My week as a student ambassador

Hi guys.

Once again I am very sorry for the lack of posts recently.  I have just lost the blogging motivation right now.  However, I have been a bit busy in the last 10 days.

I may have mentioned this before but I am currently a student ambassador for my university and I have done a lot of cool things because of it.  I have been on so many open days and applicant visit days.  I have been seeing and meeting a lot of potential students for my degree and as a current student, they have been learning what the university is like and most importantly what the degree is like.  These last 10 days however, have been different.

A few weeks ago, I received an email asking me to help out in the student union to put together welcome packs which are to be sent off to new students.  I have decided to take pictures and show you my week as a student ambassador. 

It has been such a fun 10 days and I am kind of sad that it is over but onto the next adventure as a student ambassador.  Freshers week is coming up and a lot of opportunities to have fun as well as help out.  

How has your summer gone this year?  Have you had any good adventures?

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Blogmas - Day Nine: How to study effectively

Hi guys.

I thought today I would share some tips for those who, like me, are in the middle of writing essays, revising for exams and all the other stuff that comes with uni/college/school.  I am by no means the brightest or the smartest person in the world or professes to be an expert on this subject.  Today's post is my tips and my ideas on how I study for my assignments.

Study timetable.

Now this for me is a hit or miss.  I have used this in the past and when I have made it work, it has made my life easier.  Everyone has a different technique on creating a study timetable but as long as you have set aside time to study then you can organise your time around your academic career.

Organise your time/life.

Again this comes down to using some form of timetable or diary.  I prefer to have a diary or planner for this as I can put all aspects of my life in it.  (I have just reviewed my current planner which I will link here)  Once you have organised your time/life, you can then see what time you have to study/socialise/sleep!  I also put in my planner my due dates for assignments so that I always know when they are due.

Know where you like to study.

Everyone has a certain place they like to study...whether it be in a place that is silent or with friends, the place which helps you best can help you gain the best results.  I tend to work best either in my kitchen or in the library.  I find that if I am in my room, I procrastinate so much!  

Know how you like to study.

There are so many ways to study.  You type in study tips on YouTube and so many videos pop up!  My way of studying is to write the whole sentence or paragraph down and then read back through it and highlight the key points I may need in my assignment.  Seriously...all my notes are covered in pink highlighter or red pen!  Some people may also like to use mind maps or cue cards but I only use them when doing presentations and I cannot get the hang of using mind maps!

Get your priorities straight.

So you have multiple deadlines which all seem to be in at the same time...so what can you do to make time to complete them all?  Well prioritise which ones you feel are more important/due first/take longer to do.  This year I have one assignment due first then two on the same day.  In my head I have prioritised my assignments and am completing them in that order e.g. I have a poster due on one day then an essay and a portfolio due on the same day, so I am completing the poster then doing my portfolio and leaving the essay till last as I know I can complete the other two fairly quickly.

Essentials.

There are many things that can make your life easier at uni and these are some of the essentials I use throughout my uni life.

1. Diary/planner

2. Notepads (I have about 10 so I don't run out!)

3. Lots and lots of pens!

4. Highlighters.

5. Cue cards.

6. Pencils (depending on what course/degree you are doing)

7. Ruler.

8. Text books (either bought or from your library)

9. Laptop.

10. Earphones.

Some of my essentials are obvious ones but still some people can forget them and struggle to complete work.

So these are some of my tips that are helping me through my second year at university.  Like I said above, I am not an expert at all but throughout my academic career I have adapted different study strategies to help me learn to the best of my abilities.  

All I can say it good luck with whatever you are doing through this academic year.

What are your tips to successful studying?  Is there any tips you use that you may want to share?

Bye for now.

Jess. X 

Blogmas - Day One

Blogmas - Day One

I cannot believe my blog is now one year old! How time flies. I don't know as of yet what I want to do to celebrate this occasion but I will do something (ideas would be appreciated). I also can't believe that I have kept to my word of posting as regular as I can (I know I missed a few months due to a busy schedule but I will hopefully get this sorted out). 

As I enjoyed doing Blogmas last year, I have decided I am going to do this again. So as it is the 1st of December, I am going to kick this years Blogmas off with an update.  I know I have done a few recently but I have been MIA for a few weeks and it will be a catch up as well as a get to know me for my new followers. 

So as some may know, I'm Jess and I am a second year student at the University of Bradford studying Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.  Most of my life at the moment is uni work as well as my two part time jobs (one being a Student Ambassador for my faculty and the other and more frequent is crew member at Burger King). I spend most of my free time studying (boring I know but it's gotta be done). 

I created this blog a year ago today and have loved writing posts and reviewing products. I want to be more involved with my blog this next coming year and hopefully start a YouTube channel but that is only in the planning stages in my head and want to get into a regular routine with my blog. 

I recently became single and am starting to love the single life although I do miss being in a relationship.  I do have to say, I have had a lot of support through this.  Being in a relationship for three years is a long time and we both were serious throughout the duration of the relationship but things started to get a bit strained and we decided it was best to end it.  I was devastated but as time has gone on, I am slowly getting over it and getting on with my life.

I will be staying at uni for the Christmas holidays, working and finishing off assignments.  I am aiming to do well in my next two years of uni.  I cannot believe that I graduate in a year and a half.  Time is going by so fast.

What is going on in your lives?  Hope you all have a great Blogmas.  Let me know if you are participating in Blogmas and I'll have a look.

Bye for now.

Jess. X 

My Crazy Life-Update

Hi guys.

It has been far too long.  I am sorry that I just left and put this on a majorly long hiatus.  Life has just been so crazy plus the motivation has been on the slow side since I last posted.

So...since my last update and post for that matter (I had to go check to see what my last post was)...I have finished my first year of university with a 2:1 might I add :)  I also did a bit of voluntary work over the summer just to keep me busy which helped so much in the latter part of the holidays as me and my boyfriend broke up in September after 3 years together which was heart wrenching and I am still not 100% over it but I guess things take time and my family and friends where there to support me and distract me as well as my voluntary work.

Back at uni now and I feel that I am having a better uni life this year considering I have no time for my self.  So what has my life become as a second year?  Well first thing is I am so much more organised and my work isn't suffering (unless flatmates distract me or things from outside are loud), I am also a Student Ambassador for my faculty as well as a Student Representative for my degree and I have also gotten a part time job at Burger King which I started the other week.

I am so grateful with my life at the moment and I am hopefully going to post more often on here as my blogs 1st birthday is coming up at the beginning of next month and I need ideas on what to do for it.  So any ideas would be appreciated as I would like to do something for my readers.  Maybe a small giveaway?

I would also like to thank everyone who has waited patiently while I sorted my crazy life up.

How has you life been?  Any main events happened?

Bye for now.

Jess.  XX

Update

Hi guys.

Thanks for sticking around.  I am so sorry for not blogging in a while but uni life has gotten crazy.  Exam season is upon us and I am currently on a placement.  I will however, be posting a few in the near future and once uni has finished I will be posting more often.  So hang in there guys and we will get back on track.

I am so grateful for those who have stuck around and I am thinking of ways to give back to you.

If you have something you would like me to blog about please feel free to leave me a comment and I will try and make it happen.

What's happening in your life recently?

Bye for now.

Jess. XX

My University experience so far

For a lot of people, university starts at 18 and when you are at that age, you want to go out drinking and partying all night and suffer the consequences in the morning (and that's good...I'm not judging you on that one)  But because of that, the stigma is that ALL university students do this and that is what I got when I started telling people I had got into university.

For most, university starts when they arrive at their chosen university, for me however, this started from the moment I put my application in.  Now as you probably know, I am 25 now and I am classed as a mature student.  Going to university was and still is a big deal for me in so many ways.  I still walk around my campus in awe that I am here and that has something to do with me being in a hostel almost 5 years ago, so going from being homeless to a stable, mature student is a very big deal. (If you want me to do my experience of being homeless and being in a hostel, don't hesitate to comment)

Because my experience started from the application form being sent, I started to sort out what I needed to get into university and what I was going to take with me. I also needed to sort out my flat and start getting that unpacked as I was giving it up.  I was feeling good...that was until a week after the application deadline...I got my first rejection.  I felt deflated.  I thought that was it, I wasn't going to go to university.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and my spirits soared, I had an interview.  My boyfriend drove me there and back (what a nice boyfriend, taking the day of work to drive me there)  The interview went as good as I could get it (didn't get in if you are wondering) Fast forward some more weeks and I finally got a place in university.  I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and start packing and applying for finance and accommodation.

September came and I finally moved in and I was in disbelief that I was finally here.  Saying goodbye to my boyfriend was hard and knowing I wasn't going to see him for a while hurt like hell and I could tell he was hurting too.  I watched him drive off after a long goodbye and went back to my room to unpack (it took me a week in total to have everything in it's new place.)  

Freshers week was good.  Now as I said before, being a mature student, going out and drinking until I am completely wasted is not my cup of tea but that didn't mean I couldn't go out during freshers week and enjoy myself and that is what I did.  

The lectures and seminars exceeded my expectations and getting into a routine with juggling university classes and directed study was hard to begin with but now I have got into the swing of things and have a routine, I can finally organise my work and this showed in my results of my first set of assessments (I got a 1st in one of my modules :D *does a happy dance*)  I now know what is in store for me for the next 2 and a half years.  

Although there has been a lot of ups for me, there has been a few downs such as My father dying three weeks into my semester and worrying about my mum being in hospital...all this messed up my sleeping patten for a bit so it was nice to go back home for Christmas and see my boyfriend and my family and friends and have a nice relaxing break. 

University is the best thing, since my boyfriend obviously, that I have ever done in my life.  I don't regret doing this sooner as I wouldn't be the person I am today but it is changing me in a lot of good ways and I hope that this experience will be some of the best years of my life.

I will be updating as often as I can depending on what has happened.  My next update will be in may when the year has finished but I suspect I will do an update in a few weeks as I have a placement to go on.

Have you been to university?  What was your experience like? 

Bye for now.

Jess. X

Blogmas day 11 : My University experience so far

How time flies when you are enjoying a new experience.  It doesn't seem like five minutes since I first walked into my room at my University accommodation and now it is almost the end of semester one and almost Christmas...and do you know what???  I have enjoyed every single minute of it.  Yes there has been highs and lows but what experience doesn't (I would like to know)  

There has been a lot of highs in the 13 weeks I have been here.  Moving is one of them.  Growing up I moved around a lot so I was used to moving and while I was used to moving, I still hated the packing and the unpacking.  It took me a whole week to unpack everything and when I say everything, I do mean everything.  I moved out of my flat back in my home town and apart from the furniture, all my belongings came with me and even as I was unpacking, I still threw things away.  

Meeting new people can be both a high and a low depending on how you are as a person.  I guess I would say I don't make friends easily but for some reason, I made a few friends within the first week and whether we stay friends after Uni, will have to wait and see.

I found my lectures to be a bit of a challenge but that was mainly because of ignorant people chatting away in the back and disrupting others.  I soon fixed that problem by sitting toward the front as often as I could and that soon rectified the problem.  The lectures themselves where good and I have gained a lot of knowledge from them which I am hoping to show in my first set of assignments (due Jan)  

I have had a few lows within this semester and as one of them was a family loss, which I had to miss a day of which couldn't be helped, the rest I have managed to remedy the situation and looking back I can now see what they problem was.  I may be 25 but I have moved on my own away from family, friends and my other half to another city where it is strange and not knowing where things are, is very daunting and I found myself to being homesick.  As the semester has gone, the homesickness has gone away.  

I had a few weeks where my sleeping pattern changed and I wasn't going to sleep until half four in the morning (GMT) and having 10am lectures was not good and I started to skip some of the lectures.  I soon got that back with some over the counter sleeping tablets and some herbal tea (and I am not a tea drinker usually) 

Overall my experience of University has been good.  I haven't wasted my time going out and drinking like a lot of the people here have been doing but in my own way my experience has been positive.  I am now a sixth of the way through my course and hopefully the next two and a half years will be the same if better and I should hopefully get my degree and go on to doing  better things in my life.

I have not regretted coming at the age on 25  as I didn't feel ready at 18 and I still don't think teens at that age are ready either but that is my choice and I don't regret anything.  So here's to the next half of year one and for years two and three.

How was your University experience if you have one?  If not or are in the middle of the application process what stopped you from going and what are you looking forward to in your journey?

Bye for now.

Jess. X