University-DONE!!!! FREEDOM!!!

Hello lovely people,

So it has been a while since I have written a blog. I do apologise but I was super busy preparing for exams. Preparation for exams was a tedious but rewarding. I know it might sound odd but I actually enjoy exams. Let me tell you why. It is all over in a few hours! All you need to do is revise what you have already learnt, and memorise and practice questions. I love the feeling of finishing an exam. All you can do is your best. An advice for perspective students- when you finish an exam and  leave the examination hall, do not worry or talk about what you wrote or had written in the exam. It is a waste of time because you cannot change it. 

Instead, be happy that it is over! J Especially when it is a third year exam! I had two exams, one after the other. Honestly it was stressful and I felt like I was going to throw up just before both of the exams. But when I finished, I had the biggest feeling of relief. It was totally worth all the stress. The results came in very quickly and I found out that, I got a first for one exam and a 2:1 for the other. I was very happy to see the results J Also, the last time I told you guys that I finished my dissertation! Guess what! I got the result for that as well and I got a 2:1!!! Yaaay!!!

I believe it is important to celebrate hard work and achievements, so there is something to look forward to. After finishing the last exam, the students and lecturers went to a pub in Greenwich to have a celebratory drink. It was an exciting day. One of the students bought a bottle of champagne and popped it open straight after the last exam. Everyone was so happy! My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much J It was nice to see a lot of people out of university environment, especially the lecturers.

Being in the pub with fellow students and lecturers made me think about the years I have been in university; the amount of amazing people I now know and I have made so many wonderful friends. My University experience has been absolutely brilliant! I am very excited about my graduation. Seeing everyone in the graduation robes and the hats will be emotional. The graduation is in November so I have a lot of time to prepare for it J

Since I have finished university, I have been enjoying the freedom from university but I have also been applying for jobs. Students are told today that there are no jobs. Well, let me tell you something… there are a lot of jobs out there. There is just more competition. While you are in uni, make sure you do well in education as well as get experience related to the career you are interested in. Do not worry if you have a part-time job in uni which has nothing to do with the kind of job you want to apply for after uni. I am saying this because there are always transferable skills. Just make sure you have some experience working while you are in uni. It gives you a much better chance of getting a job. I am not going to lie, it a harsh world out there when applying for jobs because there are a lot of graduates and the employers are getting picky. So do what you can to make yourself the best candidate and stand out from the crowd. You have to really sell yourself. As long as you have a good degree (2:1 or above), work experience and the drive and passion for hard work, then I believe you will go far.

Getting away from the serious matters, it was my birthday on the 5^th of June!!! In addition to the end of university celebration, I celebrated my 22^nd birthday J I went bowling on the day of my birthday with some my favourite people. I looove bowling… Then that following weekend I went to Piccadilly institute for a big birthday celebration with my awesome friends! It was a club in Piccadilly Circus. To be honest, I still feel 21 so this was the anniversary for my 21^st birthday ;) I might stay being 21 for a few years J

I will enjoy the freedom while I can before I start full time job. Make sure you enjoy yourself with whatever you are doing, and reward yourself and celebrate your hard work and achievements.

I will speak to you soon and update you about the job search and the exciting things that are coming my way J

Love,

Av xx

Dissertation!!!!

Hello again :) I have amazing news! I have finished my dissertation! Yaaaay!!!! A week early! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!! I have been on top of my work. I also finished the other 2 assignments early. It is a really good feeling to get it all out of the way. After I finished my dissertation and printed it all out, I felt this huge sense of relief and a sense of achievement. This is the biggest piece of work (10,000 words) I have ever done. I actually went over the work limit.

The final title of my dissertation at the end was- 'An investigation into young women's perceptions of the role of prostitution'. Starting the dissertation was a little difficult for me as I kept thinking about the amount of words I had to do. But I did in segments which made it a lot easier to complete. I carried out a research on young women in University of Greenwich and I was genuinely interested and excited about the responses I will receive. The participants were amazing! I had a great response and the quality of the responses were exactly what I was looking for. Doing the dissertation was an interesting, scary and exciting journey. I was going to do a placement this year instead of a dissertation. I am so happy that I changed my decision and did the dissertation. I would recommend everyone who is going to university to do a dissertation. It might sound like a lot of work but if you do it on a topic you are interested in then it is a lot easier and fun at times, and finally finishing a piece of work that you might have thought you could never do, is a wonderful feeling. After finishing mine, I couldn't stop smiling :) 

Now I have one last piece of assignment to do for my 'formation of education' module. I am so happy to have chosen these modules. They are so interesting. At the moment I am doing research and I hope to get this done early as well so I can start my revision. I have 2 exams coming up. So along side the assignment I will be preparing for exams. I finish of the 17th of May! :D 

Finishing university makes me happy because all the stress is over and sad because I will miss the amazing people I have met, the student life, the student house I live in, the house mates, the student nights out, the lecturers and the university itself. On top of this, it is also scary to go into the real world. I spoke about this before, about getting jobs and everything. I have now finished doing my CV and I will start applying for jobs now. Some of my friends have started applying already and some have already received job offers. It is an exciting process I think and I really like interviews. I am excited to start applying and get a job. I will let you know more about it next time :)  

Love,

Av x

So much work, little time!

The last official month in University of Greenwich 

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine :) summer is finally starting! It is a shame that there is so much work to do :( It downed on me a few days ago that this is the only chance I have to work hard and get the 2:1. Being in university and living the student life you don't realise that one day when this is over then no more days off during the week, no nights out during the week and being able to just spend the whole day with friends without any worries about anything other than education and yourself.  

For the past weeks I have been working hard and playing a little less. I will have a big celebration on the last day of my exams. I cannot wait for that but mean while I have been living in the library. The library became 24/7 after Easter holiday. One day I was  in the library all day and I left at 5:30am. It went really quick because I had loads of work to do but at the end of it was hard to keep my eyes open. 

I also met the writing fellows last week. They are an amazing service in university who look at your work and help make it better. They are so busy all the time, I have been wanting to see them since christmas! I was lucky to get one appointment with them just before I had an assignment due. I hope I get one again if they have any more cancellations. Make sure you book appointments with tutors, lecturers or for any help that you need early in the year. It is worth it. 

While I have been working hard, I found it necessary to take breaks. I would go mad if I was in the library everyday. I have been mainly taking time off on Saturdays going to birthdays and parties. As a student I would definitely recommend that you take a little time off. It has made me work better :) So many birthdays are coming during this stressful time. Most of the people will be celebrating after uni has finished and celebrate with no worries. 

Speak to you soon. Enjoy the sunshine! 

Love,

Av x

A busy Easter!

Happy Easter!!!

  

Hey guys! It is the time of the year to have loads of chocolate!!! :D I am not a big sweet tooth but when it is Christmas or Easter I do tend to eat chocolate. It is not even Easter yet and I have already had an egg and a few Malteasers MaltEaster bunnies :D 

Did you know- The tallest chocolate Easter egg ever was made in Italy in 2011. At 10.39 metres in height and 7,200 kg in weight, it was taller than a giraffe and heavier than an elephant! 

This month I will be going to Canterbury to work with young people. It is for the same project I went to France for. The French kids will be coming to England!!! It will be a much shorter trip but I am still excited to be involved in it. All the student mentors had such a good time in the last trip and we all really bonded in the last trip. I am sure this trip will be as much fun as last time. 

With uni work- less than 2 months left! I cannot wait to get it all done. During Easter there are some really interesting assignment topics I will be writing about. One of them is about binge drinking in the UK which focuses on young people and how they are represented in the media. Another one is about female criminals and how they are viewed in the society compared to male criminals. The last essay I have to do is on education system, the discussion of private and public schools in UK. On top of this my dissertation topic is on 'prostitution', young women's perception on it. I am usually keen in controversial topics which people don't tend to talk about. It makes it much more interesting and fun to ask people their opinions. Makes it even better when someone is very opinionated and is not afraid to have extreme views about such topics. I have already done my research for my dissertation which was questionnaires and I was really pleased with the responses. I love that young women today have such strong views and are not afraid to express their thoughts. 

After all of these assignments are the exams. My last exam date is the 17th of May!!! :D I will be so happy that day! Will keep you updated on my work :)

Love, 

Av xxx

Uni Uni Uni !!!

Hey everybody! So how did you spend your mother’s day?! Flowers, gifts, chocolates…. I am sure it was amazing! I went to visit my parents for the weekend to spend some time with them J

Alright so at the moment the university work load has started to pile on. With only 3 months left I thought it was time to take action. Better late than never…right?! J So I have made a tightly scheduled timetable. I it is basically; university or work followed by library all day then to the gym. This routine has been going on every day and it is turning out to be effective as I have started to do a lot more work and feel healthier. As a third year student I would recommend to have this routine from the beginning of the year. Also giving yourself some me time is essential which can be gym or just hanging out with friends after you have done sufficient amount of work. As I was not organised enough during the year, I now have to do this routine without any breaks but I am still going to the gym. I also had to leave Cheerleading as I do not have time for training or any distractions. The priority of being in university is your degree, not social life, especially in your third year.

On top of this I will not be going to ‘I Love Tour’ trip which was with all the cheerleaders. It is shocking to know how much less time I actually have to get all the work done. I have a dissertation due in on the 30^th of April which is 10,000 words and I have only done about 5,000 words. Additionally I have two more assignments due straight after Easter holiday! All together they come to 6,500 words. I am stressing as I am writing this but I have made university work my priority and that is all I am doing. I will get it all done!

Apart from this there are a lot of important things that will be happening after I finish uni. I cannot wait!!! I am super excited about everything! Jobs! Moving out! Birthday! Holiday! Graduation ceremony!

So excited! Speak to you soon!

Love,

Av xx

Stress management

Hello again :) 

How are you all? I am super stressed! All my assignments are getting closer and my dissertation is just round the corner. I have been so busy with everything other than uni work. When I was in my first year and I met third years who said how much work there is to do, I definitely underestimated the amount of work you have to put in the third year to do well.

Although it is not too late to get on top of things. To deal with the stress I searched what to do as it is normal for university students to get a little stressed. I found the following tips - 

Looking after yourself. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself "me time" in which you can choose what you want to do: Rest; do nothing; try a relaxation technique, massage or yoga; have a long hot bath; spend time with friends; treat yourself to something special. Taking proper breaks and eating well do help to combat stress.

Confronting the problem Try to stand back and look at the problem carefully. Break it down into manageable parts. Talk it through with someone else, brainstorm solutions, or get help if you need it. Try to manage your time effectively and learn to say "NO". Avoidance won't make the problem go away and can often make it worse. Leaving everything to the last minute is a major source of stress for students. Think about why you are finding it hard to get started: uncertainty about how to do the assignment, fear of being judged or failing? Starting a piece of work effectively reduces stress levels as it frees your mind, putting the thoughts of failure back into perspective. If you've had a row or a misunderstanding with someone, it rarely helps to avoid the issue. Talking it through with the other person or with someone outside the situation, often helps you express your feelings, regain a sense of proportion, and identify a way of resolving the differences.

Find some distractions Sport and physical activity helps you to relax physically and also releases endorphins in the body which produce a real feeling of well-being. Walk, cycle, swim, join a gym or a sports team. Joining a club or society, maintaining an existing hobby or learning something new, talking to other people... can all help you to take a mental and physical break.

Express yourself Talk about it, write about it, shout or moan about it: expressing your feelings can help to relieve stress. Acknowledging a problem to yourself and to others can be the first step in dealing with it. Sometimes having a good cry or bashing a pillow can release emotional pressure and calm your feelings of anxiety.

  

Looking at these tips the first this I realised that I have found too many distractions which means I will need to eliminate a few of them. On top of this, I have moaned and complained enough about how much work I have to do so I just need to stop and get on with it. Also I have had more than enough unproductive time to myself so no more 'me time' from now on. In terms of confronting the problem, the only thing I can do is start my work so at least I know I have done something. I hope these tips help you too if you are stressed about work.

On top of the uni work load I have to think about what I will be doing after uni. I have finally found a few jobs that I would like to apply to, so I just need to write up my personal statement and make my CV perfect. I cannot wait to get into the real world and start work.

Speak to you all soon.

Love,

Av x

Amiens in France - CROIS Exchange Project

Bonjour!

How are you all? So I went to Amiens in France for the CROIS exchange project. It was extremely cold and windy in France but it was soooo much fun! As a mentor I had my own team with French and English young people. We saw some beautiful and interesting places like the cathedral, museums, WWI battlefield and many other historic places.

War Museum

The Cathedral

The battlefield ground memorial

The overall experience was brilliant! All the mentors become closer and we all worked well together. I cannot wait for the French students to come to London! I love student trips!

I have been involved working with young people since I was 13 years old with Youth Coaching Academy and was awarded Youth Peer Coach of the Year 2007. Being involved in projects with young people has definitely been one of the best things in my life. I was born in India and moved to London when I was 13 which is when I started to work with Youth Coaching Academy and has become one of the first youth peer coaches in the UK. It was one of the best decisions I ever made! 

It has always been amazing working with young people and watch them come out of their comfort zone and grow. The last time I went to Youth Coaching Academy’s Youth Summit, I met some amazing young people who had blown me away with the events that had taken place in their lives, and during one week of the trip they had learned how to deal with things and had come out of their shell. It is a proud moment when a young team member shines.

I have been to international events with young people before, for example, Anthony Robbins Foundation’s Global Youth Leadership Summit, where hundreds of young people from all over the world get involved. These events are extremely beneficial for young people to meet new people, emotional development and team activities, building them to become leaders.

The French student mentoring trip was a little different because it involved students who did not speak English, but even with that difference I had great communication and connection with my team. It is wonderful to know that language does not limit us from being able to have a relationship with someone.

A little about uni now. Cheerleading has been a lot better! I have been doing a lot more as my foot is healing fast! I cannot wait for the next competition so I can take part in it. With doing the academic work, I need to do a lot more than I am doing at the moment. I have joined the gym as well and I literally have no time for anything else but work (job), work (uni), gym and cheerleading. 3 more months now and it will be over… Need to make the most of the time I have…

Oooh and Valentines Day is coming up! Hope you all have a weekend filled with loads and loads of LOVE!!!!

Love,

Avneet xxx