Christmas Motivation..........

As I had imagined...it is SO SO SO difficult to get myself motivated throughout the Christmas break... I am struggling to say the least.

The problems are that, most of your mates come back from uni too so they want to do stuff with you all the time, you need to see family as well cause you may not have seen much of them since you went off to uni, boyfriends etc. It's all too exciting and happy to be doing work well that's what I think anyway!

I am going to split this blog post into two separate parts.. one for exciting christmassy things like what presents I got and what festivities I have been doing and the second about how far I've come on my assignments that are due in January...Kill me!

Part One

I GOT MY FIRST BLUE BOX!!!

So, as you all have probably guessed my main present came in a blue box!! I got a Tiffany necklace which was something any girl would want, I was so surprised and I am so happy with everything I have received this year as I am ever other year.

Christmas is nearly over... :(

Christmas feels like it's flying by... I decorated this tree by the way ha!
There's been a lot of family and friend meet ups and just in general seeing people and doing things back home. I haven't been working because I didn't fancy working Christmas day and new years eve which I obviously have to work in a pub so i thought I just wouldn't go back and just chill and have a Christmas off! Very nice!










Part Two

For some strange reason, I don't think this part of the post will be that long. Basically I've done one assignment and then not started another...but to be honest at least that's one down, one to go!
But yeah, Christmas holidays are great as per usual and I am just always happy seeing as it's Christmas.

CHRISTMAS!

Hello Everyone!


I guess I should start this post with saying a big Merry Christmas to you all!

Moving on...I am currently doing my Christmas reading for my upcoming modules in January along with buying and wrapping a lot of Christmas presents..haven't done too bad on a student budget I have to say!

One of the things I have learnt this semester is that keeping up to date on my reading set by my tutors each week is such a great way to ensure that when it comes to writing my assignments I am not stuck for things to write..which was the main problem I had when writing my first ever university assignment...it was difficult at times! Although, saying that I have had my first essay grade back which was actually for this particular assignment and I got a C+, which I was quite happy with. Alongside my A- for my presentation grade I have had a great start to my university career.

I am looking forward to getting back into my studies in January and I have high hopes for a good end to my first year at university. Aiming high!

Hope you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

See you in 2014!

End of Semester 1!

Hi Guys,

So as you can tell by the title of this blog post, I have reached the end of my first ever semester at university and I can tell you it has been a great start! I have finished all four of my first assignments which I have to say, is such a great feeling!

It's definitely been a big change moving to university and I may have struggled at the start, but I am so thankful for my place here and my course is brilliant! It is safe to say that I have made a good decision here, and I am looking forward to next semester and even the assignments...as strange as it sounds it is such a good feeling handing an assignment in and after getting my grades back I am extremely happy with myself!
One thing I have learned is that I CANNOT leave my assignments till the last minute anymore and I ALWAYS have to plan my time, because trust me, I tried and it was so stressful I would never want to do it again. I am so thankful for all of the 'how to' guides I have been given because I am not the most organised person in the world I have to admit, they are lifesavers!

The essay's are not that scary once you get hold of the hang of things, they are actually really fun to write because you get to have your own opinion more so than at school..(or is that just me?)!

Well, I guess I will leave it here for this week. Hope you all gathered my excitement in finishing my assignments in this post and enjoyed reading!

Placements

Ok, so one of the major things I am going to be doing in second year which is different to my first is that I am going to be going on placements. I am not sure on how many or where, or many of the details actually, all I know is that I am definitely going to be doing one... which is exciting!

I can give you all an insight into why placements are so important and how to get yourself one as I have already done two placements before starting university.

I did both of them at my Primary school which is a small village school and I am glad I chose that school because I feel as though I have eased my way into learning the ways of schools without overwhelming myself by going to a huge school.
So, to get my placement I actually rang up and made an appointment to see the head who then was extremely helpful and scheduled my experience around my timetable, as I was at sixth form at the time. So, we worked out that I would do every Monday until I needed to knuckle down and revise for my A-Level exams.

It is SO important to get some experience behind yourselves not only in teaching but if you;re studying nursing, any kind of degree really, employers love experience and voluntary is a good sign that you're passionate and willing to work hard to get where you want to be.

I would say these are the best tips(that I can come up with anyway) on how to get yourself a placement;

1. Write a letter to the school to initiate your interest in doing some work experience there
2. Ring the school and ask to schedule an appointment with the head, or whoever deals with helpers coming in
3. Research the school before you go into meet who ever they have said you should meet so that you give yourself an advantage and get some background knowledge on the school and its history and goals/aims
4. Dress appropriately 
5. Be able to start immediately and make yourself as available as possible(but do not put placement before your studies!)
6. Make sure you know the name of the person you are meeting with
7. Look interested and on the ball, as if you know what to expect
8. Encourage your interviewer about why you are looking for such work experience and ensure they are aware of how much you want the position

They may seem like commonsense to some people but others may not have a clue how to dress/behave when being interviewed for a potential job. I do hope these tips help some of you and perhaps even encourage you to go out there and look for some placements for yourselves. It does feel good to already have some experience behind myself.