The Trials and Tribulations of an English Student

Imagine this, you've spent your entire time at college stressing that you're never going to get the grades to get into university.  Then results day comes around and by some miracle - you got in! You end up at a Russell Group university and feeling incredibly proud of yourself, you can only imagine how amazing its going to feel being surrounded by people who are as much in love with education as you are.

Then reality happens.

What I've found from being at university is that everything is a competition. You are surround by people with inflated egos, desperate to be the best in everything. Before I came to university, I thought that English was a well respected degree, as a core subject that can lead off into so many different career paths. As it turns out, the so labelled 'art degree' is frowned upon by those studying STEM subjects who believe that they're degree is on more value than yours.

Therefore, I have composed a list (because we know I am a massive fan of those) of situations I have faced as a result of being an English undergraduate.

1) HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT?
 Just because I am an English student doesn't mean I know the spelling of every single word under the sun. Should I not know the spelling, I am greeted by phrases such as 'but you're an English student' 'how do you not know that?' 'what do you spend all time doing in class?' It really helps build confidence in your intelligence.

                                     

2) SHOULDN'T YOU BE READING?
Not only do people say this to me if I do any other activity without having  a book in my hands, but it is constantly on an English students mind. If you have nothing to do, you probably should be reading. Having to get through a book, a play and a poem a week, the reading never ends. Oh and then there's the secondary reading which if people have time to do, they have mastered life better than I. 
                                        


3) WHAT'S THE POINT OF DOING A MASTERS?
The most insulting thing that has ever been said to me so far by a housemate. Everyone was discussing the excitement of their masters and as soon as I announced I was considering it, I was greeting with disapproving looks and asked why I would waste more money. Brilliant.

                                        
4) ARE YOU EVEN EVER IN UNI?
A sense of entitlement comes to those who have higher contact hours. English has one of the lowest, this semester I have a total of 9 contact hours a week. That being said, as previously mentioned with all the reading I have to do, that time is valuable. Those doing 9-5 may think their degree is harder, but ask them to analyse a Shakespearian sonnet, or even understand it and they will look at you dumbfounded. 

5) SO LIKE... WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR A CAREER?
"You are going to be an English teacher right?" It makes sense why we should get pounded with this question the most. A lot of people choose degrees that lead into a specific career. So it is understandable as to why an engineer would question exactly what you're doing with your life when it isn't all set out before you. I see this as an advantage, I can take my degree wherever I choose for it to go. People usually get half way through their degree before realising... hey I actually hate this. Luckily for us English students, we all pretty much are in love with it. 




English love xoxo

Why University Doesn't Have To Be Your 'Peak'

Exam period isn't easy for anyone. It's an odd experience being at university during exam period, it sort of becomes this one big community fuelled by hugs and ice cream. They even brought puppies onto campus so we could cuddle them and try and get some of the stress out. 

Exam period has always been a weird time for me on a personal level because - and this happens every time - I have this sort of breakdown when I think screw it, this isn't even worth it, I'm going to move to Barcelona and become an ice cream scooper or something. But somehow every time I manage to come around, pick myself up and start revising - no matter how painful this is.

University is strange because essentially this is the last part of your life in education, before you are thrust into the big bad world with absolutely NO idea what you're doing, mortgage? How the hell do you pay tax!? Why do we not learn this!? & because it's the last stage of education, I've been thinking of my life and asking myself is this my 'peak', like is this the best it gets, is it all downhill from here? When I ask my relatives about what their 'peak' in life was, mostly they reply with college or university. Which gets me worried. Sure, I'm enjoying university and having fun - BUT I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE THE PEAK! What does that give me to look forward to if this is the best it gets? I'm sure that my family sometimes looks back with rose tinted glasses because even now I look back at my last year of high school and think 'hell yeah that was a good time' when in reality I don't think I've ever been more miserable than in that year. So their memories might not be all that accurate, so I shouldn't worry about it too much, right?

I read a blogpost yesterday from a blogger that I follow. She's the same age as me and has just completed her first year at university. And she's just dropped out. She wrote a big blogpost about how essentially it didn't make her happy being in an establishment that takes your money and she'd rather be out there seeing the world - which from an idealistic perspective sounds awesome, a sort of finger up to society - which I'm sure we'd all love to do. And it effected me so much because I admire this girl, and in many ways aspire to be her, especially in terms of her fashion. But this blogpost just made me mad. It made me mad because it insinuated that if you go to university, you're giving up on the idea of being a free spirit, of travelling the world and 'finding yourself'. So I had a big cry, because if there's anything I want to do in this world its travel. & because I missed out on the opportunity to study abroad I had this big breakdown and got myself into the mindset that when I leave university I'll go straight into a 9-5 job and be miserable and then I'll have kids and of course they'll just be a huge burden and I'll never get to go anywhere. But this is just such a ridiculous mindset. Luckily I had my boyfriend there to hug me and put everything into perspective. I'm 19. I moved away from home when I was 18 and became an independent spirit, which was an extremely brave thing to do which none of my friends accomplished. I've already seen 11 countries in my 18 years, which another three happening this summer. University is not a burden, it's a chance for opportunity. And it's my life - I have complete control. Maybe i'll decide that once I finish university I'll take a year out, go explore. Or maybe spend a year in a crappy job so the year after I can travel. Or maybe I'll even go and live in another country for another year - because why the hell not! Or maybe life will have something totally different in mind - the point is that this is not the end of my freedom and I don't think this is my peak. I'll leave university at the age of 21, I'll have my entire adult life ahead of me and I'll come out of university with so much knowledge and experience. Steven reminded me that his aunt and uncle decided to move to Dubai this year, in their fourties. So the fact is that I can do whatever I put my mind to :).

So my advice would be that for anyone out there who thinks that staying in university is a mistake and they'll just end up into a job straight after and miss all these amazing opportunities, life is what you make it. I'm just thankful that when I leave university I will always have a degree to fall back on, not matter what I intend to do/ where I intend to go :)

Amy

xoxo

The Freshers Survival Guide

Those of you who have experienced the roller-coaster that is 'Freshers Week' know what a whirlwind of emotions it can be. I personally experienced what felt like every emotion under the sun in those extremely long seven days. As someone who has survived the experience, I've decided to compose a list of tips for those who have yet to endure the week that is for freshers, or for those of you who like me have been through it, you can reflect back on your time and compare your experiences to mine. Either way - enjoy!

1) Find a useful online list and pack well in advance!
As someone who isn't particularly prepared and organised when it comes to packing, you can imagine that I found this experience incredibly stressful. Luckily whilst hunting through Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098062720539/), I found this list of Uni necessities that came with a tick-box so I could cross off each one I packed/bought. However to give you piece of mind, you will never be too far away from a local shop that you can pick up anything that you need (for example I brought a printer with me but no damn paper!) and there's always a chance to become friendly with your neighbour by asking them to borrow their hair-dryer! 

The list is sorted into helpful sections!

2) Arrival will be stressful - pace yourself!
For me, the arrival and unpacking on my first day at university was one of the most stressful experiences of my life. It was like everything was going in fast pace and I was left dragging behind. We arrived relatively early (I was one of the first people on my corridor to arrive) but despite this I still ending up have a rushed and rather sad goodbye to my parents. There was just about enough time to unpack and go and have lunch but I also wanted to have a walk to my first lecture the next day so I could discover whereabouts on campus it was to save panicking the next day. This meant that by the time I returned to my halls, everyone had already begun socialising and making friends whilst I was still clinging on desperately to my parents. The advice I would give would be to arrive as early as possible, get everything unpacked asap, have a set list of things that you want to achieve whilst your parents are still with you and just try and relax and enjoy the day for what it is. Talking to my hall mates weeks after Freshers I discovered that they too went through similar experiences and hated the rushed goodbye - but it's unfortunately just a part of the experience it seems!

As you can see - I was stressed! (& my brother was as chilled as can be!)

3) Talk to everyone and anyone!
Remember - you're all in the same boat! Everyone has been having the same anxieties as you and now all they want is to make some friends - just like you! You'll only regret the times you didn't speak up and introduce yourself. Take this time to get to know people from all over the country (and other countries) and use this knowledge to help improve your geography skills! (there's posh places in Birmingham? who knew!).

4) Whatsapp is your new God.

If you don't have it already, before coming to university - download Whatsapp! It is the only way to keep up with what people are doing. For me it was perfect for living in a catered hall because it allowed us all to organise when we were going down for dinner and certain nights out. However, be prepared to hear your phone buzzing 24/7 and if you leave your phone for a day you will return to 105 new messages!

This icon will become all too familiar!

5) Bring things that remind you of home!
The simplest of things can make a huge difference on those days where you're homesick. For me, it was two things: my rug and my lamp. Despite the fact that my university room came with a lamp, having the one from my room with its warm colours really made a difference on those dark darks. Also, it's surprising how much a small rug can improve the homeliness of a room. I bought a cheap circular rug from Ikea and just putting my feet on it when I left the bed was a huge morning improvement! (which you need when you have 9am lectures on the other side of campus!) Also my wonderful mother bought me sunflowers as a present on leaving day and they really brightened up my entire room and got lots of positive attention from my new found friends!

Rug and Bedding from Ikea.

Chalkboard from The Range, Vase from Ikea.

Lamp (My Nan's) from Next, Washing Basket from Ikea.

6) Just enjoy the wild ride! 
At the end of the day, university isn't just about getting a degree, it's about the entire experience. Relax and as cheesy as it sounds just be yourself - you will find like-minded people whether they're in your halls, on your course or in a society you join (which I highly recommend). It's three (or more) years of your life you are guaranteed not to forget and will hopefully look back on with happiness later on in your life :) 

Hope you enjoyed reading and found these tips useful!

Lots of Love,

Amy Alison xoxo