tomatoes for one meal, and flavouring with paprika or garlic powder and adding vegetables. This is so much cheaper than buying a tin of branded sauce, not to mention healthier!
• When out and about, buy packed lunch foods when spending a whole day in the library. I see a lot of people buying lunch or dinner from the local supermarket, which overcharge for food anyway, or buy it at the library which takes advantage and increase their prices. Buy a packed lunch box or plastic sandwich bags and make your own. It doesn't take long and will make a difference to your bank account.
• Apply this to hot drinks as well, buy a thermal flask and make your own tea, instead of spending up to £1 on what is effectively a small cup of hot water and a tea bag. Fine for every now and then but it does add up if you buy it frequently.
• Next, shopping! Get good use out of student discounts, although note that sometimes it doesn't make a ton of difference (e.g. topshop and 10% is not that good on some items of clothing). Sign up to websites such as studentbeans.com and they will email when companies are doing discounts specifically for students.
• Onto the main part of students lives- alcohol! My advice, don't splash out on Smirnoff vodka when you can buy Tescos own! I certainly can't taste any difference. And make use of bringing a hip flask into clubs (as long as they don't check your bag) to avoid buying drinks out.

After a night out, cook your own food instead of going to a chip or kebab shop.

All these little changes can make a big difference. By being a little more cautious with money, you can save a lot and get through uni without racking up too much debt. Too many people are reckless with money but if they were more careful, they wouldn't be left empty handed everytime they go home!

Top Tips for Exams/Coursework

So this week has been stressful. My university assignment deadlines seem to have crept up on me and are now due in within the next two weeks. So it's been hard to think about what to write so apologies if this is a random blog post.

I thought I would give some advice about exam stress and coursework deadlines. The end of march is the time when coursework deadlines are due for GCSE'S, A Levels and university degrees. Also, its the time when you need to start revising ready for summer exams. So, having been through GCSE's, A levels and university exams, here are my top tips:

1. Preparation is key 

I realised from AS levels that lack of preparation reflected on my grades. At GCSE's, you can get away with starting later, but my AS grades were appalling. For my A levels, I started revising earlier, writing revision notes, practicing past papers and making sure I knew, in detail, the things I was learning. It paid off! I got into my first choice uni and had good grades at the end of it. The same applies for university assignments, the earlier you start, the more time you have to make it better and get feedback from your tutors. I can tell you that tutors won't read your work and critique it a few days before its due in. I've started revising for exams now even though my first one isn't until the 4th May. It takes away so much last minute stress and allows you to achieve the highest grade. It may be boring, but at the end of the day it could make the difference between a 2:2 or a 2:1, or getting into uni.

2. Find the most effective way of learning for you

One persons idea of revision could be your idea of hell. We all learn differently and knowing the best way that works for you will make revision so much easier. I personally like coloured pens and flash cards as I'm a visual learner, but others prefer bullet point notes, interactive quizzes and many other forms. One thing I will say is that I believe past paper questions helps to perfect your exam technique as well as improving your knowledge, and this is the best form of revision to do a few days before your exam when you (should) know everything for that exam. Also, if your exam/unit has a specification, use this as a checklist and make sure you know everything! That way nothing will come up in your exam that you won't know.

3. Whenever possible, ask for help

One thing I realised at university is that if you want extra help/feedback, you have to get it yourself. They don't spoon feed you here like they do at school. Part of growing up is being able to do things for yourself. Your tutors will be more than happy to help you when they can, but it does take an email from you to receive it. Most of my uni assignments have had minimal instructions and guidance, therefore getting help and clarity has improved my work and it means I'm able to get a good grade at the end of it. The same applies for coursework on all levels, there is nothing wrong with asking and if you ask too much, all they'll say is they can't help you with that. Ask for help to clarify anything you don't understand when revising. It will be extremely beneficial to you and there is lots of help out there!

4. Utilise the facilities

In first year uni, I didn't enter the library till a few weeks before my exams, and I regret this so much. There is so much space to just sit down and revise. They have computers, macs, laptops, books, tables, study rooms, anything that can help with work. If you can utilise this, you will get so much more work done. There are too many distractions when I work at home, so go down to your local library, listen to some music and you will easily pass four hours doing work. Our uni library is open 24 hours and around exam time, I was in there till around midnight every night. I went with friends but plugged in to concentrate, but I found that I got a lot of revision done and my exam results reflected that. There is also a cafe, sofas and it was next to the union so if you do get bored, then you could go for a walk before returning to do more work. By doing this, it will motivate you to do work whilst you're there, so give it a go!

5. Get enough sleep

This is so important. Get enough sleep whilst revising and the night before an exam/coursework deadline and it can make so much difference. Your mind will be alert and awake, making it easier to think. Drink plenty of water and eat healthily, and you can get so much more revision done. At university we are lucky to have a consolidation period where we have no lectures apart from revision sessions, so it was easy to get a good nights sleep, then go to the library during the day. If you have a 9am exam, go to bed early. Try not to get anxious as this can prevent you sleeping. Keep calm and if you have prepared effectively, you shouldn't have any stress before an exam/deadline. Remember, for exams, they are usually only an hour to two hours long, which is not long at all and not worth losing sleep over. It will go quickly and be out of the way before you know it so do not stress about it!

I hope these tips help and are useful to you. Whatever level you are at, you are continuously being tested so these can apply to all sorts of things. By following these basic tips, it can make such a big difference and you will feel calm and collected, helping you to achieve your very best.

If you need any advice then feel free to contact me via twitter, mail or comment on here! I've been taking exams and doing coursework for 7 years now so I have a lot of experience.