Six Ways to Survive your (second) First Semester

Hiiiiii.

Around this time last year I wrote a post on 'Six ways to survive your First Semester', so, here we go again...Round 2.

1) Make sure your house is perfect (or close enough)

This was such a big one for my housemates and I. When we viewed our house we thought that it was totally perfect and the dreaaaam place. But when you move in you'll realise that everything isn't so fab if you haven't checked it properly; broken tumble dryers, the cold and the most annoying thing for me; DAMP. When I go to Madrid next semester my housemates have asked me to leave behind a piece of my damp clothing to remember me by. This is not the reputation you want to have..trust me. So check your house before you move in! And if things aren't right, complain and stand your ground.

Calm before the stress

2) Get organised

Yeah yeah, second year counts, blah blah blah. But before all the craziness kicks in, first semester of second year is the time to get all those *Life Admin* jobs that you always need to do (but never actually do...) out of the way. Book that dentist appointment you've been needing to book for the past year, apply for work experience at that place where you've always dreamed of working, finally find time to ring your Nan back....you get the gist.

3) Remember what year you're in

If you didn't get this from the number 2) SECOND YEAR COUNTS. I have only just remembered this and now I am not confident about exams hahahaha oh dear.

4) Get a cleaning rota going

So you probably got away with being a lil bit messy in First Year, but when you get to Second Year and you've got your 'own' house, things are a bit different. So get out all those cleaning products that Auntie Jean bought you to go to Uni with, because you'll need them. Ps- if you want to avoid awkward group chat convos ('who left all the pasta in the sink???'), start a cleaning rota and you'll all be besties in no time.

5) Get enough sleep

Okay coming from someone who spent the past few months working till 12, making it home for 1 and finally sleeping by 2 after a catch up with my nocturnal housemates, this sounds slightly hypocritical. But constant late nights (and early mornings) will literally kill you off eventually. So learn from my bad mistakes and get at least a few early nights a week. (drink plenty of water, do some exercise...you've heard it all before.)

6) Don't miss out

I was so busy this semester that I feel like I massively missed out on a lot of stuff. I was desperately trying to save for Madrid so working 25 ish hours a week, on top of trying to navigate my way through my Media Law module, being Lifestyle Editor of the Uni newspaper, keeping up a social life and make regular trips home to see my newborn brother....all at the same time. It gets tricky. Prioritising is a skill which I have yet to master, but hopefully after experiencing the total hectic-ness of the past few months, I am a more organised and well rounded person. Maybe.

Happy days at the end of Semester!

I hope everyone has had a lovely, relaxing Christmas and a happy new year!

Anna x

P.s If you fancy it you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here xxx

Festivities, Forge and fantastic decisions

Hiiiii.

So a very busy start to Second Year means that I have zero time :( 

So I got up extra early this morning (10am.....) and decided to write a lil blog post. I start work at 11 so this could be a bit rushed but we will give it a go.

So what's been going on....apart from the classic extreme lack of sleep which has made another appearance after First Year, I have been working a lot of hours (more than I am doing Uni work which is a questionable decision on my part but heyho.)

I am currently saving for Madrid next February, which is getting veeery close now! After weeks of scrolling through renting websites I have finally found someone to take my room in Sheffield whilst I'm abroad which is a great relief, so all I need to do now is find somewhere to live when I get there....Luckily I am looking with 3 other gals from my course so I'm not totally in the dark. 

Also I recently became Lifestyle Editor of the Uni newspaper Forge Press, which is super exciting! It's a lot of work but really rewarding too when you finally see everything in print around the Uni. 

Surprisingly, this year hasn't been as demanding as I thought so far- I have had one deadline which wasn't too stressful at all. We had to do a location voicer for radio, which is where you go out to an event and record yourself describing what it's like etc. I went to a guide dog fundraising event with my friend Rachel- picked purely on the basis that we would get to see some puppies- a FANTASTIC decision. They were v cute. I also did a vox pop about what the people of Sheffield thought about Donald Trump...safe to say he will never be a popular guy over here, thank god. I couldn't make it through the election night without dying of sleep deprivation, but I'm kinda glad because those of my friends who did watch it said it was terribly depressing. 

I went home a few weekends ago to see Catfish and the Bottlemen with my little bro and spend some time with my family which was super nice.  Also I would definitely recommend a Christmassy day out in Leeds, I visited my friend there this week and it was the perfect way to embrace all those festive feelings.

My boyfriend visited yesterday too and we achieved our biggest relationship success to date....sparkler pictures!!

I hope you have enjoyed this post! 

If you want to vote for me as Blogger of the Month, click here. Thank you!

Anna x

Second Year, Spain and stressssss

Hiya!

Second year has officially started! (and I am already sleep deprived, poor and stresssed hahaha).

Freshers Week was fab, on the first day I ended up returning home because my little baby brother Frank was born..He is such a little beauty and I can't stop talking about him!!

The first week of Uni was fun (mainly because I only have 10 hours of teaching so I spent a lot of time sleeping and catching up with my gal pals). I have three modules this year, Online News Production, Broadcast Journalism and Media Law. It's so good to finally be able to 'do' some journalism instead of being sat in lectures doing theory work! Last week my friend Rach and I went out to do vox-pops (where you ask different members of the public the same question). We asked 'What do you think about Jeremy Corbyn?', and had a range of answers from I BLOODY LOVE HIM to one guy ranting about how Britain is turning in to Venezuela for 15 minutes.

What shocked us the most is the sheer amount of young people who said 'Who?' or 'I'm not interested in politics sorry'. I literally cannot understand how a student -or anyone for that matter- can say that they are not interested in who runs the country we live in.

Professional as always

Things are becoming pretty real with my semester in Spain next February- at the moment I'm filling out loads of paperwork and last night I put my room for rent on the internet (so I don't have to pay two rents, one here and one abroad). Exciting!!!

In other news everyone has settled in to our house....apart from 50 million problems including no hot water and leaking walls, all is well! I'm really enjoying the house life- it is a lot different to First Year, in that everything is a lot tidier and my room is a lot bigger! Also I literally love having a washing machine just downstairs (is this what my life has become?? Getting excited over a washing machine?).

However things are the same in that I still eat pasta 6/7 nights of the week and get no sleep.

Lovin house life

I hope that everyone has settled in to Uni!

Anna x

A big list of absolutely everything you need to take to University

Hiya!

In light of writing blog posts in random places recently, this is my first ever post written....on a plane! I am currently on the way back from Greece with my family (boooo). We've had an amazing time and I am definitely not ready to return to dreary England!

As promised, here is my post on what you should take to Uni. When I was packing I found that I was just shoving random bits in to bags instead of properly thinking about what I wanted to take. As a lover of lists, I desperately wanted a big list of everything I needed to take. So, hopefully this will help some of you out who were in the same position as I was.....

Bedroom- We were given a bin, a desk chair and a mattress

1. Duvet, duvet cover, sheets, mattress protector (take a few of each)

2. Pillows, pillow case

2. A cute rug to spruce up your room a bit

3. Cushions

4. Decorations to make you feel more at home- Things that hang on door handles, photo frames, candles, fairy lights etc (If you're allowed them...)

5. Photos and blu-tac

6. Scissors and Sellotape (Something we were constantly searching for in my flat...)

7. Laptop, phone, chargers, camera

8. Door-stops (good for being sociable!)

9. Books, films, speakers

10. Purse, cards, ID, passport, important documents etc

11. Bags (including the essential clutch/bumbag for nights out!)

12. Posters to brighten up your bedroom

13. Clothes (and coat hangers)- suitable for winter and summer! 

14. Sunglasses (an essential to cover up those massive Freshers eye-bags)

15. A Tv
16. Clothes horse (or another variation of the word depending on where you are from!)
17. Stationery and books
18. Clothes basket
19. Ear plugs. Prepare for a few sleepless nights...
20. Medicine (paracetamol is a Fresher's must)

Bathroom

1. Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, shavers etc

2. Toothbrush (something else I forgot...)

3. Toothpaste and holder

4. Soap

5. Toilet cleaner, bleach, toilet brush

6. Towels (and hand towels)
7. Toilet rolls

Kitchen- My halls provided a toaster and a kettle, but make sure you check what you get before you go!

1. Mugs

2. Pans (take quite a few of these too)

3. Chopping boards

4. Cutlery (A key item which I left at home), sharp knives

5. Plates, bowls, side plates etc

6. Bin bags, sandwich bags, foil, cling film, tea towels

7. Wooden spoons, pizza cutters, fish slice
8. Baking trays
9. Tuppaware
10. Tea bags (an ESSENTIAL)

I would also recommend doing a food shop before you go to save stressing when you get there. Buy things like bread, milk, tins of beans, butter, pasta and sauce, etc, meals that you can prepare easily when you're wrapped up in Fresher's excitement. Luckily there was a shop directly opposite my halls in Endcliffe, but you might not be so lucky...

Hopefully I have covered most things but I can guarantee that I have missed something! Don't worry too much about packing for Uni, at the end of the day you can't be as bad as me and forget plates and cutlery.

Here's my room when I had settled in....

Ps you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here :)

Anna x

Preparing for Results Day

Hey!

I must say I wish I could write every post with this view....

I am currently on a Greek island with my family enjoying blissful weather and lots of relaxation. Is there really a better place to write a blog post?!

With Results Day fast approaching, I was thinking about my biggest worries this time last year about going to Uni. Mainly it was 'Am I even going to get in to Uni', along with 'What if I don't make any friends', 'What if I don't like my flatmates', etc. Worries which literally everyone will have.

People around you will no doubt use the usual cliches; you've tried your best, there's nothing you can do now, or the worst: try not to think about it. Which only makes you think about it more. But a lot of what people say is true- If you get in to your first choice Uni, amazing, and if you don't, you are pretty much guaranteed to have just as good of a time at a different Uni, or even staying at home and doing something completely different.

I distinctly remember going to the park the day before Results Day with my friends last year, with all of us totally on edge for the next day. When we started talking about it, one of my friends fell to the floor and didn't move until we stopped talking about it (Which was extremely funny in hindsight...)

The pre-results breakdown

Emotions (and sicky feelings) are sky-high on Results Day, but for me it turned out to be an amazing day (I never expected that later that day there would be a TV crew at my house filming me for the news that night!). Also I actually found out that I had gotten in to Sheffield before I got my results, so I went to school feeling slightly calmer. So as much as the words 'Results Day' might fill you with absolute dread, be confident knowing that there is a very big chance that it could turn out to be a pretty fab day, and pave the way to a very exciting future.

To sum this all up, here are 3 top tips on how to make the day as painless (and hopefully enjoyable) as possible.

1. Check UCAS before you collect your results
2. Be confident
3. Breathe (always a good one to remember.)

Ps you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here!

Pps if you'd like to read last year's Results Day post, you can do here.

Anna x

Skylines, Sheffield and not much sleep

Hey!

Where to start...it has been a busy month (or two)! First year of Uni seems like years ago and summer has been fab so far. Pretty much as soon as I left Uni I jetted off to the Big Apple with my bestie and her family. Ever since I can remember it has been an absolute DREAM of mine to visit New York and it certainly lived up to my very high expectations. Our time there literally flew by but it was incredible and I can't stop looking at my (thousands of) pics. 

After NYC I had a few days at home (when I saw my fab friends), before I went to Portugal with my Dad, Step-Mum and brother, which was fab (and very hot). Last weekend my friend and I also went to Tramlines festival in Sheffield which was sooooo good. Catfish and the Bottlemen and Kelis headlined (4 rows from the front during Kelis was certainly an experience). After an extreme lack of sleep and a lot of bad food I am now back home feeling drained of all life and energy. Going to Sheffield meant that I got to visit our new house for the first time since our contract started. I was super excited to stay in the new house, however finding it dirty and unhygienic was a bit of a shock, so we spent a decent amount of time cleaning....

The house will definitely be homely once everyone has moved in but for now I am glad to be back home and have a shower knowing that I might not get sabotaged by giant spiders.

Some of my friends at Uni have also said that they found their new houses to be dirty, so make sure if you have this problemo that you speak to your landlord and make sure that you're happy with the condition you find it in. That is what they are there for after all.

Also while I was in Portugal I found out my Uni results for First Year, which turned out to be a massive stress as I got an email 4 hours before results came out saying that I had failed one of my modules...After a painful wait I eventually found out that I had been put down as failing a module which I hadn't taken. So I hadn't failed PHEW and actually got a 2.1 which I was pretty happy with. 

It's weird to think that this time last year I was starting to decide what to take to Uni (I needed a while to think judging by how much stuff I actually took with me...) At some point in the next month I'm going to write a post on all the essentials that you should take with you (as I really feel like that would've helped me!) If there are any other posts which you think would come in useful then ask away :)

I hope you have enjoyed this post!

Also, I would be super grateful if you could vote for me as Blogger of the Month by cicking here :)

Anna x

A fresher's guide to surviving First Year

Hey!

I have officially finished first year! What a surreal, exciting and scary feeling. I really can't believe that it's over already. Tomorrow I move out of Endcliffe and back home for a loooong (hopefully hot) summer. *Sings Girls Aloud*

So, like I did after my first semester, I thought I would sum everything up for you. Like a kind of 'what I wish I had known before I went to Uni' thing. Here goes...

1. Don't pack too much
Okay, I'll put my hands up and say that I am massively guilty for this. Off I went to Uni with 2 cars packed with many things that I would never, ever use. Including; a bike, a tank of plastic jellyfish, high school musical top trumps, and a glass painting kit. I don't know what I thought I would be doing at Uni but it certainly did not involve any of those items. I did however, turn up to Uni with no plates or cutlery because I had left them at home. Overall, make sure you've got everything you need and pack the other little things after. 

A living nightmare

2. Be prepared for the craziness of Fresher's
....and be prepared for some awkward silences. After building up to the big day for weeks, suddenly you're in a room with 9 people you've never met, having to make small talk and COOK FOR YOURSELF. It's really overwhelming, and not until you're sat on your own in your room surrounded by thousands of bags, do you think 'So this is actually happening'. But a few hours in to Uni life I had already bonded with my flatmate Lauren over feeling homesick and loving One Direction. And if we can do it, anyone can. You will spend the rest of the week going on nights out and sleeping through the day because you're so tired, but that's the fun of it.

First night of Freshers...

First night out with my coursemates!

3.  You won't get on with everyone
In a flat of 10, you're not going to be besties with everyone. I came to Uni expecting that everyone would be clean, and when that doesn't exactly happen it is a bit of a shock. From mouldy bowls of cereal to disgusting bin bags, sharing a kitchen with so many others isn't exactly easy all the time. But Uni also teaches you to stick up for yourself and be honest with things that you're not happy with. At one point of particular disgustingness I found myself dreading coming back to the flat some days and wondering if Uni was meant for me. But everyone has doubts and as long as you surround yourself with good friends you'll be fine and dandy. (Also, don't be the messiest in your flat. People will hate you). Nevertheless, you will get on with way more people than you disliked so don't worry about it too much.

5/10 flatmates on the last day!

4. You won't get any sleep for 8 months straight
This has been the case for me, anyway. As I have made friends with some extreme night owls, I now find myself thinking 'Ah, 1am, an early night!'. This is dangerous territory for someone who has 9am's every day, but you'll power through with a lot of motivation, naps and mugs of tea.

The legendary Corp

5. Cook with someone else
Before I came to Uni I couldn't make beans on toast without setting things on fire and causing immense stress. But my flatmate and I have made loads of yummy new dishes that we had never tried before since getting to Uni. You can easily find easy recipes on Facebook which you can have a go at together. It doesn't always work out (my sausages and mash was described as looking like 'dog food' and my mac and cheese looked like sick), but you'll become so much better at cooking if you have a go.

One of our personal faves..

6. Take every opportunity you can
Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before, you're thinking. AND I put this in my last 'how to survive...' post which is even more boring. But I want to emphasise how many cool things you can try at Uni. I've had a weekly news bulletin on the Student Radio, met some amazing people from all over the country (and the world), written articles for The Tab (one of which got 23,000 views yay), started to play netball again, picked up Spanish again (however traumatic it may have been), visited to Madrid with a society (and loved it so much that I decided I want to study there next year). There is SO much you can do.

In Madrid with the gang

7. Enjoy it!!!
I'm sat here on the last night of Uni thinking about how ridiculously fast first year has gone. I've had some absolutely top-notch nights out, learnt a lot (maybe), fallen in love with Sheffield and most importantly met some wonderful, life-long friends.

Tall probs :(

I hope you have enjoyed this post!

If you want to vote for me as Blogger of the Month, you can do here :)

Anna x

Pancakes, Plaits and 10,000 views

Hey!

How's everyone doing? I'm sure things are busy at the mo as the dreaded month of May has arrived. Well it arrived a while ago actually but the end of May is always the worst...

My first exam is on June 1st which is scary (but also I'm not too worried which is reflected in my extreme lack of revision). But lectures ended last week which means that I now have all the time in the world to revise (and do other things like go out for spontaneous pancakes and learn how to french plait my own hair).

Post pancakes..

A few exciting things have happened recently! Number one, I have hit 10,000 views on my blog which I am SUPER excited about!!! I can't believe that so many people have read my little blog which I use to ramble about random life things. Thank you!!
Alsoooo, I have got work experience with the Derby Telegraph this summer! Recently I was Editor for our first newsday at Uni which was fab so I am super excited to experience a real newsroom.

Since my last blog post things have been really busy! I interviewed the best ametuer boxer in Yorkshire which was cool, as well as a woman who was starting up a healthy living centre in a deprived area to help the women there. Since almost every one of my articles so far has been related to feminism, I thought I would carry on, and chose to base my coursework essay on the tampon tax. For that I interviewed the woman who started the petition to end the tampon tax as well as feminists from all over Sheffield, which was fab. 

Also, my wonderful Auntie got married to her fiance Charles at the start of May, which was an incredible day. Seeing her get married after years of looking up to her (from across the globe as she lives in South Africa) was an amazingly emotional feeling. 

I also spent a day in the peaks a few weeks ago with my boyf which was fun! I'm loving the sunny weather at the mo (although it does mean that there is a massive distraction from revision...) Last weekend I went home to babysit my little bro and sis which was fun, and I got to see one of my besties Lucy who I hadn't seen in months. 

Last week I took my 100wpm exam which was exciiiiiiting (I literally can't wait to stop those 9am classes). Although I'm not sure it went too well as I missed a sentence out which could definitely mean that I've failed...But I'm keeping everything crossed at the mo so I don't have to re-take it again!

Anyways I best do my first bit of revision today before my exam next week. Sigh. I really can't wait for summer now (but at the same time I'm going to be so sad to leave Uni!)

Good luck with exams!!

Anna x

Ps, you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month on this link...www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/voting :)

One month later...

Hiya!

I just had a little look at when I last wrote a blog post and I am absolutely ASHAMED that it was a whole month ago. I should be sent to blogging prison.

Ever since we got back to Uni everything has been SO busy. In the first two weeks I didn't have one night in (I can't even remember what I was doing). Unlike when I came back to Uni after Christmas, I was really excited to get back into it after Easter. I didn't even cry when my Mum left. That's what I call absolute success.

The first week involved some fun nights out, lots of socialising and overall not much Uni work. The second week was Varsity, so I covered loads of different events with the student radio. From ice hockey to volleyball, most of the time I had no idea what was going on ("was that a goal??") but I eventually got the hang of it and found that sports reporting was really exciting! Also the final (which gets the biggest Varsity crowd outside North America) was SO much fun. I also didn't let claustrophobia stop me from getting on the tram to get there, which I was quite proud of. It was a long 15 minutes of my life but we made it there eventually and I had the best time. I also went home briefly for my Auntie's hen do which was a fab day. I'm SUPER excited to be a bridesmaid at her wedding this weekend! The second week didn't involve much (if any) Uni work either.

Horticultural Therapy session

So here I am in the third week, stressing because I feel like I have a million deadlines and less than a few weeks to complete everything. AGH. At the start of this week I went back to my patch in Sheffield (Burngreave), to talk to some women who were using horticultural therapy to combat mental illness. It was my first proper interview and I really enjoyed getting to know the women and listening to their stories.

ALSO, I got accepted to study in Madrid next year for a semester!! I'm SUPER excited. I'm doing it with Erasmus, so I'll have to find someone to live in my room from January to June next year (which I hope won't be too difficult). It's gonna be so weird going to Uni again but in a different country...

Hope everyone's good! I remember this time last year and 2 years ago that the stress and pressure was getting crazy at this point. Try to keep in mind why you're doing it- so you can get to Uni or start an apprenticeship or start working or whatever it is that you want to do. It will all be worth it in the end. And if you need to take a break, take one. A-Levels aren't the end of the world! (although it definitely seems that way at the time).

I feel so old.

Anna x

P.s you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here :)

Opportunities

Hiya...

Writing blog posts on transport seems to be a recent habit of mine doesn't it?

I'm 6 hours in to a 7 hour train to wales and I am truly losing the will to LIVE. So what else to do but write a blog post?

This train was meant to take 4 and a half hours, but after loads of diversions and confusion, here I am, still miles and miles away from where I'm going (to see my family who are at our cottage in Harlech).

Obviously, its chucking it down. But to be honest, I dont mind, rainy Wales is when I'm truly at home (although I'd prefer a bit of sun).

My trip to Madrid with the spanish society was INCREDIBLE (pardon my enthusiasm), but we really did have the best time. It's such a beautiful city and sharing such a cool experience with new friends really made me appreciate the amazing opportunites which come with the whole 'going to uni' thing.

We ate ridiculous amounts of paella, discovered interesting spanish bars, saw a 'semana santa' procession (google it...) and even sunbathed.

Then I spent a nice few days with my Dad and Step-Mum back home, and now I'm back on the move again. (Sometimes I question whether I actually ever stay in one place for more than a few days). My step-mum is pregnant too, so I'm super excited to be a big sister (again!!).

But anyway I'm excited to spend some time with my family in Waaaeeels (did you read that in a Welsh accent??), after this dreaded train journey is over.

So far I've spilt mini eggs all over the floor, broken my suitcase and talked to a man for an hour who told me about his 12 horses and how he felt like a "nobody" in life. Interesting right? I do love speaking to new people though (I guess that would be an issue if not since I'm a journalism student). You can always learn things from new people and this particular guy told me to take every opportunity possible whilst I still could- he said he felt that he was getting too old now to truly do what he wants in life. He looked really nostalgic as he said that that particular feeling was "centuries away" for me.

I've carried about 6 different books with me on this train so maybe I should read at least one of them....But I guess the message of this blog post is to say 'yes' to everything you can, because as this man told me, one day you might not have such opportunities.

(THAT WAS DEEP IM SORRY).

Anna x

Ps you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here: 
www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/voting x

Trains, Travelling and Tea

Hello!

I'm writing this post on a train to Leeds to see my friend, which is a definite new experience! Weirdly enough the last time I blogged on public transport was all those months ago when I was on a bus to school...on April 15th, to be exact. That was almost a year ago?!

So I just read that post back. (If you didn't see it you can read it here)

I remember so distinctly how worried I was about leaving my best friends. Upon reflection it has been harder and easier than I anticipated; harder in the way that nothing can prepare you for the shock apart from actually experiencing it....and easier in the way that I still see my friends a lot, and I've made some fab friends at Uni too.

Last weekend my friends and I all met up in Lincoln, as two of them are studying there. This was the first time that we've all met up in one of our uni cities, and we had the best time. It's really strange seeing some of your best friends in other groups, and "I can't believe you have other friends!!!" was a sentence used a lot whilst we were there.

I think that being apart for so long tightens your group so much when you all come back together.

One of the biggest worries for most people going to Uni is that they won't make friends, or at least won't make close friends. But in reality Uni is probably the easiest way to make friends- everyone's in the same boat and you're bound to click with someone.

Anyways- this is the last week before we break up for Easter! I'm going to Madrid next Monday with the Spanish Society which I'm really excited about, and after that I can't wait to get back home (and not have to worry about cooking tea and doing washing).

I was meant to spend this journey practicing my shorthand so I best get to it anyway. I did my 80 words per minute exam last week so I'm praying for a pass!

I hope everyone has a good Easter!

Anna x

P.s you can vote for me as Blogger of the Month here.