CLEARING BEGINS AGAIN.

So, now that summer is here I have been working a lot at the office and we have just moved to a much much

bigger room to take all the calls and chats to do with Clearing 2014! It’s going to be super busy but I really enjoyed Clearing last year. The days went so quick because it was so hectic and it was quite a lot of fun with the Teams we were on and I’m hoping it’s like that this year. We’ve also got the university Open Day on Saturday July 5th if anyone is interested in coming! 10am-3pm and it’s open across all campuses.

I feel like every year I talk a lot about doing a lot of different things during my summer holidays but I usually find myself working a heck of a lot and going out with friends on the weekends. This year I hope is different. If you read my last blog post then you’d have read all about what I would LOVE to do this year, whether that gets done or not is a different story. I really hope I do some of it, I feel like I need to spend more time exploring my own city. I’d probably be amazed at half the stuff there is in London that I’ve never seen before.

What I’ve been super excited for recently is actually returning to university in September for my third and final year. It scares me so much to know that this is my final year at university and then once it’s over I’ve got to find a proper job in the big wide world. After university I plan to go into the police force, work for a couple of years and then move to Australia. I’m not sure why but that has always been my dream. It’s scary to know that probably 70% of my third year goes towards my final grade!!!! Eeek! Wish me luck!!!!

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

Now it is officially summer, there are loads of things I want to do before I go back to study in September. Whether or not I’ll actually do them is another thing as most of my university friends have gone home for the summer (boo). The main thing I want to do in life is travel, anywhere and everywhere. Here are a few things I want to do this summer:

GO TO PARIS

Paris has always interested me, and I've only ever drove through France so I haven’t had a chance to explore the country in all its glory. I see and hear of people visiting Paris all the time and it always looks so beautiful.

VISIT EVERY BEACH IN SOUTH ENGLAND

This is a given, I love the beach, particularly a sand beach but with that being a bit of a long-shot in England, I won’t mind a pebble beach! I love the smell of the sea and the small tourist shops that are there.

MEET AS MANY NEW PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE

I do love meeting new people, as you have no clue what they’re going to bring in your life, whether it be good or bad it’s still an experience. You’ll learn new things from everyone you meet and they could end up meaning a lot to you.

STAY OUT UNTIL THE SUN RISES

This I've always wanted to do, particularly in London. I want to be relaxing at home and someone calls me and asks me to just hang out. We’ll go into London and explore everywhere we can, places we've never been before and then watch the sunrise.

SAY ‘YES’ MORE

I've been trying to do this more anyway, but I believe that saying yes more opens a lot more opportunities for you. It opens a lot more adventures as well.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

A bit of a given, but who doesn't love trying something new? Whether it be painting or dancing, it’s nice to learn new things and you could actually find out that you love this new hobby and this new side of you.

APPRECIATE LIFE

- ALWAYS appreciate life.

The End of Year 2

So my second year has come to an end and I couldn’t be more sad, this past year has made me realise how much I love university and I’m excited for year 3 to begin! This year I joined the cheerleading team which I’m so so glad I did, I’ve met some really amazing people and I’ve loved all the experiences that have come up along the way. I’ve also met loads of other people through the other sports teams and through being more social by going to Sparrows and just making more of an effort!

 

I also recently learned that I got a 2:1 for my second year which I’m so ecstatic about!!! I’m so proud of myself that I worked hard and got the grade I wanted. The work this year has been slightly challenging but enjoyable because it’s a subject I love. I’ve said it all along that you should study a subject at university that you enjoy because it makes the workload easier and your overall experience of university more enjoyable.

Is it weird that I’m looking forward to writing my Dissertation next year? Even though I probably won’t be saying that when it comes to it! I already know that I’m writing my dissertation on Disney so it can’t be that bad, can it!? Lets hope not! I’ve also loved writing this blog and I hope at least some people do gain advice from it and it helps some people make some decisions for the best (LIKE JOINING CHEERLEADING, if you’re thinking about it - DO IT! You won’t regret it!)

I hope you guys have an enjoyable summer! I still will be updating this blog as Clearing is coming up and I still want to let you guys know what I’m up to and what’s going on in my crazy life at the moment!

Stacey x

Keeping on top of things at University.

It’s getting to the end of the year now and looking back I’ve had a great year. I’m not sure how I managed to get all my assignments in, study for an exam, have a social life, see my family, work, go to cheerleading and blog all at the same time but somehow I managed it and I am quite proud. I know a lot of other people probably have so much more to do than me but my life so far in 2014 has been the busiest year yet and it’s been crazy. Last year I didn’t do much but go out with a few friends from sixth form and do my university work but since I’ve joined cheerleading everything has changed. My life is hectic and I love it, I’ve loved meeting all the people and going out to Sparrows with them and Tour.

What I’ve learned to do this year is keep a diary of everything I have planned; I even have two calendars, one for assignments I’ve got due in and one for social activities just so I can keep on top of things. It’s honestly helped me out a lot because normally I would forget things which I have planned but by keeping a diary, it’s helped me out so much. On Mondays I have work, Cheerleading on Tuesday, Wednesday I like to see family, on Thursday I have uni, Friday’s uni and Sparrows (usually…) and the weekend I like to blog, keep on top of my university work and see my friends from outside of university. This is a normal week not including all the side-plans I have when it comes to cheerleading and plans with friends. If you are interested in reading my other blog besides this one, I like to write about beauty and fashion over on www.britishheartsxo.blogspot.com – I do try to write on this regularly but when my assignments get too much and I have too many plans, I take a back seat and have a break for a week.

I think it’s important to have a break from things when they are getting too much, have an early night or read a book to keep your stress levels down and go back to it when you are ready to. I would really recommend getting a diary and a calendar as it really does save time and effort trying to remember what you had planned for the day or when your assignments are due in.

Just relax and enjoy the ride! J

TOUR 2014

Okay, so if you weren’t aware, I’m part of the Universities Cheerleading team and a few weeks ago we went to Lloret De Mar for a week to celebrate…. being a sports team? I guess that counts. It’s a week of socialising with your team as well as plenty of others from your university and other universities.

When we arrived we had the whole day to explore and relax in the sun, so of course we decided to jump straight in the pool! It was hot, so it’s fine, it’s allowed!! The hotel was alright, pretty basic but it was a cheap holiday so we weren’t expecting much. The first night we all dressed up as Convicts, and so did the American Football Team because we are a FAMIL-Y! Honestly, on tour, we all really got to know each other and got on all so well. It was honestly the best holiday I’ve ever been on before and I literally cannot wait for next year! Going on tour as a fresher was so much fun but I know I’m going to have even more fun next year as a returner!

Every night had a theme, and it just made it so much more fun. As well as themes, every night we were pre-drinking with a different sports team of Greenwich, which was exciting and we all got to know A LOT more about each other.

We all got assigned Tour names (mine was Coleslaw.. LONG story), which was absolutely hilarious and so much FUN!!!!! During the day time we could do whatever we wanted, so we usually relaxed around the pool with everyone or went walking into the town to look around. One day we all decided to get braids (so if you walk around Greenwich and see girls with coloured braids, you know they were on tour!) We really got to know each other whilst we were on tour and I literally have nothing but praise for tour.

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!!