Time to Wrap up

As the end of my second year is coming up, I wanted to reflect on the past year I’ve had at university. This isn’t my last blog post, but I just felt like reflecting on my year with you guys. When I left Sixth Form, if someone were to say to me that university would be the best experience of your life, I wouldn’t have believed them. Sixth Form for me wasn’t a great experience, so I couldn’t wait to leave. I was at a Sixth Form where you HAD to apply to university, even if you didn’t want to. So, I was wondering if I had made the right decision with coming to university in the first place. Did I make the right decision choosing to live at home? Would the people be nice? Would the work be hard? All these questions were running through my head in the summer of 2012. I had walked around the University of Greenwich before and loved how stunning the architecture was. Was this the only reason I had chosen this university? Sure enough, Greenwich was absolutely beautiful but it was close to home, and I believed that no matter where the university was on the chart, it all depended on whether the student wanted to learn and was willing to learn.

 

When I arrived on my first day I met the people which I am still friends with now, and ever since that day our friendship group has grown bigger and bigger, to the point where we take up a whole row in the lecture halls! Not only were the people lovely, they were helpful. You would discuss your assignments with one another and help each other out with work. On days when you finished university early, you would all go to the Student Union together or out for lunch. Unfortunately for me in my first year I chose the wrong course and wasn’t enjoying my time at university as much as I should have. Luckily for me I got to change my course in the second year to Film Studies which I absolutely adore doing now. My grades have gotten better since studying this course and also my second year has meant meeting new friends.

At the start of the year I decided to join the Cheerleading squad and I’ve met people that I cannot live without now. Not only through cheerleading but through other people and through my course I have met some amazing friends that I couldn’t imagine being without. Being more social has opened up so many opportunities for me it’s unbelievable. I cannot wait to see what next year has to bring!

Choosing Options for the Year ahead and TOUR

So the time has come to choose the options for next year and it’s safe to say that I’m so scared it’s unreal. I have around 2 weeks to choose as it is a first come first serve kind of basis; there are only a certain amount of places on each course which is understandable.

So most importantly I can choose between an Advanced project, a Creative Project or a Dissertation. Bearing in mind I chose Film Studies to get away from major theory work, the Dissertation is what I may actually choose. By doing a Dissertation I can write about anything which is similar to my programme. I could write it on (for example) Disney movies or Johnny Depp :P - Wild examples but you get the idea! It’s nerve-racking for me because it’s the final year. This means that next year I’ll have to go out in the big wide world and get a real adult job!!!!! (SCARY!!!) The thought of this petrifies me, and I know it shouldn’t because the university has great opportunities for students and offers such amazing help.

I’ll let you know how the decision making goes!!

TOUR

 

This is what I’m really excited for, 4 days in the sun (hopefully) with all my cheerleading and sport team buddies! Tour is when all the university sports teams join up and all go on a holiday together! Of course they compete, but it’s mostly a fun time... and I can’t wait for it. The place itself looks beautiful, and I hope I’m not the only one who wants to take advantage of the time we’ve got out there!

One thing I’m nervous for is the travelling, we are taking a coach and it’s going to take roughly 24 hours. 24 hours of eating, sleeping and drinking and everything else on that one coach!! For me it’s terrifying because I get such bad travel sickness. It’s going to be fun (note the sarcasm) to see how I take being on a coach for 24 hours. As I am a fresher to Cheerleading, we are forbidden to catch a plane there (dammit!) but that’s all in the fun of the experience! Hopefully I survive it and then the good times will begin! And then there’s always the coach ride home… I’ll be posting all about it when I get back, I leave in 2 weeks and I’m super excited!!!!

Wish me luck!!

The Dreaded April Deadlines

2014 has been my busiest year yet, in between trying to juggle a social life, work and trying to spend some time with my family, I have had mountains of work to do. And it’s not over yet.

April is coming up fast and with it brings the dreaded April deadlines (dun, dun, DUN). Being in my second year now I understand how important it is to work hard and make sure everything is to the best of my ability. (The photo to the left really shows how I’m feeling right now). There is no point in procrastinating any further; (even though I am the procrastination Queen!!) the work isn’t just going to disappear… no matter how much I want it to.

At the moment I have a portfolio, a documentary, a weekly log and two essays…… I better get started! The thing I love about Film Studies is that I enjoy all the subjects to do with the essays. For one of my essays I have to write about the Disney classics Bambi and The Lion King… How amazing!? It’s not work if you love it!

When it comes to the Documentary, we’re making it about Drifting and how it affects families. The other day we went and met up with loads of people who do this for fun and their cars were phenomenal.  Some of them cost up to £12,000 just to get them to look like they do! One car doors opened upwards whilst another one popped smoke when it revved its engine. It was so much fun filming it all because this is what I came to university to do. I love filming as I have a vision in my head of how I want it to look like.

I’m really enjoying my course at the moment and know that if I keep on top of my work and don’t leave it until last minute then I can keep my stress levels down.

How to: Save money

Being a university student is quite tough when it comes to spending and saving money. You want to go out all the time with friends but you also need to stay in and study or you simply cannot afford to go out all the time. This is just a quick blog post on how I decide to save money.

First of all, nights out: If you like going out to Sparrows 2-3 times a week then start pre-drinking at home first, it saves you so much money it’s unreal. Although drinks are only £2 at Sparrows, you can get so much more for your money if you drink at home.

Another thing which might not interest some people is not drinking alcohol at all, you can have just as much fun if you don’t drink at all. This is great for your liver and your body. If you’re with fun people, you’ll have a fun time.

Necessities: You don’t really need that £45 dress from Topshop in another colour, do you? No, so put it back. Primark, New Look, H&M etc, are just as great shops but are so much cheaper. Additionally, Charity Shops offer so many decent clothes right now. You can get a really nice dress from charity shops for like £4! Bargain! Also, out of all the supermarkets, you can get really cheap food, cleaning products from places like Lidl’s, Tescos, ASDA etc!

Cheerleading Competition: Saturday Night Fever

So the weekend just gone was my first ever cheerleading competition and it was

amazing! It was in Bath so it took just over 3 hours to get there but in the end it was so worth it. I get really bad travel sickness so being on a coach for that long was difficult but as soon as we got there and checked into our hotel, the nerves hit me. On the Saturday it was the dancers turn and they were amazing. Their timing was fantastic and they all looked really good. After this we had some free time so a few of the other cheerleaders and I decided to go check out the local mall and have a meal together, this was really fun and we got to know so much more about one another. Which is another reason why we compete, it’s great of a night as we can all chill in each other’s hotel rooms and have a laugh together.

So Sunday came along really quickly and I, as well as the others from Level 1, were competing second of the day. Well, this was the plan at first but the first team were late so we ended up having to go on and perform first! I was so nervous, but as we were waiting to go on, we heard all the other cheerleaders screaming “G-G-GRE” so it got us all pumped! The performance went sooooo well and we were all buzzing as we left the stage. All our stunts went up perfectly and a flyer wasn’t dropped (Number 1 rule: NEVER drop a flyer!!!). After this we waited around and watched the other teams and they were all amazing as well.

Then it was Level 2’s turn and they were just as awesome! Their timing was so good and their cheer faces were on point! We all had so much fun and I can’t wait to compete again in May! Now my first competition is out the way I know exactly what to expect and how it’s going to be. I’m so excited for May and I’m going to try and fly this time round.

Wish me luck!!

IT’S A NEW YEAR - WORK HARD.

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! I’m not sure why but I have a great feeling about 2014 and hopefully I'm not wrong. When I entered my second year at university in September 2013, I told myself I was going to push myself and try much harder than I did in my first year. Media and Communications just wasn't my thing. I was getting low grades (my lowest being 40 – I barely scraped through, I almost cried!) and I just wasn't enjoying university life like I should have been. Since I have changed to Film Studies which is more up my street and I haven't looked back. I've been getting high 2.1’s (and all have been a few marks away from a first, which is majorly annoying!!!) and have genuinely been enjoying the work I've been getting (what isn't to love about watching films and drawing storyboards!?).

This is my second year now so it actually means something and I’m going to work hard to get it!

Seeing as it’s the New Year I thought I would share some of my New Year Resolutions with you all.

Say ‘Yes’ more.

Saying Yes more opens up loads of opportunities.

Work harder.

Like I've been saying above, I plan to work very hard this year and get the grades to prove it!

Get fit.

This one isn't uni related but there’s no harm in wanting to be healthy, is there? I’m not sure how long this one would last though... I’m a big fan of chocolate!

Keep on Bloggin’!

I also have another blog which I like to post on regularly. It’s a beauty/fashion blog. If you want to give it a read, the web address is: britishheartsxo.blogspot.com

Smile more.

This is going to make me sound like a right grumpy gills but smiling has been proven to lift your mood! I do smile a lot but just a tad more won’t hurt!

What are your New Year resolutions?

JANUARY BLUES. – REFRESHERS.

First of all, how was your Christmas? Did you eat way too much like I did? I just can’t resist the Quality Street! I’ve had a really relaxing Christmas holiday and I’ve loved lounging around with my family and seeing my closest friends. Now it’s time to get back to the hustle and bustle of university and work life!

If you've got the January blues (like me) and do not want to go back to school/sixth form/ work/ university then the University of Greenwich has something to make you want you to come back! At the club Sparrows which is located at the Avery Hill campus they have a few events which I'm sure will be great! 

In January they have a something called Refreshers to welcome you back into university. There’s a back to school disco (classic!) and also a Neon night which I’ve been to before and it’s always loads of fun! You get glow sticks, neon bracelets and necklaces and so many more free goodies! (Although, I’m not sure you'll want to keep them as you may get hit by some UV paint) They also play some of the best music (I may be a tad biased there!) and it’s generally a great atmosphere in there.

In my first year I wasn't much of a Sparrows gal, I went to university and came home and preferred to go to the clubs around me. I think it was mainly because I didn't have many university friends that necessarily wanted to go to Sparrows with me – yes you can bring a few friends along as guests (they pay a bit more) but I was content with not going. This was until I joined the Greenwich Mermaids (cheerleading – I go on about it enough!). Since I joined the Mermaids I’m going out all the time to Sparrows with them and I can't believe I didn’t go before! Like I said above, it’s a great atmosphere and the drinks are soooo cheap (£2 – can’t get much better than that!!!!) Plus, the other good thing is that because it’s on the university campus, it’s really safe because only students (and some guests) are allowed in there so it’s a really fun and safe environment. I’d definitely recommend going to Sparrows if you haven't already!