Third Term!

Ok, so I guess it's time to start thinking about my 3rd and final term as a first year at the University of Bedfordshire. It's not much of a term to be honest for me because we have one final week of revision lectures and that's it. Most people will probably stay in Bedford until their exams are finished but I've made the decision to go home after the last teaching week and then drive to Bedford for my two exams.
As for preparation, I think I am as prepared as I can be at this stage, I feel a little skeptical about my exams at this point but I think after I have attended the revision lectures I will feel a lot more comfortable and ready to sit my exams in May.

My Easter break has been jam-packed! I have actually managed to bag myself a job back home which is great as I have a lot planned over the summer and therefore need money! I feel like I have been at home for absolutely ages so goodness knows what I'm going to do with myself all summer. Work , work and work I suppose..oh and go on holiday..

I have been asked to talk about when I applied for university in this blog post which has actually proved quite interesting for me because it snow feels like a lifetime ago! My decision was pretty easy when it came to narrowing down to my firm and insurance choices. I knew I wanted to stay close to home and all of my university choices were within an hour away from where my family and I live. I picked all of the same courses 'Education Studies' for each university and therefore all I had to decide on was the university and halls of residence. I chose Bedford for a few reasons, 1: the halls are so nice and clean, 2: the university is also very nice and small which I liked, 3: the lecturers I met where all so friendly and welcoming and 4: it was my all round favourite university that I had visited. I wasn't fussed whether I got my firm or insurance choice purely because they were both as good as each other and meant I would be doing the exact course that I wanted to do.

The inside of my accommodation in Bedford, and yes it actually does look like this! 

The entrance to Liberty Park. 

I want to stress that it's not all about the stats and figures(it is partly) but you have to like the university you are looking at, one thing I think every applicant should remember is to not settle for second best. Aim high and do not be afraid to come out with your insurance choice, so choose wisely everyone!

Good luck with your UCAS applications and Happy Easter to you all!

Things I didn't know about University but wish I did!

Easter's going too quickly and my exams are creeping up around the corner so I thought that instead of posting another 'exam related' blog I would treat you all to a list of things I didn't know about university that I really wish I had before I went!

So here goes;

1. Things Cost Money. Looking back I was quite naive when moving from home where most things were at easy reach and money wasn't a huge issue because I had a job and supportive parents, to moving out on my own. I soon realised that everything costs money and it's hard to get by if you don't have any. It wasn't the daunting amount of money I am forking out via my student loan that is the problem, it's day-to-day costs that I never thought about when living at home. Most students prepare themselves for the costs of going out drinking and books, however I forgot about the simplest of things like snacks(no-one can sit through a 2 hour lecture with their stomach rumbling), fancy dress outfits (no-one wants to be the odd one out), fines for not handing your books in on time (I've had one and don't intend to have anymore after hearing about the fine)!!
   So, keep a good eye on your bank account before it's too late and you've spent all of your loan and have to open an overdraft...which luckily I haven't had to do! 
2. Self-Motivation is an absolutely KEY skill to obtain. So, most people are told that 'don't worry you're first year is easy you won't have to do much work' however, this is not the case. Prepare yourselves for a huge step up in terms of workload. It takes a while to get used to but you will soon learn that you have to get up, go to the library, and finish that essay, otherwise you have to rely on exams or other assignments and you're more likely to fail! Some decide to write their essays the night before and stay up all night writing it but if you want a good class degree this is not an acceptable standard of essay and you will not achieve a very good grade. 
3. Not everything is as it seems in the prospectus. Make sure you visit the universities you are applying for, there would be absolutely nothing worse than picking any old uni(they all look nice in pictures) and turning up to it looking more like a prison that a university. I did actually look at the University of Bedfordshire beforehand however a friend of mine is stuck in an awful halls of residence and the uni's not much better. So, try before you buy!



Yes, it looks amazing and yes, it tastes amazing but it's too expensive for dinner every night!

4. Lastly, takeaways. It is so easy for students to become lazy when they move to university because food isn't free or magically put in your fridge. It costs money, a lot of money so before you decide it's too hard and expensive to cook recalculate and you'll soon realise that takeaways every night is going to cost a significant amount more than buying a weekly shop. Don't be lazy, get some cooking skills in you now before you get to uni and it's too late!  

It's Easter!

Hi everyone, well the first week of the Easter break is over and it's safe to say I have enjoyed being home! There has been lots of catching up with friends and family but also a lot of revision for my exams that are at the end of May!

As for how the exams work in your first year, you have to go to a hall in Bedford to take them rather than at the university itself, I'm not sure why I'm afraid!
The best thing about these exams, and also what makes them so different to school GCSE'S or A-Levels is the fact that I have been given the questions for them, which is so much better than going in without any idea of what could come up... My revision style is completely different to school, which is good because I was quite worried that I'd have to go back to revising like I had to at school, I didn't want to have to do that because let's just say I'm not the best at sticking to revision schedules. It's different and more suited to me because I have to write my essay for the exam and memorise the essay and theorists so that I can go into the exam and write my essay after setting out my plan.
We also got to have a look at the different options we can choose to take next year which was really good for me because I have one main problem and that is that I do not take well to exams and exam conditions, I don't know why but I have never done well in exams(even my A-Levels!). By getting an insight into the options it allowed me to see what topics involve exams and which do not, this is such a bonus... However, I am going to make sure that I do not exclude certain topics just because they have exams! So, deciding time is after Easter I think and I know that I'm going to take digital technology for sure as I'm interested in this more than others, I can't quite remember other topics but I know for definite there are these two; SEN( Special Educational Needs) and lifelong learning, just to give you all a little look into what you could study in your second year of Education Studies.

As well as revision, I went on a trip to London with my family to see a comedy show at the O2! It was hilarious and was a nice break from revising the whole time. I also caught up with some friends from uni last week which was nice!

It is so strange to think that I have nearly finished my first year of uni, I can't quite get my head around the fact that this time last year I was trying to decide where to go! When people tell you time flies when you're at university, they definitely are not lying..trust me! I had no idea it would go this quickly. Uni was definitely the right decision for me, but it isn't for everyone I admit. I'm so glad I have had the opportunity to study for a degree and eventually get to my goal of being a teacher.

That's all for now. I'll update you on my second week of the holidays next week!

Easter Update!

Ok so I thought I would give you all an Easter break update....

Number one, I've realised I'm pretty much moved home forever now...how crazy is that?!

I have one more week after Easter that I have to go back for which I'm pretty sure is just for revision lectures and a top up before we have no more contact with uni until October! I cannot believe that my contact time with university finishes this early!
One benefit of being a student is definitely the time we get after our exams to relax, although mine hopefully wont be spent relaxing as I am going to try my hardest to get a job that gives me lots of hours so I can save up and have fun throughout my summer, I would hate to be bored and money less for the whole of my time off!

As for my Easter holiday plans;

• I suppose it's going to have to involve lots of revision, I'm going to revise until I can no longer stare at my books and notes for.
• I'm going to see Miranda Live Tour. I bought my mum tickets for Christmas so I'm definitely looking forward to that!
• Catching up with friends that I haven't seen since Christmas! 
• Probably a few nights out thrown into the mix...just for good measure! 
• Spending much needed time at home getting settled back into home life and knowing that I'm not moving away again in a few months time. 

I will be sure to give you an update late on into my Easter break to see just how well these plans are going and whether I have managed to stick to each of them or if some of them aren't quite going as well as I had hoped for. 

I expect you are all revising like crazy for your A-Level exams and praying you've done enough to get into university next year!

Happy Easter and Happy Revising (if that even exists)!