Life as a student - part 2

It has come to my attention that it has been almost a month since I have posted in my blog. The last month has been very hectic, mainly with working to earn money and working to meet uni deadlines... all in the life of a student

The dreaded deadlines
Like most uni courses, deadlines seem ages away when lecturers read them out at the start of the semester. You casually write them down and think, "ohh that's ages away, I'll do it next week"... then next week turns in to the week after and so on...

In our media course (and probably similarly to a lot of other courses), all the deadlines seem to come at once and fall within a week of each other. So one week you feel like you have nothing to do and casually watch television and laze about, but suddenly you have three assignments due for the next few days. It's easy for people to say "well you should have just started it earlier then," but motivation really doesn't appear when you want it to does it? When you need that one tiny bit of motivation to get you started on an assignment, motivation just says, "NO," and disappears. Last week I tried to find it in a large bag on Minstrels... with no luck I just ended up full up laying on the bed watching television. 

The nerdy bit...
For some reason I actually seem to work better under pressure. When I have one day left until an assignment is due, motivation reappears on a mission and I actually get better results this way. Even though I vow that, "next time I'll start it earlier," it just doesn't happen and I find myself daydreaming or doing something else more interesting instead.

However, my three very large assignments were due within four days of each other, and surprisingly, after a few long days of staring at my laptop screen and some much needed in between nights out, I managed to get them all done and was actually pleased with the end result. 
Some of these assignments included creating an entire online blog based on 'Unhealthy school meals,' writing dissertation proposals (scary!) and also doing a pitch presentation for an idea for a television show. 

Our pitch group - "The Gorgeous Guide"

Thankfully the pitch went really well and our feedback was good, so our smiling faces were still intact after all of our hard work! I also got the 'highly commended' editor award in our online journalism group which I was very pleased about as I put lots of effort in to that assignment as well!

More deadlines
You would think that after that stressful week and a bit that it was all over... but no. The stress is beginning to build once again as deadlines are looming and my diary is filling up with "to do's." Anyone that knows me, knows that 'to do' lists are my life... I can't live without them, however my room seems to be filling up with them at the moment!

At the moment by work load consists of recording people talking about what would encourage them to become student reps for my latest online journalism project, as well as making a portfolio website to represent myself and my skills... something I am finding very challenging as technology is not a strong point of mine!

We're also prepping our final idea for our dissertation which is something I definitely kept putting out of my mind until lecturers went on and on about it. The word 'dissertation' is just scary really... something all uni students dread. However suddenly we have had to come up with an idea and a (sort of) plan for it... third seems to be coming around way too quickly!


Anyway... enough rambling, I'll post again on Saturday or Sunday! Thank you for reading :)

Gemma x

Life as a student - part 1

My life as a university student began in September 2011 as I made my way to Birmingham City University. A year and a half later and I am almost half way through my uni life; where heating, nice food, clean bathrooms and luxuries are very uncommon.

I came across an article on The Independent's online site, about "How to Stay Warm in Student Accommodation." This made me think about student life and how different it really is to living a nice comfy life at home with parents. 

I have come home for the weekend to visit my parents and boyfriend, and it's amazing how different things are. Carpets at home are soft and bobbly... unlike my uni house carpet which is itchy and rugged. The stairs in my uni house literally remind me of climbing a hill... a mountain even... unlike my stairs at home which are a normal gradient and don't really require much effort. Walking in to a clean bathroom or kitchen is the highlight of my day, as well as the fact I come home to a cupboards and a fridge full of food. Home comforts and luxuries are definitely the best. 

The main topics that are repeatedly bought up before you set off for university goes something along the lines of, "Oo you're going to have to learn to cook for yourself," or "Oh you students go out every night and get drunk." Until you actually go to uni... you realise that this isn't necessarily the case. 

Cooking:

I think the most advance thing I've made at university is a lasagne. Even then all I had to do was cook the mince, and then layer up the lasagne before putting it in the oven. I'll admit I was quite impressed with myself but it really wasn't that difficult. Meals usually consist of pasta or potato, with sausages or chicken (which again aren't difficult to cook) and I've always got a handy bag of frozen vegetables to add a bit of healthiness to my meal. 

My way of cooking goes with the motto that, "Oh it'll taste alright in the end..." by throwing anything together and hoping for the best!

Going out:

Now I know we get student loans and what-not... but surprisingly these don't actually last long. My student loan goes on my house rent, so my lucky parents get to give me money each month for me to survive on (Thank you mum and dad by the way if you're reading this <3) Food tends to cost around £15-20 a week... plus alcohol for pre-drinks; then there's tickets or entry in to clubs and bars; taxis to and from places; any sports or societies you join; books; chocolate to keep you motivated during essays; coffee or tea to wake you up before a lecture... the list is endless. 

Going out, especially in second and third year, is actually a bit of a treat. When you have some money spare, getting a text "Want to go out tonight?" is great... unless you're the one sending the text and everyone else is poor at the time. 

Have a read of the article linked above, and let me know about your university life struggles :) 

Gemma x