So you're studying for exams

If you're reading this then you're probably one of the 12978624+ people who have exams coming up, lets be honest you are either procrastinating or you're sitting in your room bored out of your mind and stressing out. Guess what.. You're not alone!! After middle school, high school, college and now at university i've learnt a few things while leading up to the exams.. Here is the stages we ALL go through and some helpful tips to get over it.

Stage one: Procrasination

We all do this, I did this with posting this blog post. I've stayed up all night watching Netflix, looking at vines and drinking coffee telling myself i would get up in a few minutes and start some work. 

Solution: The best thing to do is to sit at a desk (it wont be the most comfortable thing) and either put some music on or whatever helps to concentrate and GET IT DONE! The faster you get it done the faster you can go to sleep with a clear conscious.

Stage two: All-nighters begin

The all nighters begin. You're tired, you probably hate yourself for leaving it this late and you have lectures the next day. Thats never stopped me, but i am guilty for it. I'm not going to tell you not to do it because it has saved my ass a couple of times, there is never enough hours in the day. 

Solution: Get what you need to get done, done. Drink whatever will keep you awake and alert (suggestions: Redbull, coffee LOTS of it) keep focused and remember the sooner you get it done the faster you can sleep.. Sleep... Miss that. 

Stage three: Rewarding yourself for work

You finally begin to do some work and get distracted with something around you and you decide its best to reward yourself with 10 minutes of tv time for all the hard work, i know that a little too well.   Solution: If you get distracted with tv switch it off, if you get texts put your phone on airplane mode. Avoid the outside world. 

Stage four: Under pressure

You realise there is not much time left to do everything and there is nothing else you can do but to convince yourself you are not going to pass and your life is ruined, THE END.

  Solution: Not true.. If you're negative then you won't get much more done and this can really affect you and those around you. Think about all the work you've done so far and LETS DO THIS!

Stage Five: Quitting

You begin to tell yourself there is no point in even trying.. You wont revise it all or in my fellow arts students case, that sketchbook will never get done in time. So you start thinking.. why not quit now? Why bother trying? Well.. why the heck not?! You've made it this far, why not go out with a bang.. At least you can say you've tried. 

Solution: Talk to someone who is in the same situation as you, you can support each other through it and you may even be able to work something out to help each other.. Last resort talk to someone at your high school/college/uni about it, they may be able to suggest something.

Here is some things i've learnt.

• Make a plan, go online draw yourself a timetable and keep at it! An organised schedule leads to an organised mind.
• Plan to meet up with other people from your course, this will help you to encourage each other and it will also make studying fun. (Decreasing the number of sleepless nights)
• Keep all nighters to a minimal, you need to rest in order to concentrate and to do well.
• Reward yourself, you need to keep motivated. For example if you're reading a book make marks to when you can take a break.
• Stationary, use fun stationary that will make you want to use it leading to work getting done, if you're using a laptop use funky text or colours. 

Hope these tips helped you to calm down and have a laugh and also hope it helped with your studies.

Good luck to those who have exams coming up and.. at least you're trying. GIVE IT YOUR ALL.

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo

Weekend away in Paris

So i spent an amazing weekend in Paris at the end of last month with my boyfriend. We travelled by car and ferry (of course) with my brother for a short weekend away from this mess around here. We went on the 27th and came back on the 1st, which means we only had one full day and half a day to enjoy Paris. We stayed in an apartment right in the middle of Paris called 'Milthouard Apartments' here is what the inside and outside of the apartment we stayed in looked like.

We started of Saturday morning at 8am and went over to a café near where we stayed for fresh coffee and a freshly baked croissant called 'Le Boulanger des Invalides Jocteur' and the croissants were amazing! The staff spoke just enough English so that we could order, my boyfriend tried to speak French but i think i was just too embarrassed to try. 

We then walked to the Eiffel Tower, it was still quite early so the queues were small we paid around 23 Euros for both of us to go to the top and even though it was a very cold day it was so worth it. After that we got lost walking to the Arc de Triomphe and there was a lot of me moaning because of the walk i won’t hide that at all, i guess i just want to get to the place and be there. 

When we finally got there we explored the shops and got a taxi to the louvre museum and it was beautiful we walked through the garden a little and decided to walk to the love lock bridge where we found it all boarded up, i guess they are going ahead with cutting all the locks off.. but that didn’t stop us putting our own lockon. We decided to walk around for a little on the other side of the bridge (got lost again), got some sushi and went back to the apartment to relax. 

At around 9pm we decided to go out to see the Eiffel tower once more and then went for a meal, we had the most British/American meal we could think of... Burger and fries haha! We went back to the flat and had a quiet and relaxing night sleep. 

Sunday arrived and it was leaving day, we were leaving at 4pm so again woke up early and went to Arc de Triomphe to shop a little and enjoy the scenery. We went to have breakfast at Starbucks and walked around. Four o'clock hit and we had to leave it was sad because it didn’t even feel like we had just spent a weekend in Paris, we will definitely be going again for a longer time. If i had to recommend anything is go to see Arc de Triomphe, down that road there is lots of shops for everyone o enjoy and if you haven’t got that much cash to splash go to Louvre museum because there is a gorgeous garden right across there. Make sure you enjoy the cafes in the area you're staying in the pastries are to die for.

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo

So you want to quit university

University can be a pain in the ass, that’s for sure. Pressure from the lecturers to get everything done on time and then trying to get it all done before the deadlines.. it's stressful and there will be a few tears. You’ll find yourself wondering “is it all worth it” Well.. lets see...

Make sure you’re at university because YOU want to be, sometimes pressure from parents can kick in to take a specific course or to just attend university. At college I was always told by my teachers to go to university, I wouldn’t say pressuring.. but.. pretty close to it. We had about 20 sessions on everything about university, going from student finance to accommodation. They even made the people who didn’t want to go to university attend these, how ridiculous is that! Don’t feel like you HAVE to be here to get somewhere in life, people like Gareth Mcconnell the photographer didn’t attend university and is now an amazing photographer and even my part time lecturer! How cool is that!

 Money issues? Yeah been there, done that, got the tshirt, STILL STANDING! Money can be a pain, its something i know too much about. I’ve never really been skint but I’ve gone into my overdraft quite a bit. Most banks offer a student account which comes with a nice agreed overdraft, as long as you don’t go over the agreed overdraft you don’t have to pay interest nor does it affect your credit score. A part time job is amazing if you’re bad with money like me, problem is.. Every other student has thought about those too so changes of you getting a job is slim. Forget credit cards.. Many banks offer it with your student account, but best thing to do is give it to your parents and ask them to NEVER give you the card or just never memorise the pin, it’s a way of getting in more dept you won’t be able to pay.

Missing home. A lot of my university friends are having a hard time staying on campus away from home, i haven’t really got much advice on this because i don’t have this problem anymore but here is a few tips. Keep yourself busy, is better if its with work but if not.. get a few friends around for something to do each week. You can also apply to activities run by the university, me and a friend go to yoga every Tuesday. Yoga is a great way to unwind and relieve stress, not only that but its fun and great for your body. Ringing home to catch up on what everyone is doing is a great way to feel involved, visiting home regularly can also help.

Pressure from lecturers, hating the course. Get organised, buy a daily diary or even a planner whatever you want to call it. Write down everything you need to do, exams coming up, deadlines even write down what lectures you have with you to just feel overall organised. Lecturers will pressure you because they want you to pass, they also want to not get a nasty telling off from whoever is the leader of the course because half of the class failed.  Get together with classmates and see if they are going through the same, if so try to work out a plan to get through it this is also a great way to feel like you have support from someone who understands you. Last resort.. Talk to your lecturer about it, worst thing is to bottle it all up.

Think about what is best for you and what you want to do with your life. Do you want to go straight to work? Or do you want to finish uni and get it out the way with more qulifications under your belt. But lets be honest you got this far.. why not hold you head high and have the ability to one day say "i finished university with so KISS MY ASS UNIVERSE!" But its your choice.

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo

Advice from a university student

I've been at university for a while now so i’m pretty sure i qualify as a university student. By living in a student accommodation and attending university 4 days a week i found a few trick to get by. 

CAUTION: This will probably make you bored if you're not a uni student. 

  Accommodation: 

Washing and drying clothes: I've been living in a student accommodation since the 14th of September and i found that washing and drying my clothes isn't the cheapest thing..At my accommodation washing and drying comes to around £5 for every load, that’s pretty price for anyone especially a student. Being on a budget is hard so if you can.. take your washing home when you go and visit, your mum will most likely do your washing for you but if she doesn’t it still works out A LOT cheaper!

 Inspections: If you live in a student accommodation you're most likely to have inspections once in a while. So when they do come up, DO NOT FREAK OUT! All they look for is for a tidy and clean room with no major damages done. Think of it this way.. You're a landlord, what would you like your rented out room to look like. If your room is damaged or has things that need fixing make sure you tell whoever is taking care of the accommodation, read through your contract they will probably fix it for free if its not your fault.

Room/flat mates: I've talked about one of my flat mates who started taking our food but she stopped now.. If this does happen to you talk to them, if that doesn’t work and you live in a student accommodation you can tell the person in charge and they will sort the situation out anonymously. Try to get on with your flat mates after all they are the people you are living with.. Treat them as friends.. last resort move out to another place.

Budget: I didn't want to know about budgeting when i moved in... I was living by myself for the first time, i wanted to have fun and i have an overdraft, noooo worries so I thought. But its bad, really bad.. My bank hates me! So to budget until the next loan I now have a few tips and tricks.. When buying online make sure you look on Google for any discount codes no matter the discount its better than paying full price. Search for something like "promo code for H&M" something will come up. 

Find out what day the supermarket you go to puts out the products that are about to go off their sell by date.. this will save you quite a bit, almost everything can be frozen this stops it going off. If you're planning on doing a shop and you can get to  few supermarkets www.mysupermarket.co.uk is a great website to find the best deals. Keep in mind shopping on online supermarkets almost ALWAYS mess up your order... I got apple pies instead of bread once.

I’m not sure if all universities do this but at my university we have a student union which you can ask for a money loan which is £50, you will then give it back when you get your student loan. You can speak to them if you have no food in your cupboards and can’t afford to, they give you a basket which contains the necessary food to live on. If you find yourself short of cash ask your parents, they are there to help you.

  University life

Travelling: If you travel quite a lot a rail card can be quite useful, you do need to pay for the rail card but it lasts you a year and the savings are great. If you travel by bus (which i no longer do) find out what kind of discounts they do, i know that from 16 to 19 they do a young person’s ticket which does work out cheaper.

Your course: This really depends on what kind of course you’re doing but if you’re doing something art related expect to be spending A LOT of money and dedicating  lot of time. Work out a budget to put into your course and a budget for living. Try to get on with the people in your course because they are the people who will help you most.  There will be times where you will get overwhelmed and want to quit but try it out longer it may only be a phase, if you’re truely not happy then don’t waste your time & money doing something you hate. If you're finding it hard to cope talk to someone, your course leader or someone at your student union can help you with what you need, dont feel like you're alone.

Late nights: Lets be honest if you’re anything like me you know all about late nights from college. I used to stay up all night doing work to catch up and university wont change you no matter how much you think it will. Work out a schedule and stick to it like a life or death situation. Pro plus and coffee has helped me get through many sleepless nights and days at uni. Sleep is important so if you can avoid it, don’t stay up for too late and if you do take regular breaks.

Family, friends and boyfriend/girlfriend: Yes you’re at uni, yes you may be having an awesome time away from home but don’t forget about family and friends. Visit home at least once a month to catch up on everything, your family and friends can begin to feel like you no longer need them which can upset a few people, plus you need to get away from uni to relax with people you love.  If you have a girlfriend/boyfriend and you’re living away from them make sure they know they play an important part in your life, visit them regularly and don’t let uni life take over. Try to balance your time with everyone including “Me time”, relax, take a break, make sure you’re not getting overwhelmed. 

University friends: Make friends with people outside your course, the best way to do this is hang out with flat mates or going to uni events.  Try getting involved with university activates like sports, communities and so on. Volunteering is always a great way to meet people and help the community.

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo

Settled in

Almost two months in and i feel properly settled in now. My bags are all unpacked, my room is how i would want it to be (most of the time) and i now know how to get around. Although, it wasn't all that easy, i still find it hard to go home for the weekend and come back without crying. Miss everyone back home really, its a massive change from one day to another and i was definitely home sick at one point, i just sat in my room and cried. I've been home two times since getting here, mum and dad try to visit me here and there but they've been working. Thankfully my very understanding boyfriend has come to visit me quite a few times. One weekend at home is definitely not enough to spend with the family, the boyfriend and friends. I feel like i always disappoint someone when i try to spend the weekend with everyone.

Not working is doing my head in, i cant seem to find work here and doing nothing in the evening as well as the lack of money is driving me crazy. I miss working, i feel completely useless without having a job its just been so long. The first few Fridays and Saturdays off was nice but now im bored and ready to get out there, not in nightclubs mind you i'm done with that especially with the clubs around here. Talking about clubs I've only been out twice since getting here, i got so hammered the first night but i know it was a good night. Nightclubs here charge a ridiculous amount just to get in, i would of paid £5.50 if i didn't have a student card completely ridiculous and its not even the best club in the area! As you might of guessed student finance have finally sorted their shit out, but because i am clueless on budgeting i'm not doing so well with it. Its getting better now thankfully, just had a bit of a rough patch. 

My flatmates are great too thankfully, not too messy and quite friendly... apart from one. We are four girls in total at the moment. She's nice and all but she begun stealing our food and using out plates, not a big deal when you first think about it but we are all on a strict budget. We have a guy moving in this weekend so I've heard, an NHS student hopefully he wont be too loud or too messy (poor fella). 

The course is driving me crazy, so many deadlines, so many things to do by certain times. It's split into three sections at the moment, critical studies, techniques and lastly a Documentary task. Started off the course a mess, i brought a camera and turns out the shutter would not fully open making them unusable, which now means i'm very behind and in serious need of catching up. The book work is the easy part its the hands on work that i'm behind on.

I've been extremely spoilt on my birthday, Michael gave me an IPad which i am ever so thankful for. Its definitely been useful in lectures as well as keeping me entertained on the train rides home. Mum and dad gave me some money which came in very handy, i was in need of buying some equipment. My brother and friends gave me clothes as well as a cheeky bottle of vodka. It was a good birthday actually, went out for a meal and had a few drinks at the flat.

As i've been by myself more often i have been listening to music, mostly George Ezra. His voice is soothing and his songs are extremely relaxing, which has been helping with all the stress. 

I've recently been re-watching American Horror Story, as well as catching up with the new series.

These last few weeks i've been reading "Photography" by Stephen Bull definitely a very useful book if you're interested in photography.

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo

Life Update

Student finance

Oh.. student finance.. Well. I'll let you guess.. Is it sorted? Is it not?

NO! ITS NOT! They didn't even bother telling me that my last evidence was not accepted! No letter, no phone call, no text, NO NOTHING! I had to ring up to find out myself. It got to 23 days and I had heard nothing and its only supposed to take up to 20 days so I rang them up and someone told me that it hadn't been accepted, which was lovely to find out I mean I haven't been trying to sort it out since April or anything nor am I  4 weeks away from moving into my accommodation. I don't even know if I'll have the loan to pay for my accommodation OR my course. I basically got told that my evidence wasn't enough and I had to send something else in which made me extremely angry, if I was trying to rip off the government or whatever I would of given up by now. So now I need to go back to my college to ask them to write me another letter for them with more detail to send to them which means it will take at least 2 days for that to be done and then wait for them to receive the letter so what another 5 days maybe AND THEN 20 more days for me to hear back. I DO NOT HAVE THAT MUCH TIME.

Accommodation

Well, its done. Its been conformed that my room reservation is all done and sorted and I move it on the 13th, I'm so excited cant wait to move in and sort all the stuff. Its a pretty awesome the room is actually bigger than my current room (image bellow not my room just accommodation example), I've got an en-suite and we are sharing a kitchen which I'm okay with, I'm just scared that I will get a messy person in my flat who will not bother cleaning after themselves. Nightmare right there. Its pretty awesome there, we have a parking lot that we CANNOT use, not that I would of used it I haven't even got a car. A chilling area with couches a TV and a pool table and lastly a laundry room with tumble dryers and washing machines.

 

 

Results day

I had results day on the 14th and the results were actually okay I was a bit disappointed I didn't get an A in Graphics after all the all nighters I had to do for it and all the work I put into it but apparently the grade boundaries were very high. But I was pretty happy with my results, I should go back this Thursday for my GCSE maths results but they will be sending it home so no reason for me to miss a day of work and go there.

University

Well I was very nervous about hearing back from uni but on the morning of August 14th I got an email from my uni of choice congratulating me on meeting their requested UCAS points and letting me know that I had been accepted. I was so excited, this had already made me happy and I didn't care much about my grades after that, I was just happy that I had been accepted into the university I wanted to go to. I am just a bit all over the place because the letters that I have gotten after that non say the exact day my lectures start which I guess they will let me know later on.

To get list

So because I've already got everything I need I've gone and done yet another list of things I need to SURVIVEEE!! So far I've brought cleaning things a few bottles of anti bacteria sprays as well as toilet cleaner and you know the basics cleaning supplies. I've already got like i said the anti bacteria spray, toiler cleaning, massive pack of toilet roll and kitchen roll as well as washing up liquid and so on. The list after that is for when I get to uni I'm planning on going to Asda with my mum and my brother once I get there and leave all the stuff in my room to go buy food in bulk so its cheaper plus I wont have to walk to the accommodation with bags and bags of food or get a taxi.

To do list

• Go to college to pick up my new letter for bloody student finance!
• I need to create another to get list for when I get to uni so I don't go to a super market and just get lots of crap.
• I need to buy a folder to keep all important letters im getting through the post in so I don't loose anything.
• I need to go to the bank to change my account into a student account now that I have been confirmed from uni.
• I need to buy a printer (something I forgot on my list and I think it will be useful)

 

 

 

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo

Checklist

After many months of gathering bargains & around £132.90 later I can safely say I have finished my accommodation checklist. I say finished.. I need to get myself a hand held vacuum and also a sandwich toaster but I like to say that i've finished it. Its mental when I think that I haven't even got my A level results back yet which means I don't know if I've been 100% accepted and ive already got everything I need to live on at the uni accommodation i'm hopefully staying at, ive already put £100 deposit. I'm such a bargain hunter though I think I started shopping for stuff for UNI ever since I got accepted for UNI now I can't remember if it was an open offer where I would only be allowed on if I had the grades or one of those offers where the grades doesn't matter. 

Tell you what thought its been hard staying on track with the checklist I have a thing for mugs.. I have a set of four gorgeous matching mugs and two additional mugs because I found them adorable if it wasn't for my mum I would have a lot more. So many cute things out there i've never loved pillows and door stoppers so much in my life! 

I've made a university haul video which I show all the things I've brought for UNI so it may help those who are moving to UNI or not but i thought it would be fun. Also i plan to vlog the trip on my first day moving into uni which will be on the 13th of September so excited! Also little update im still waiting to hear from student fiance!

Until later.. Goodbye my lovelies

Sincerely Ady xoxo