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Friday 20 December 2013

December Deadlines: How to Keep Calm and Get a 1st!

So you’re stressed to the max, you’ve never had to deal with this much work before and you feel like hiding in your cupboard until January. Sound familiar? That, my friends, is the beauty of December Deadlines! Now, you haven’t got to be stressed – it’s not healthy. I know it’s difficult not to stress over this but I’ve come up with a few remedies to help you relax!

  • First up, a bubble bath. These bad boys will leave you feeling so humble and tranquil it’s unreal. You can even light a few candles to create a nice relaxing atmosphere. Grab a bottle of Radox Stress Relief (£1) and pour some in to have a stress-free bath.

  • Plan. There’s no going about this, you need to plan your essays. If you do an essay outline of what you’re going to put into your essay then a huge weight will lift off your shoulders. It’s easier and quicker to write an essay with an essay plan. It doesn’t need to be long, but once you know briefly what you’re going to talk about in each paragraph, writing it will be so easy!

  • Get a good night’s sleep. There are so many remedies out now for a good night’s sleep. This Works has a pillow spray that you spray on before you go to sleep to sleep all the way through. They also have a balm which you rub on your wrists to inhale the scent for a Stress Free night. I don’t know about you but whenever I’m stressed about something. I wake up about 3 times throughout the night where I’m so worried. If you’re not sure about the price of the Pillow Spray then you can always buy herbal night tablets (Boots.com do some Nytol Herbal tablets for only £3.79).


  • Spend time with family/friends. This never fails to cheer me up. If you live in halls then plan a night in with movies and food to cheer yourself up a bit. Even better than this, you could plan an essay planning night with people from the same course as you. This is a perfect opportunity to find out your fellow classmates ideas and this builds on a better essay and also team bonding.


So those are just a few tips to help you get through December Deadlines. Just keep thinking that it’s almost Christmas soon and you can stuff your face full of Quality Street and turkey and spend loads of time with your families! Hope everyone has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!



Christmas Presents for a student under £10!

Being a student isn’t easy. We don’t have a lot of money, and to get money we have to work basically every hour of every day. And don’t even get me started about the amount of time we spend in the library just to find a book to get one quote from for an essay! As Christmas is fast approaching, we daydream about the days of lounging around in our festive PJ’s and eating as much as we can. May as well make the most of it!

So here’s a cheap Christmas gift guide, from everyone to your little brother to your girlfriend! Hope this helps…



Mum:
If she loves lounging:


If she loves cooking:


Dad:
If he loves lounging:
  • You guessed it; Primark once again has hit the nail on the head and have tons to offer!


If he loves football:
  • A shirt of his favourite team
  • A calender of his favourite team


Boyfriend/Girlfriend:
  • Nothing shows that you love them more than a handmade gift. Get crafty!
  • A cute teddy
  • A picture of the two of you together (cringy but sweet!)


Sister:
If she loves makeup:
  • MUA have extremely cheap make-up (all around the £1 mark!!!)
  • Make-up brushes (these can be found anywhere, Superdrug, Poundland, Boots - etc)


If she loves Justin Bieber or One Direction:
  • A poster
  • Calenders of their favourite artist/band


Brother:
If he loves Games:
  • CEX sell second hand games all at reasonable prices
  • Check eBay to see if they have any cheaper games!


If he loves football:

  • Same as Dad’s above!

Thursday 12 December 2013

Assignments

Assignments have never really bothered me, maybe it’s because I enjoy the course I’m doing so much I’m eager to learn more, but this year, I feel the work is getting a little harder (but hey, what else do you expect?). 

I know some people feel that Film Studies is an easy subject, but there is so much to learn. All the shot types, angles, genres, mise-en-scene, the reasons behind filming (the list just goes on and on!). The difference between last year and this year, is that this year really means something. 

I’m so eager to do really well, trying my hardest with my assignments (my last one got a high 2:1 (yesssss!) I’m just hoping to keep this up!). I’ve just finished creating my own storyboard and have two more essays due in before we pack up for the Christmas holidays! But like I said, I enjoy Film Studies so much that I enjoy watching the films and testing my knowledge.

If you’re ever stuck during an assignment, never be too scared to ask your lecturer or personal tutor for help. They will look over your work and point you in the right direction. In the second year, you can also go to someone to help get work on your essays. They will also look over your work and help you with any issues that you might have with it.

I wouldn’t say that the work is extremely hard, it’s all about if you’re enjoying the course and whether you initially want to know more. I can safely say I’m not one of those people that don’t enjoy their course. Film studies is so much fun, I recommend this course!


Right, I’m going to stop rambling now and get back to my essays! Until next time, bye! :)

CHEERLEADING

Cheerleading for some reason, was something I always wanted to do. Whenever you see them in the movies they look amazing and it looks like so much fun. So, this year I decided to pluck up the courage and finally join after a year of debating!

Now, cheerleading is not as easy as it looks. You have to put hard work in regardless of what you’re doing. There are competitions and everyone wants to do well! However, having said that.. I absolutely love it. I was a bit iffy at first because I can’t do any tumbling (cartwheels, handstands etc) but after being reassured by the head coach that it wasn’t all about that, I quickly put my name down.


The first taster session was so much fun, learning all about the cheerleading jumps and how to do stunts (I’m base which means another person and I lift up the flyer). I’m enjoying it so much and our first competition is on December 8th. Unfortunately, us newbies aren’t in this one as there is still so much to learn, but I can’t wait to go and watch the returners do their thang! They’re so good, they will definitely (touch wood) bring home a trophy!!

At the last training session, we got together in our newly formed stunt groups and started learning new stunts to perform. I have some amazing people in my stunt group, they’re all so lovely! That was another thing I was nervous about starting cheerleading, meeting all the new people (there are over 50 of us!!). However, they are all such amazing, lovely people. They are the nicest girls you can think of. I’m gutted I didn’t join a year ago!


I would definitely recommend joining the cheerleading group (hello, why would you not want to own pom-poms!?), you get your uniform (which I cannot wait for, I have just been measured!) and matching jackets with your names on and you get to cheer on the American Football team at games (which is a perfect opportunity to get to know everyone!). Besides that there are loads of socials which is again the perfect opportunity to get to know everyone. Cheerleading isn’t all girls either, our team is slowly getting new guys to join the team (which is good because they’re stronger bases!)


So if you’re starting uni at Greenwich in September then definitely come along and join! You won’t regret it!




Tuesday 29 October 2013

Film Studies so far...

I've LOVED Film Studies so far!!!! I've enjoyed every minute, I'm so glad I made the decision to change from Media and Communications to Film Studies. It’s not that I didn't enjoy Media, I just think Film Studies is more for me. I love everything to do with Film, so it’s great that I've come to The University of Greenwich. There are films being filmed here all the time! I saw Chris Hemsworth filming for Thor (he even waved at me!!!), and Pirates of the Caribbean has been filmed here and also Sherlock Holmes! When I see filming taking place, it gets me so excited, I just want to be a part of it! At the University of Greenwich, you can put your name down on a (very long) list to get the chance to be a runner if a director decides that he needs the help of students. I can't wait until I get a chance!

The work isn't difficult either, I guess if you have a love for a particular subject then you never find it difficult because you love doing it so much! I've only had one essay to do so far (500 words, easy-peasy!) and I enjoyed writing that.

The courses which I study is: Dream Factory, Animation and Visual Storytelling, International Cinema and Documentary Practice. For Dream Factory we've got a couple of essays to write and an exam. This is the only course which I've got an exam for (Woo hoo!). For Animation and Visual Storytelling I have to create my own cartoon!! Amazing I know. I know it'll be difficult but I reckon it’s going to be so much fun creating! In International Cinema we are looking at foreign films and analysing them. Documentary Practice is also going to be fun, we're creating our own documentary! Which I cannot wait to start! I love filming and editing so that’s going to be so much fun.

The lecturers are also so helpful, if you have any queries you can email them anytime and they will always reply. You also get a personal tutor that you can go to to talk about anything if you have any issues. I think this is a great thing as university can get very stressful, especially during exam periods or around deadlines.

To sum up, I love Film Studies and I’m so happy I made the decision to change course, if I didn't I think I would have regretted my time at university. You have to make sure you enjoy what you're doing, otherwise you may not enjoy the experience. I love my subject and can't wait for the rest of the year!!


Stacey

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Year 2 so far...

So far uni has been... GREAT! I've loved every minute, even the work (is that a bit weird!?). I've enjoyed the work because it’s what I love, I love everything to do with film so I don’t mind doing it.

I've recently joined the Greenwich Cheerleading team, The Mermaids! It’s so much fun, and it’s such a good way of socialising. If you are feeling lonely, always join a society or a sport because it’s great fun and you always end up meeting such lovely people. I've only been part of the Mermaids for about a month now, but I've loved every minute of it! We've recently had initiations and it was so much fun, its such a great way of getting to know everyone in the Mermaids. I feel so much better and comfortable with them after these social events. They’re fun and it’s also a cheap night. We usually go to Sparrows, as it’s usually about £1.50/£2.00 (sometimes even £1.00) a drink!! They play such good music and it’s an entertaining night, again it’s a great way of socialising with other university students. Sparrows is the club on site so it’s easy to get to if you live on campus. Unfortunately for me, I live at home, (yeah, I guess there are some pros of staying at home!!) so I was worried that I’d find it difficult to meet friends and have the student lifestyle that I was wishing for when I joined university. In my first year, I wasn't part of any societies or sports teams, which is why I’m so pleased I joined the cheerleading team. You get a really cute uniform with an adorable bow! The chants and the jumps are really cool too and I’m so excited about going to competitions!!


I've met so many amazing people this year, and I've only been back at uni for a month! I’m so excited for what the rest of the year has to offer and the amazing people that I’m going to meet!

Roll on the rest of the year!!!!

Wednesday 28 August 2013

My First Blog!

Hi, my name is Stacey and I have just completed my first year in Media and Communications at the University of Greenwich. When I go back in September I will be studying Film Studies. This blog is all about my Film Studies course and what I get up to whilst I’m at university this year. In this first post I’m just going to go over a few things about me, my course and why I decided to change my course.

First of all, a little bit about me. I grew up in South East London and have always wanted to go to Greenwich as it was my local university (and it was extremely pretty!!) I had always had an interest in Media so I decided to go for Media and Communications. I later realised that I hadn't in fact researched well in what I wanted to do. It’s not that I didn't enjoy Media and Communications because I did but I just felt like Film Studies was more for me.

I live not far from the university so that’s why I decided to stay at home, saving me a lot of money! It took me just over an hour to travel to and from university but I didn't mind it because I was enjoying university so much. I still went out with friends after lectures to the local Wetherspoons or had a walk around Greenwich Market or Greenwich Park (when it wasn't raining), so I didn't feel like I was missing out on the social side of university. We would all meet up and go for a meal or a few drinks and have a laugh with each other and I still had friends outside of university so I would go out in the evening with them.

So, back to the course... Media and Communications. I studied Issues in Representation and Digital Arts Exchange as my two main modules and chose Writing for the Media and Reel to Virtual as my two other modules. Reel to Virtual was what made me realise I wanted to change to Film Studies; I just love every aspect about film that it just made sense to change to it. 

It felt a bit weird at first going back into learning; I was a year older as well because I had stayed on an extra year at Sixth Form so I was a bit nervous about starting. But I found that university is for all ages and now two of my closest friends are both older than me. I realised that I had nothing to worry about about starting, because at the end of the day, everyone is in the same boat as you. Everyone is starting new and are probably just as nervous (perhaps some people even more so than you!). I got on really well with all my lecturers and found them all really friendly and helpful; they’re much more relaxed than my sixth form teachers. I found the lectures really interesting as well so I was rarely bored. 

One thing I wish I did in my first year was getting involved with societies and meeting more people at Sparrows (which is the Avery Hill SU nightclub). This year, I’m going to make it different, I’m going to join the Cheerleading Team and the Rock Climbing society. If it’s one thing I recommend, it’s going to join societies. I know so many people now who meet so many new people by joining societies and sports teams and it made me regret my decisions in the first year a bit.

I literally cannot wait to go back in September, go to my first Fresher’s Fortnight (I might see anyone who reads this blog!), join the Cheer team and Rock Climbing and meet loads of new people. For new students who are starting their first year in September: Don’t be nervous; remember everyone goes through the exact same thing as you. Everyone’s in the same position, everyone’s friendly. Just be yourself and you’ll be sure to meet a friend who you’ll become really close to throughout the year J


Hope you enjoyed this post and I look forward to writing more blog posts in the future J