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!

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!

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.