#and now time to do my study abroad application go back to uni and start a new semester of classes

[newdayslinguine]

Exams done yay!

#and now time to do my study abroad application go back to uni and start a new semester of classes #im so tired. i mean its not that bad ive only been doing like 5-8 hours work per day #but still its just a bit relentless #i took a few days off for christmas and then new years and being ill after new years #and another day a couple weeks ago when i was tired #but yeah i just want one day where there’s nothing to do yknow? #weekend after next hopefully

[limitlessgoddess]

How i attracted the college of my dreams ( without even realizing it )

long story coming so be prepared. there's a little bit of strong language so please read at your own discretion.

let me begin by telling you an account of how it started. i'm gonna be honest, my self concept was shi at that time but i still ended up manifesting what i want because i've always had the assumption everything always works out in my favor. i am gonna tell you all the barriers in my way, the mistakes you should NOT make, and my success story.

SO LESS GOOO

my barriers:

a toxic ldr ( my sc got bad because i was gaslighted way too many times and made to believe i couldn't live without them but i turned out just fine, don't let your SP tell you shi about yourself and get away with it 💀 i called them out and there was Lotta f*ckin drama but then they came begging back 2 months later wanting to be friends like girl i forgot about your existence whatchu doin in my empire 🤡 )

online school ( my concentration was 📉 pls + that person was an attention wh*re )

only above average grades ( around 80% )

medium SAT score ( 1140 )

severe migraines ( i don't have them anymore MUHAHAHA )

i revised and changed them, now they only feel like a bad dream i had ages ago.

Mistakes to AVOID

don't say i didn't, say i didn't warn ya

MISTAKE #1:

basing my sc on my sp. the worst thing you can do. it's not YOU that wants them, they want you. they're begging to have you so STOP PUTTING them on a pedestal. i have seen a lot of SP fanatics being like i can't live anymore blah blah after their SP blocks them or says something they didn't want to hear. they merely acted on your assumptions and you can easily shift into a reality where they never did or said that, okay?! YOU ARE THE MFING BOSS.

MISTAKE #2:

letting circumstances dictate what goes on in your head. ngl there were several instances i wanted to give up on my college application and future but I DIDNT. it was stressful at times ( because my assumptions were so ). my higher self knew that i could do better and i deserved better so i began to focus only on my sc for a month.

MISTAKE #3:

caring about what people thought. i live in india where majority of students go abroad for their postgrad but i was one of them who was going for her undergrad abroad. i was doing something out of the box, that was alien to the ordinary people around me. i was asked a lotta times about my future and i told it every single time im going abroad and they would suggest me to study in a top indian uni. that created doubts in my head, whether i should be really doing it but i reminded myself every single time that i am meant to be great, i am meant to be extraordinary. After all, I AM GOD AND NOTHING CAN HURT ME.  i hate being told what to do so i ended up making them look second- rated lmao

tip: YOU MAKE YOUR OWN RULES SO PLEASE CREATE RULES THAT MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR YOU, NOT COMPLICATED ( LIKE I DID 😭 )

Finally the success story y'all been waiting for:

i applied to around 12 universities. 2 hard, 5 moderate, 5 safety.

initially i got rejection letters but that turned around after i started affirming that i was admitted to all my colleges/ unis with a full tuition scholarship.

i got accepted into 2 moderate and 3 safety. i got waitlisted in one safety and rejected in the rest. all my safety unis were public so they usually offer $ 9000-11000 to international students as scholarship. The 2 moderate unis i applied to were private so i achieved REALLY HUGE SCHOLARSHIPS from them. i achieved 50% tuition scholarship from one and 90% tuition scholarship from ANOTHER!!!

ever since i was in 8th grade, i've wanted to settle in a big city with a high paying job in a country abroad ( either Canada, USA, or South Korea ). the college i got a 90% scholarship from is just a few hours away from New York City. it's in a rural area and has got a strong knit community ( to help me feel like home ). not only that, they have got excellent facilities for international student. i learnt from my college counsellor about the internship and career development opportunities as well and they are HONESTLY FANTASTIC!!! i have always wanted to start working, earning, and investing since a young age because i love money way too much 💀

i won't work for my money, my money's gon work for me.

remember, you should never be ashamed to have it all. you should not be ashamed to choose a career where u get lots of money. money is a necessity and the world functions because of economies. the base of an economy is MONEY 💸🤑 so affirm for that paper without feeling bad about wanting it.

THAT'S IT FOR THIS POST.

KEEP MANIFESTING ABUNDANCE, PEACE, LOVE, AND HAPPINESS IN YOUR LIFE. YOU DESERVE THE BEST, DONT LET YOUR CURRENT SELF TELL U OTHERWISE BECAUSE YOUR HIGHER SELF KNOWS WHAT'S THE BEST FOR YOU.

TRUST YOURSELF AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

I LOVE Y'ALL 💖💖💖

#law of assumption #law of attraction #manifestation #manifesting #success story #neville goddard #mindset #mental diet #self concept #specific person #college #college acceptance #belief

[quillium]

Mutual pining is great and angsty love is always chill but falling in love so naturally that it seems as though it were always an inevitability is also cool and I think that Bluepulse is a great place to explore this.

Jaime and Bart don’t get together for years but they’re close friends always

There is at least ONE time where one of them bursts in on the other making out with someone and the person who’s been making out is just like “oh hold up man I gotta talk to my friend do you mind” and the person they were with inevitably ends that relationship with “you’re a chill dude and I love being friends but I don’t want to date someone who puts me at second place” it’s very amicable and Jaime and Bart still don’t get a hint

One time the team tries to make Jaime and Bart watch romcoms but all Jaime and Bart seem to get is that friendship is even more important than romance which is true but not the point guys

I really want Bluepulse to be a relationship based solely on love for each other instead of physical attraction so when someone tries to call them out on loving each other they’re like “but I don’t think they’re that good looking and tbh the idea of sex with them is weird”

I’m headcannoning one of them being ace right now but idk who you choose

when dates bail on them (rare but has occurred min once even if just because of traffic or a family tragedy) they just call the other and are like “hey I planned a day out but don’t have another person wanna join me in their place”

note once they respectively reach post-high school decision making age they don’t even think about each other’s location in relation to distance because zeta tubes but they still talk to each other about it because just objectively from a standpoint of which program is the best 

(okay fine MOSTLY objectively because Bart is thinking about the attractions)

Bart: “you want to study abroad? Because I think Paris has good food” Jaime: “you are l i t e r a l l y a speedster you don’t need an excuse to go to Paris” Bart: “yeah but I could visit my best friend AND get macarons it’s a win-win keep UP”

Jaime, watching Bart go over uni applications: “this place has good agriculture programs” Bart: “when I said I wanted to be a farmer I was joking”

Bart volunteers at a medieval fair and this starts a running joke where Bart is a knight that accidentally stabbed himself (actually there’s a villain and story behind that but Jaime only focuses on the fact that Bart is a knight who stabbed himself) and that Jaime is the princess (undercover for a mission maybe?)

More on the inside joke: Bart kneels and dramatically kisses the back of Jaime’s hand (note they’re like early twenties at this point Bart is in University)

this becomes an inside joke as well where Bart just kisses the back of Jaime’s hand and they both burst into laughter

the kicker is that this feels like a natural progression of their relationship so neither of them really acknowledge this as anything. That’s just a thing that friends do (and it is I’ve had friends that kissed me on the cheek)

I don’t think they ever start dating actually

I think somewhere just before turning thirty Bart turns to Jaime and is like “bro wanna get married?”

and Jaime’s just like “yeah why not”

so they get married

They’re that old couple who’s like “of course I married him he’s my best friend it was a natural progression of events”

“How long did you date?” *Bart and Jaime exchange panicked looks* “Umm about that”

I didn’t even plan on them marrying without dating but now you can rip this headcanon out of my cold dead hands

Yeah that’s all I’ve got but feel free to add on or branch out.

#bluepulse #young justice #headcanons #jaime reyes #bart allen #the thing is that I have no idea how to write romance #so you feel free to call me out on that #cause idk what I'm doing and I'll admit taht #i was talking to my friend about this and she was like 'makes sense you'd do this' #and when I was like what she was like 'well you like doing found family' #and marriage is found family really #and I like that a lot #anyways I'm still sludging through 'The Fountainhead' #and lemme tell you #I am ready to throw hands with Ayn Rand I hate her philosphy #like I respect it #but I hate it #she's brilliant and I never want to read her writing ever #'Quill that isn't related to your headcanons' I know I know ignore me

[doodledialogue]

Interview series - What after B.Arch? #16

Interviewee: Ar. Valentin Gheorghian Post-graduation: Masters in Architecture | Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași, Romania

What prompted you to take up Architecture?  I wanted to become an Architect ever since we had a school assignment in 4th grade at a subject called “technology” when we had to draw our “ideal house” for us and our family. I loved that assignment so much, took a long time to do it properly, and with excellent results – that then and there I decided this is what I would like to do for a living and started to buy architecture magazines/ magazines with houses.

Tell us about studying Master of Architecture at TUIASI. In Romania architecture studies comprise of 6 years and result in gaining both degrees: Bachelor’s and Master’s. One cannot do just the first one – the first one is meaningless. You are not considered a graduate before you finish year 6, pass all your exams and pass the Graduation/ Degree project (final project, 6 month long).

After graduating Year 4, you continue with Year 5 – which is – in theory – already “Master” level – but nothing changes – it’s a continuous 6 year study cycle, no interruptions, same school, same teachers, same colleagues – only different subjects (more advanced), more projects and more complex projects.

Tell us about the application process. There is no “application process” in the way it’s understood in the UK – one has to pass a gruelling admission exam at one of only 6 universities in the country that have Architecture departments. For that 5-6 hour exam, students train – via private tutoring – for at least a year – because the examination requires excellent hand drafting skills, technical drafting skills and advance descriptive geometry – none of which is being taught in high-schools; in that lies the need to take on private tutoring. 

One should start with the application process for 2 years in advance.

What preparation did you do before starting the program? There were 10 days of intensive drawing courses – both technical and hand drafting – organised by the university just before the admission’s exam. These were good and useful for someone who already knew what they were doing – but pointless for someone who didn’t have a clue. Students take a minimum of 1 year of difficult private tutoring (with a lot of homework) to get to the drawing (both technical and freehand) skill level required to pass the admission examination.

In terms of pre-reading for the program– I’ve always enjoyed reading about architecture and buildings – but especially about historical buildings/ cities and the history of architecture.

Did you speak to any alumni/professors of the program? I hadn’t met any architecture students or young architects before joining the program – and it would have been extremely useful to gain some insights and tips & tricks and the subtleties of the university. Had only met old architects/ teachers – the ones with whom I did private tutoring to prepare for my admission exam.

Did you have to give any entrance tests? How did you plan for them? The 6 years integrated study program has a 5/6h entry examination testing freehand drawing, technical drawing and mathematical/ geometry skills. One trains in private for at least 1 year for these.

How long was your program? 6 years – October 1st 2007 – October 2013. There is no flexibility regarding fall/spring semesters.

Did you have post-study plans in mind when you took it up?  Just went with the flow. Now, however, I am planning to do a PhD in a related field and go into teaching at an Architecture University - because I am astonished about the low wages in the Architecture field - as opposed to other skilled careers - and I would do this as a way to supplement my income. I love teaching as well and I think it would be an excellent for for me - but the main reason is the financial one.

Did you have to apply for a visa? Non-applicable – neither in my home country of Romania (where the bulk of the program took place) – nor during the time spent abroad – which was all spent inside the EU – thus not requiring visa.

How was the experience at the school? Very difficult yet very rewarding at the same time. Longer hours, more courses, more seminars, more projects and more time spent on projects – than any other university that I know of. Less time for socializing and leisure activities than any other students. Longer academic year: from the 1st of October – start of the academic year – until mid-July (end of “practical training” week/ weeks)

How was the teaching and learning environment at your school? Every class (year of study) had their own classroom - 6 years of study – 6 classrooms. There were roughly 50 people per year of study/ class – but never would everyone show up (except perhaps some exams) – so everyone could fit in. Apart from these 6 classrooms – there were 2 multi-function rooms/ projection rooms, amphitheatre type (although not sloped) for projections and special presentations, and an IT lab with computers. That’s it – those were all the available spaces (small school, intimate, student-oriented). 

Classical style of teaching – you go in class – just like during high-school – and the teacher teaches for 2h their subject – with either a 10min break between classes, or a small 5min cigarette break mid-way. Most difficult or practical subjects also had “seminars” same duration, same location – during which we would do exercises and problem solving

The frequency of the classes depended on the year of study. The busiest teaching schedule was in year 1 – and decreased progressively towards year 6 – when there are no taught classes at all (only non-supervised individual work on the final project, “degree project” and on the Dissertation – at the same time). Year 1: 6-8hours of classes per day, every day. Year 5: about 3-4hours per day. Year 6: 0. The decrease in number of taught hours was compensated by an increase in number of projects (like “homework”): in year 1 students only had to work on projects in the main school subject, “architectural design” (counting for half of all study credits). This grew up to year 5 – when there were projects to be worked on at home for at least 10 school subjects, such as: urban planning, interior design, special structures, construction materials, and so on.

There was no time for other things – not even a shade of social life. Architecture life occupies ALL your time, at least during uni.

Tell us more about the mentors. One would meet mentors/ teachers/ assistants whenever one could find them around the school or in their office – in years 1-5. There was no formality in the method used to meet with them, no “appointments”, nothing like that. In year 6 – final year – it would be even easier – one would have personal contacts for one’s degree/ final project mentor, as well as a few others with whom one would have a close collaboration for their final project – such as a structural engineer/ structures professor. These meetings would either take place somewhere in the university – or at that teacher’s private practice – most if not all of them also had their private practices and would be project architects on their own. Despite this ease in meeting and approaching – there was and is a much higher degree of formality in addressing/ interacting with teachers – as compared to the

UK or the west. One would NEVER address a teacher/ tutor/ assistant by their first name, for example; that would be a sign of huge disrespect. 

Did your institute have any support system for international students? Any incoming international students would come through the Erasmus program, and would stay for half a year, usually in years 3 or 4. There were very few of these – maybe 2-3 per academic year – due to the fact that Romanian architecture and architecture education is completely unknown internationally.

As a general rule – these internationals would live like princes – would enjoy a much easier life than locals/ regulars. The teachers were way more lenient towards them – on one hand – so they would get high marks regardless of their academic performance, and on the other hand – they always had money. Erasmus scholarships barely cover half of one’s living costs in a country such as France (where I had studied as an Erasmus student) – but are way more than needed in a cheap country such as Romania – so sweet life!

Were you involved in research projects while studying? I was involved in all research projects, volunteering activities, publications, work camps and anything related to the subject, both internally and abroad – as visible from my CV. Those abroad were taking place in either English or French. I’ve never seen/met any students from the UK taking part in any of these – thus gaining the impression that UK students are very inward-looking – as opposed to EU students who are very open-minded and open and international and love foreign exchange programs and so on. 

Tell us about your time abroad? My 6 month Erasmus program was spent in ENSAP [École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture et de Paysage] Lille, France - and I lived on campus through the duration of the exchange.

It was a brutally difficult program - not because of the academic level, which wasn’t any higher than back in Romania - but because of the density of classes, amount of project work outside of hours spent in uni, and the (lack of) dedication of my teammates (all projects were done in teams). I regret not having more fun and a social life during my Eramsus - such as most of my friends had - those who went to different countries and destinations - but there was nothing I could do about it.

Could you tell us in brief what your thesis/dissertation/final project was about? My thesis/ dissertation was about gentrification and urban regeneration – with case studies of several post-industrial global cities: Paris, Brussels, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Detroit; contemporary urban challenges – in very different political/ social/ economical contexts. Differences, similarities, solutions. My final project was an Immigrants Integration Centre in central Paris – combining urban regeneration of a brownfield (urban planning part) with architectural design of 9 individual buildings – a small “city within a city” 

The dialogue with my supervisor went smooth and on friendly terms – one chooses their supervisor based on one’s previous grades – and as I finished years 1-5 3rd in my generation (3rd highest score) I could obviously choose whichever tutor I wanted – and chose the one that I had the best relationship with.

What were the frequency, duration and structure of the meetings with supervisor? 

All of this was flexible and down to our own (me and the tutor’s) preferences, schedules and available times. Usually we would meet either in my tutor’s practice or at university, for a couple of hours, every 2 weeks or so, and go through the work. Sometimes I would send the latest over email the day before – just to give them the chance to take a look and make some notes – but this wasn’t always possible.

What challenges did you encounter?

The scale of my project and complexity and limited time. I practically managed to finish a volume of work 5 times greater than most of my peers. Practically in 6 months’ time, I did my urban planning dissertation project (a 65-page theoretical analysis, on the subject mentioned above), the urban design of my site, and the full architectural design of 9 large buildings, plus the presentations and graphics of all the aforementioned.

How did you manage the finances? There is NO tuition fee – Education is completely free in Romania – for all levels all the way up to PhD. One only needs to cover for living expenses. My parents covered my living expenses – which – in Iasi, Romania – amounted to less than 200GBP/ month. For example: monthly rent in student dorm: about 50 GBP- all expenses included (heating, electricity, broadband, and so on); local transport card – unlimited travel – 1 month – about 5GBP (yes, five, I am not missing a zero or two J). Some people worked part time/ full time to cover for some/ all of their living expenses. Given the fact that school work required at least 70 hours per week (total - both “home” and “in class”) meant that those who worked were not very good students, and usually missed/ skipped class.

Did you volunteer/work part-time job/intern while studying?

I did only a short stint just before year 6 in a small architectural practice in a small city. It is compulsory to work for 3 months in a supervised way in a practice – and submit reports of what exactly you have been doing there – to be accepted to begin your final/ graduation project and dissertation. I got the job through an older friend’s recommendation – she had already been working there.

How did you choose your accommodation? 

I chose a student residence on the university campus. In year 1 nobody is allowed to choose – one is simply allocated a place in a student residence in the campus – if one doesn’t wish to live elsewhere (rent out) – but after graduating year 1 – places are given based on the student’s past performance and grades – and one is allowed to choose. Based on my marks – I always finished among the top 5 people from my class – I always chose what I wanted….though there wasn’t much difference between residences. The ”commute” was a 20min walk – from campus to the Architecture School (all classes and exams took place in the same building – the architecture school building – up to year 5; in years 5 and 6 one might have to do some assignments in a few other buildings – all actually closer than the architecture building)

I considered several factors such as campus student life, proximity and contact with colleagues, proximity to the university, proximity to the shopping mall (there was 1 shopping mall in the city – right there next to campus), social contacts, costs – much lower than renting out while choosing my accommodation. 

Did you travel while studying? I had never visited another country before university. By the end of university, I had travelled to over 20 European countries, mostly for studying their culture, architecture and history. Did a 6 month long Erasmus exchange program in France (at ENSAP Lille), an international volunteer restoration work camp in St. Tropez (France) as well as summer universities and specialization courses every summer during my studies – such as at the Bauhaus Architecture school in Dessau, Germany.

How do you think the Master’s degree helped you? By allowing me to be a registered Architect in the UK, EU and RO. Without it I could have only worked as a “draftsperson”

Did the city you studied in play a major role during your study? Yes it did – Iași is a great city to study in – perfect size for a university city (a third of the city is student-population), cheap, interesting, cultural, laid-back: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ia%C8%99i

Could you tell us about your current work and future plans? I’m working as an Architect and BIM specialist in central London. Depending on the economic prospects in Britain after Brexit – I might move back to France. It was a gamble moving here – having to choose between Paris and London – between the Euro and the Pound Stirling – and the balance tipped in favour of the UK because the GBP was a more valuable currency at the time. Right after the Brexit vote, the Pound dropped by 20% in value – on international markets. What can I say? Very bad timing…my reasons for being here (and not elsewhere) keep disappearing.

Looking back was there anything you would have done differently? I really wish I had worked less and had more fun. I could have had a similar result by working smarter but less – and having more fun. I’d always been afraid to not be a workaholic and go above and beyond. Too bad.

What message would you like to give those planning their post-graduate studies? Think about actual job prospects and the career you want to pursue – and study the market; plan accordingly. Work smart, don’t work more! Have fun – in a smart way – these years are never coming back! Social interaction will never be as easy and with so many opportunities ever again – take full advantage of this! It’s all downhill after graduation – in terms of social life ☺ Seriously, no kidding…

Presenting our team's project at EBEC [European Best Engineering Competition] Romania & Republic of Moldova - National Stage

Presenting our team's project - and winning first place - at SUC 12 [Summer University Carinthia] - Villach, Austria

Architect's chat at Bauhaus Summer University, Dessau, Germany

Presenting a school project in front of the Dean of Harvard Universty - Graduate School of Architecture and Design

Specialization course in Kosice, Slovakia - international team

Year 1 - working in the studio - hand drafting

Year 1 or 2: working in the university student dorm

With colleagues from uni

Exploring Luxembourg's contemporary architecture - European Quarter

Study trip in Venice for the Architecture Biennale

#Architecture #architecture students #romania #masters in architecture #iași #whatafterbarch #architect #Architects

[paw-sitivi-tea]

Student exchange: A preparation guide

Part 1 - Travel documents and booking tickets

Part 0 - Introduction/Overview of topics Part 1 - Travel documents, booking tickets (Feb 2, 2019) Part 2 - Accommodation: On- and Off-campus (scheduled for Feb 3, 2019) Part 3 - Finance and healthcare abroad (scheduled for Feb 6, 2019, due to Chinese NY;-D) More parts planned, topics see Introduction.

follow or search for #yuistudiesabroad for past and future posts.

----------

This series of posts focuses on preparing for an exchange semester/year abroad, meaning that you have already picked or been accepted for a program and are worrying about WHAT TO DO NOW SEND HELP. My reason for posting a guide? Not only will it serve as my own reminder, but also as help for future exchange students. Write me anytime for questions, either per ask so all can see or per message, but I also reply to comments with my main account. I can give more specific answers to those going to China since my host uni is there. Important: I will NOT talk about how to choose an exchange program here, BUT there will be a post on that soon!

Now, let’s start...reading. (Or unravelling this mess in my head.) 

Travel documents: passport and visa

You will most likely require a study visa, other types are usually not accepted. There may be different types of such visas, your host university should send you further information, or check your host country’s consulate website. Here are examples of documents you will need:

Passport (must be valid for your stay!) + copy

Passport photos (take more than 4, you will need this later)

Admission notice (You need this back)

Financial statement (depends on uni/country)

application form (or even an appointment)

also, check:

Visa types (see above)

Time needed to get it

Cost 

Number of entries (!) if you want to travel abroad during your stay

Recommended sources: host country’s consulate website, exchange guide of host uni, former exchange students

Registration at your destination (note: after arrival)

Many countries require you to register at the Foreign office/Migration centre/police station upon arrival. Sometimes, your university/dorm or the hotel you stay at will do it for you, but always check! You will get fined or lose your visa if you don't do it in time. 

It might be possible that you get a visa with a very short duration that needs to be turned into a residency permit at the office.

Do not be afraid to ask the consulate or other relevant authorities of your host country, they don't bite. Better safe than sorry!

Recommended sources: host country’s consulate/migration office website, exchange guide of host uni, former exchange students, a contact person at host uni

Booking tickets

This is fairly straightforward: You know where you have to go, but when?

book your tickets after you get your visa if possible because changing flight dates are not always cheap. 

However, if applying for the visa requires a ticket reservation, give yourself a little cushion: A week/10 days before the semester starts and a week/10 days after it ends (or more if you have time and money). This should leave enough room for exploring, odd exam dates, time to get documents, etc. It is also a reasonable time to stay at hotels if your accommodation is not ready by that time. 

Avoid arriving too early! I know it is tempting to travel and look around before the semester starts, but remember that your visa goes into effect as soon as you arrive. Make sure your visa covers your stay and if you travel around - your entire stay. Often, visas cannot be extended, unlike residency permits. Overstaying will result in (heavy) fines or even a travel ban. Take this seriously.

Avoid booking peak times if possible. For example, my travel agency told me that Chinese tourists tend to fly back to China before and after the Chinese New year, driving up the ticket prices. These country-specific trends are often overlooked since your home culture operates on a different schedule. 

Whether you book online by yourself or go to a travel agency: always compare the prices. 

Always ask about what is included in the price (food, seat, luggage)

Call agencies and check their offer, and say you need time to consider. The pro here is that their prices are fixed, while online bookings are influenced by algorithms. 

But booking websites (if not airline-specific) offer more options. Check if you have to pay extra for seats etc. Please only use reliable sources...seriously.

Sometimes, flying from different cities is cheaper. An example: Vienna - Shanghai plus Beijing - Vienna is cheaper than Vienna -  Shanghai and back because of ...various reasons. Maybe it’s the timeslot, the average cost of landing in Shanghai, maintenance fees, etc. But there was a significant difference (IMO, 670 vs 620 was significant). So this should be taken into account if you want to travel around a bit after uni ends and pass other cities from which you can fly home.

Midnight flights (can be cheaper) are not that terrible, just arrive early and wait a bit longer. (That is an option if you are a night owl.) 

If you have a transfer between, ask if you have to get your luggage and check them in again to prevent a nasty surprise.

Something I noticed is that you rarely get good discounts if you are booking a trip that spans a long period of time, so be prepared.

Stay realistic with price and service. If you book something extremely cheap, be prepared for one hell of a ride. 

Ask for advice and use all the resources you can get. Parents, former exchange students, etc. 

Recommended sources: Travel agency, websites such as Momondo, booking, Expedia (Use at own risk, these are some of the best and worst depending on your preferences.) *I will always recommend harassing asking former students, they are a good source for information. Buy them a coffee afterwards or something.

----------

Thanks for reading flower buds and sugar cubes! I hope I covered everything...tell me if I missed something! There will be more so stay tuned or just follow the tag #yuistudiesabroad

#yuistudiesabroad #studying abroad #my stuff #studyblr #exchange semester #exchange program #heypat #athenastudying #noodledesk #big birb look here #travel

[thattaekwondoblog]

My Martial Arts Story (TKD)

2020.04.26

today i miss my dojang extra... i woke up from a dream where i was supposed to spar but didnt have my dobok?? and one of my instructors handed me a.. dobok skirt?? and i was like? and he was like yeah u right this isnt gonna work sdbsmdfjsdd i dont really ever have tkd dreams (i think bc i usually am always doing tkd) but since i stopped for a bit the dreams are coming out. it made me miss sparring so much :( so below i wanted to talk about my tkd story in more detail. Enjoy!

i've actually always been a martial arts nerd, but moved around/focused on studying too much to commit to one until recently. I was talking to my mom the other day and neither of us can really remember what got me into it. I just remember wanting to be able to defend myself and be/feel strong from a very young age, and i knew martial arts was a way to do that. As a girl I also received a lot of messages that my gender was ‘weak’ and needed ‘protection’, which i really didnt like (it made me hate being a girl for some time). This is why i wanted to try martial arts. I discovered taekwondo when I was around 10 years old at a small dojang in my hometown. I loved the school & the master, who I remember always had a bamboo stick he would play around with when the kids started being rowdy (he never hit anyone, it was just his way to say ‘dont fck with me’ haha). but had to stop going after yellow belt because i was the oldest out of all the kids and i tried to go to adult classes for a while but i remember not liking it because it was ‘too slow’ for me and my mom couldnt drive me to late night classes. I was swimming a lot at the time too (fun fact i almost competed in synchronized swimming as a kid but had to stop due to illness (am totally fine now and it wasnt bad dont worry)). 

I didn’t do any martial arts in middle school, and only had brief encounters when i started high school. I dabbled in kick boxing (which i still love) through an intense week long training while i was on holiday with family, and then did a bit of karate, for which sadly i had not such a great experience with the instructor which made me distance myself from the sport. The instructor brought up a heavy personal life event during class and i broke down (what did she expect i was like 15 and that event was really hard). When my mom picked me up, she shook her head to her and said ‘girls...’ in a very demeaning way, as if me crying because she re-awoke trauma was a result of ‘feminine weakness.’ i have not forgiven that person for that comment yet. she shouldn’t be a teacher if she treats students like that in my opinion. High school was very competitive and intense so i focused on studying and didnt really do sports then.

In college I really want to do more martial arts, but the lack of proper clubs or instructors made it difficult. I then went to study abroad in seoul and thought to myself if i dont try tkd again in the literal birthplace of the sport what am i doing with my life. i had good experiences with classes at uni; the two masters i had had very different personalities (one was very outspoken and funny while the other.. you could FEEL the power of tkd when he touched your arm slightly to place it correctly sdhfskdj he was very nice though). I had to stop because i was focusing on my academic projects though. 

i then graduated and moved to the city, where finally there were plenty of martial arts opportunities! the first thing i did after moving to the city, even before moving into my apartment, was to visit my current dojang. i audited a class and in my head was like ’oh my god i MUST join them right now give me a dobok let’s GO’. I signed up for classes that day. The dojang master (my dad. my father, the love of my life (in the most platonic way)) was a seoulite (we bonded over that) and realized I hadn’t started my job yet so he gave me a discount, which i felt incredibly surprised by and grateful for. I started lessons the next day. at my dojang beginners usually get 3 private classes at the beginning to get the basics down before joining the group. after my first, the instructor said that i was probably ready to go with the group if i felt comfortable doing so bc i already had basics. i went every day until i moved into my apartment, when i had a mental and physical breakdown and got really sick for a week (like.. i dont remember feeling this weak and sick my entire life). 

But thankfully i got better and pushed myself to go to dojang again. and it was hard. it was the summer and i hadnt used my body really in years, if ever at that level of practice. three times a week as Difficult for me, physically. i remember being frustrated that my ego wasnt satisfied haha (i thought i remembered a lot more than i did). but i loved the instructors a ton and practice was a great safe space/stress relief for the other sht that was going on my my life. I do remember that i was ready to graduate from white belt and start feeling better about my moves by the end of that summer (i was pretty frustrated that i couldnt do higher level moves, though mostly at myself). 

i finally got yellow stripe and tkd things went uphill from then. i got to know ppl at my dojang better, started to go to practice more progressively. I got my yellow belt and decided then that i wanted tkd to always be in my life as much as possible. I started going to practice every day or almost every day. my tkd friendships were developing, there were small disagreements too but overall i fell more and more in love with my instructors, the dojang master (again, my dad) and the sport. we laughed so much, sweat so much, lived well.

after green stripe, my self consciousness during practice spiked a bit more than usual. this is probs bc my life outside of tkd was stressful and i was looking at my friend fellow tkd members who were higher level more. i wasnt jealous of them, far from it, i just felt small compared to what they were able to achieve and felt bad that the instructor had to stop to explain the technique to me Again. in case it wasn’t clear, i am no prodigy; i learn slowly and with long consistent practice. the two disagreements i had with my closest member friends (two separate very different reasons; we kept things civil on both sides but having to deal with that was a new experience for me so i wasnt great at it haha) didnt help my anxiety shut up during practice. i still kept at it. in january my school has an attendance challenge where you win prizes if you go every day or more than 20 days out of the month. I almost made it, but got really physically tired & kinda sick 3 days before then end of jan and had to miss one session. i was also mentally drained by life stuff so i decided to prioritize grad school applications and did less tkd in february. but that experience of going every damn day was so fun; i realized I needed to do this so much more. if there was a tkd seminar where they send you off somewhere to to tkd for like 3 months i would be down. that is when i realized my love for the sport, and the significant changes in my body that had been occurring over the past months really revealed themselves. i hear you thinking there’s no way i could fall more in love with my instructors but guess what... spending every day with them really made the love Explode dudes. In jan and fed i also really started loving sparring, even though im not great at it. 

and then... march came. i got lucky to have been able to celebrate my birthday a few days before they decided to close my state down. at first i was still able to go to my dojang with smaller classes and different format of classes that respected health guidelines, but eventually everything was moved online. during that week of limited classes, i got to hang out with friend members and instructors for what would be, unbeknownst to me, one of the last times. one night after (6 feet no contact) starring, me, 2 friend members who also went very frequently and an instructor had a beer on the mats just talking and chilling. we said that we would do it again the week after. and then the state decided to shut down small businesses. i was helping the dojang transfer their classes to an online format with another student for a week (we two were the members with the highest attendance in the recent times), but then the instructors decided they should not let students come in anymore. 

i was angry, i was sad, i was devastated. it was the sound solution to take and all these closings are essential and needed for public health safety, but emotionally i was not ready to let go of the dojang. i was angry at the circumstances for taking away the one thing that i truly loved and kept me going all those months of less than ideal job situation and lost of existential questions. the dojang had been my challenge, my rock, my family. i was especially angry because i had to mourn the loss of it a lot earlier than i wanted; i was already supposed to leave in june of this year. the closer june came the more teary eyed i got when i thought of leaving the dojang, but after the news i had to stop going now... i broke down. i cried so hard and loudly, alone in my room. i realize now it was the first time in my life that i cried because of love. pure, unaltered love. i thought to myself ‘how lucky is it that i felt this amount of love for something and some people’. ive moved a lot in my life but rarely felt sad when leaving a place; i often had made my goodbyes and knew it was just time to go. there were few or no things keeping me back, or i knew i would find those things somewhere else. it was also the first time i had let myself fall in love with something and people only for me. i love studying and learning for example, but when i started doing it it was mostly to make my mom and family happy, not for me. i didn’t feel like i had had a passion that i completely gave in into, a truly ‘me’ thing no one asked me or expected me to do but i just did not to have a better resume or be perceived better by society. until tkd.

now, i am still following online classes but mostly have my own training routine because it’s still hard to deal with the emotional stuff; i dont really do to live classes cause it hurts. it probably sounds strange but ive already done the emotional work of distancing myself to make the leaving less difficult. i also didnt really like the the idea of practicing in my room in front of the camera. seeing the other students on zoom would also make me feel v sad. im slowly getting out of that state of mind though and might start taking online classes again in a bit when i can’t do my regular training routine. im not sure when things will go back to normal but before i leave i will definitely send them gifts and goodbye messages, probably by mail. but yeah as of now i mostly follow my dojang’s videos, do my practice routine, and scroll through tkd tricking videos on instagram to keep motivated.

it’s kind of a sad note to end on but my tkd story does not end here. wherever im headed next I will find another dojang where i will continue to practice. i can only hope it is half as good as the family i found here. and of course now I have this blog! and will continue nerding out about kicking endlessly hahaha.

thanks for reading if you made it this far! you can ask me questions if you’d like! also tell me your tkd story!! its so cool to hear how life lead people to kicking.

#tkd #taekwondo #life story #story #martial arts #kicking #sports #tkd story #me #mind #origin story #lol #taekwondo story #martial arts story #budoblr

[bregjetokorea]

4. Final Preparations

Visa Application

January 13th, 2020

Bo-Jenna and I went to the Korean embassy in The Hague today, to apply for the D2-6 visa; a super tiring experience but that’s mostly due to NS and our stupid selves. I wonder if we can actually manage to survive in Seoul, we are such a great duo. Anyways, we left really early in the morning (still dark outside) and we eventually arrived at the embassy at 14:30!!! It was suuuuper busy. Mainly fellow students who were there for the same purpose. We had to wait really long. The consulate building was a tiny shoebox, Korean news was playing on the telly and a big picture of President Moon Jae-In was being displayed on the wall. The waiting wasn’t bad at all as we met a couple of girls traveling to Seoul as well. All of them are going to different universities. Hanyang, Sunkyunkwan, Dankook, Konkuk. No surprise, because our home uni is the only Dutch school that Myongji partners with.

Bo-Jenna and I both were stressed out the entire way to the consulate because we “might have forgotten to bring something”. Everything was fine, though. Imagine what it’s gonna be like when we’re actually packing our suitcases.

Anyways, some practical info; documents we needed to bring were:

The acceptance packet issued by Myongji;

Filled-in visa application form + passport picture;

Passport + copy;

Home university enrollment (< 3 months issuance);

Proof of financial stability (enough to cover personal funds on the certificate of admission).

They told us to come back January 21st (in 8 days).

Flight = booked

January 18th, 2020

Bo-Jenna and I booked our flights today. Actually, I think we should have done this earlier, and I would definitely advise you to buy your tickets much earlier than we did. But honestly, we were recommended to buy our tickets after the university acceptance and visa application. We don’t have our visa yet, but tickets were getting more and more expensive really fast (especially if you keep track of it via skyscanner alerts) and seats are running out (only 3 left on our flight waaaa). If we booked flexible tickets much earlier we would probably have saved a lot of money. Anyways, we did buy return tickets with limited flexibility to save money, especially because we are going home in the summer season so one-way tickets would SO expensive. We added 1.5 weeks of leisure time (lol) after our classes are over to leave some room for traveling if we won’t be able to do so during the semester. We are arriving on February 26th with one transfer in Helsinki. There is no way back anymore now.

Sum minor preps

January 20th, 2020

I got back my signed learning agreement from Myongji today, but courses are still subject to change, so I won’t share my courses yet until they are definitive. I also applied for a grant for public transportation as I won’t be using my public transportation card in the Netherlands. And I’m assuming I probably will be using my T-Money card (티머니카드) extensively so the extra money is very much welcomed. Yes. Planning on getting a card with a cute Kakao character design. Or maybe print a custom one at Hongdae station. I’m so excited for that lmao. Next to that, my dad and I contacted our assurance brokerage asking for a tender for the new insurances I need (travel, third party liability etc.).

Visa pick-up

January 24th, 2020

Today Bo-Jenna and I went to Scheveningen again to pick up our visa. This time everything went pretty effortlessly and we were only inside for like 5 minutes. On our way to the Hague, Bo-Jenna gave me a cute ass gift: a bullet journal to document our Korea journey, with a cute ass note on the first page!! She got herself one as well, so cute. It’s funny too because in my first post on here I wrote that I will just keep this blog without having something physical to document in, but now that she got me a notebook I am suddenly motivated to write in it and especially to document together!! I feel like it’s less of a ‘must’ thing to do now that I am keeping this blog, and I think I am going to use to journal she gave me more as a personal thoughts / scrapbooky thingy. We’ll see. I’m going to put it to good use.

After we were done at the embassy, Bo-Jenna and I went to Scheveningen beach and had a drink. Right after, my sister joined us and we went for Korean Barbecue in the city. It was a first time for me. And it was good. Only it wasn’t that good when I came home, because I :) threw :) up :) a :) lot :). A LOT. Sorry if it’s a bit TMI but honestly I’m glad I found this out while still at home. I’m pretty sure it was the seafood. I now know what type of foods to avoid in Seoul.

Finances and epidemics

January 25th, 2020

Today I got some practical things done. First, I ordered an insurance packet which includes insurance for a longer stay abroad: travel, emergencies, health care, liability etc. Then, and I found this out by chance, I ordered a new debit card because mine expires in June. Normally in the Netherlands, you get a new card sent to your home, but I will be away when it expires so I’m glad I found out about this now. Then, I ordered a credit card. Which a friend of mine told me is necessary to have. To at least have a MasterCard available in case I won’t be able to pay with my regular card. And it’s good to have sorted this out early on as well because it’s hard to get one if you’re a student with limited incomes.

And the last, but really important and somewhat scary thing: the new coronavirus stemming from Wuhan, China. It’s some scary shit because it’s a new strain corona that has not been previously identified in humans and it’s spreading SO fast according to the WHO. I’m not sure to what extent I should worry about it. I’m trying to do some readings about it and see if there’s any measures I should take in terms of safety. I do know that many of the incoming exchange students are actually from China, so I am wondering how this might affect our program.

Corona virus: a pain in the ass?

January 29th, 2020

Just now, we received an alarming email regarding the recent outbreak of the new coronavirus. Myongji officials are monitoring it closely as the health and safety of their students (obviously) is their first priority. They told us to book flights which do not include transit in and out of mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. So, about this, we don’t have to worry (but unfortunately, many others in the exchange program do).

BUT. What is stressing me out is, they also told us that, as more is being learned about the virus every day, we MAY be faced with a situation where they have to cancel the entire study abroad program for us. Of course, I do understand this as it is a global epidemic to which they should respond seriously, but it doesn’t alter the fact that this is the most stressful situation for me as we are supposed to leave in less than a month. We have done so much preparations... pls.... And the thing is, there are hardly any options for us left if we won’t be able to go anymore. I can’t transfer to a different foreign university anymore because most programs have started or will start soon. Also, by the time we hear from Myongji the programs in the Netherlands have started as well. I’ll really have to check with my university and insurance company as soon as possible.

Kpop took me

January 30th, 2020

No it’s not that dramatic (yet). What happened is, my credit card came in today and I got so excited I entered the raffle for BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR in Seoul. I had to buy a frickkking army memership kit for it so I better got those tixxx. I also heard today BTS is coming to Rotterdam in July right after we come back, so that’s my backup plan. But going in Seoul is so much more fun and a unique experience. The only bummer is that you can only enter the raffle for just yourself and yourself only, so if Bo-Jenna wants to go we won’t be going together, as we can’t choose seats and not even the date. If anyone’s interested, my raffle choices are:

April 11th (Sat.) P seat 18:30 (KST)

April 18th (Sat.) P seat 18:30 (KST)

April 11th (Sat.) R seat 18:30 (KST)

Watch me winning tickets but not being able to go because of corona.

Preparing for a Plan B

January 31th, 2020

I checked with my insurance brokerage about a possible cancellation insurance and they will get back to me asap. What I found out is that the travel insurance I got covers cancellation when travel advise changes, so I’m not sure if that includes when it’s just my university that decides whether it is not safe to travel. So annoying. Furthermore, I was on the phone with at least 3 people from my university department about a plan B. Bo-Jenna has been busy with it as well, so my home uni already knew about the problem we’re facing. Anyways, apparently, my Year 3 coordinator told me she can enrol me in an ‘acceleration program’ as an alternative minor. I’m not entirely sure what it entails, but what I do know is that this is a minor in the Netherlands that would still allow me to travel abroad for a couple of weeks, so I would still be able to get that ‘abroad experience’, just not the one I want. But honestly, I don’t want to think about this option at all. I just want to go to Korea :( But my hopes haven’t faded. Myongji asked us to send them our flight information, so that means they are still really concerned with all the planning.

Radio Silence

February 3rd, 2020

I’m getting so nervous honestly. I have been talking with so many people going to do exchange programs at different unis in Seoul and, from what I heard; Yonsei is cancelling orientation and field trips, SNU is cancelling orientation, Sogang even pushes back their academic schedules. Korean gov apparently advises schools to not organize any large group events. No university has made a final decision on whether to cancel the entire program yet, but at least they are quite transparent about it. Myongji isn’t. It’s freaking me out. We are supposed to leave in 3 weeks!!

Certificate of Admission

February 4th, 2020

I received an email that our certificates of admission had finally arrived at our faculty’s office and that we could come and pick them up. So I decided to go to my home university really early in the morning. I honestly took so long for them to arrive, I don’t really understand why because Myongji said they would ship them using the fastest shipping method possible. The documents really were the same as the copies they send us, plus they included some practical information on dates and regulations. At school I met with my international officer and she told me that Myongji isn’t sending her emails and information regarding this situation at all. She asked me to keep her updated. It’s super weird.

Self-Quarantine

February 6th, 2020

Brace yourselves for a lot of shitty news. First of all, I wasn’t selected as a winner for the BTS concert raffle. So sad. Then the more shitty news; we got informed that Myongji will continue the exchange program. However, for everyone’s safety, they want us to sign an agreement with a coronavirus prevention guideline, and if we don't agree, they are not able to accept our admission. The agreement basically says we have to SELF-QUARANTINE for a period of 14 days. Those who applied for on-campus dorms must be able to prove that, at the time of our move-in, a minimum of 14 days has elapsed since our arrival in Korea. Also, only those who can prove that the minimum 14 days have elapsed since their arrival in Korea can take classes. We have to visit a local district office to be issued an official travel history document to prove such.

So, what this means for us is that we must isolate ourselves for 14 days since the date of our arrival in Korea, and minimize going out of our alternative place of residence (that we still have to find). 

So what we did is, Bo-Jenna and I immediately contacted our home university. I have been busy with it all day. At last, I spoke to my Year 3 coordinator on the phone and she is trying to get Myongji to be a little more lenient towards us non-risk students. There are literally zero cases in the Netherlands so far.

At the doctor’s AGAIN

February 10th, 2020

Yes. Again. But this time to get a health statement. My Year 3 coordinator asked me to get one so that they can send it as proof to Myongji to show to we show no signs over fever or coughing or whatever the symptoms of the novel corona virus may be. Even my doc thinks it’s all a bit dramatic, but we gotta do what we gotta do. He also told me he ordered face masks because the are running out EVERYWHERE, so I can go pick them up right before I leave.

Also, today I created a group chat with Bo-Jenna and the two other girls from the Netherlands who also need to look for a place to stay during those 14 days. We decide to get an Airbnb together to cut down the costs. Because my home university told me that they are not being able to give us any financial support.

Different starting date

February 12th, 2020

So I just saw, totally by chance, that Myongji is pushing back their starting date by two weeks. I already assumed this would be happening as literally all the universities in Seoul do this. But it’s so weird, because I find out while casually browsing instagram and saw a post about it only written in Korean. There are no statements in English about it and we didn’t hear anything (yet) from the international officer at Myongji. I’m guessing they will inform us, but it’s so weeeeird. I’m honestly fine with it as it means that we won’t be missing classes during our quarantine period, but I’m REALLY hoping they aren’t pushing back the ending date as well. That either means we won’t have any time left to explore the city right before we leave or we even might have to change our flights. Please pray with me.

Quarantine in Hongdae

February 14th, 2020

Today we booked our Airbnb. We found some decent place in the middle of Hongdae, super close to Hongik Univ station. Myongji recommended us to stay in either Hongdae or Sinchon, which I think is a bit weird because these areas are the most crowded areas of Seoul. But we were looking at places in Hongdae regardless as this is the student hot-spot of Seoul and really easy to travel from/to. Our place is a space with 2 bedrooms, a common room and a bathroom. It will do for those 2 weeks. Also, the host seems really nice. I’m guessing Myongji will send someone to check on us a couple of times during those 2 weeks. That’s probably why they recommended Hongdae and Sinchon to us, it’s quite close. But it sucks balls. We are not allowed to go out, only for getting absolute necessities. It’s so sad because we are in Hongdae, there’s so much to do. I guess it will be 14 days full of watching Netflix and playing Stardew Valley.

New game new name

February 15th, 2020

So, this is something I have been thinking of for quite some time now. My name, Bregje, really won’t do in Korea. It’s just unpronounceable. Quite some time ago, my Korean friend Jiwon really encouraged me to get a Korean name. I always thought it was considered not done or weird as hell for foreigners to do that and it might be really, I don’t trust him sometimes (만약 오빠 이 글을 읽고, 미안해 ㅋㅋㅋ). I even used to think my name somehow works when I transcribe it to sound somewhat the same, but I guess it doesn’t. Anyways, we discussed it some more and he suggested I go for 나현 (na-hyun) but I think that just doesn’t sound…. right. 현정 (hyun-jung) was another option but ???? feels too Kboo if I do that so I figured I have to just go by an easy international name. I took it super seriously. Yesterday I did some consulting on Reddit and decided the name ‘Becky’ (베키) works best and meets all my personal criteria. I am still debating whether I am actually going to introduce myself like this, as it feels super odd for me to do that, but it will definitely cause less confusion and frustration on my part.

Saying goodbye

February 22nd

I feel totally weirded out for some reason. The past few days I have been so stressed out. Maybe because I only finished my internship yesterday. But honestly, this corona thing is spreading like wildfire and it's scaring the shit out of me especially since a weird ass cult has been involved including a so called super spreader. Luckily, the infected area is mostly around Daegu so our program hasn't been cancelled (but the Yeungnam program has, I'm so sorry guys). I am not scared of the virus but about a sudden cancellation of the semester AFTER our arrival. But I should stop stressing.

But in better news, today I had my "goodbye party". Most of my friends were there and we had a chill afternoon of talking and they got me cute gifts and I feel so sad for leaving them. Thank you guys if you're reading this!! <3

Packing my bags

February 24th

Honestly I think packing my bags wasn't that stressful (my mom might think differently). Everything barely fit in my checked bag and my carry on exceeds the weight limit but let's just pray they aren't actually weighing our bags.

I'm so excited to go but also I feel a bit divided because we can't undertake any activity for the next two weeks. I'm sure me and the girls will have a great time regardless but this is not how I was picturing my study abroad to start off. Tomorrow I have to wake up early (5am) to go to Amsterdam airport!!

[mental-health-advice]

I recently transitioned from a private to public school & it has been really hard on me. I don’t understand how to do lab reports & the material is much more difficult because in my private school teachers wouldn’t teach well, didn’t do labs & handed out easy marks. My grades are really important this year for uni &they’ve dropped significantly which is making me have breakdowns worrying about what is going to be of my life and future. I’ve severe socialanxiety so I can’t ask for help in person

Hey there!

I’m sorry to hear that you’restruggling with your move to a new school, I understand it can be incrediblydifficult adapting to not just the work, but the people and processes andeverything that comes with moving schools. I actually have a bit of experiencemyself in this, as I moved from a public school to a private school when Imoved abroad, and then back again.

Firstly, I wouldn’t put somuch importance on getting into university straight away! University is justone route out of many to get to where you want to go in your future, and theways to get into a university course and obtain a degree are not just straightfrom school on a first application. However, I understand that this is yourgoal to go to university so we should focus on helping you to manage yourworkload and stress to get the grades that you need. This is likely a goodexperience for you before you go to university, compared to your private schoolexperience, to get to grips with having to take extra responsibility for yourlearning and work hard to get the grades you need, as university is very self-directedand most of the teaching is what you teach yourself (from my experience).

What I would suggest isgetting a diary or a planner, or even using a calendar to try and break downyour work into manageable pieces. At the start of each week write what yourdeadlines are, what you need to do to meet them and what you need to doyourself to support your learning. Then I’d schedule these into your planner soyou can work through it and tick off your progress. Organising your time, Ithink makes things feel more manageable and helps you focus on one thing at atime. It might be useful to see if there any lunchtime or after school revisionsession for a subject, I know my school offered them particularly around courseworkhand ins and exams.

I can understand yourstruggle with this anxiety, and so I wonder if there is a way of letting yourteachers know you’re struggling in another way? Do you know what your teachers’emails are – sending them an email may be useful in this sense. I also thinkyou maybe don’t have to approach this as you struggling and as something that’sbad. Perhaps talking to a teacher and explaining that your old school didn’tteach certain elements of your classes that are being taught now, or that thestyle is different, so you’re wondering if there’s any extra resources they canpoint you towards to support your own study, or perhaps if you write down a coupleof questions you want to ask them at the end of the class to make sure you’reunderstanding the content as you go.

What I hope that youremember is that teachers care about their pupils learning and they want the studentsin their class to do well. They are there to support you – that their job andtheir passion – and considering your situation I think they’d be more thanunderstanding to the fact the work is tripping you up. I’d keep up yourstudying, try reaching out to friends in class who can offer a hand and make themost of your resources at school. Good luck! And take care.

Hollie x

#mhahollie #advice #advice blog #mental health advice #school #university #anxiety #social anxiety

[peppernights]

Turning 18 is never easy, especially when you live in Italy and it’s like turning 21 in the US. Talking about it now, I feel so conflicted because I’m way past that point (since I will be turning 24 in 2017.)

Anyway, when I turned 18 my life was pretty much fucked up. During my life, during my childood and even during my teenage years there was never stability in my house. I never really had a big / happy family, I have a foster brother who left our place when he was 16 and I barely remember him, my parents never really loved each other and they always struggled to get to the end of the month (in a matter of money.)

This being said, if I have to think about the worst time of my life, it would be when I turned 18. During that time, I was under a lot of pressure because graduation was coming, I had to focus on my grades and I had to start to think about my future. At that time, I was already aware of the fact that I wouldn’t be able to study abroad or do what I really wanted to do. (Or live the life my friends were living, sending applications all over the world). Anyway, even knowing that I would end up staying in my shitty ass city (to attend uni) I had to pick a field. Being an extremely anxious person, that stressed me out quite a lot.

Honestly though, the worst thing about that time of my life wasn’t even all of this. My parents decided to get a divorce (finally!!) and I honestly was happy. Because I would get my life back and I would stop hearing them yelling at each other every night. (We didn’t live together anymore anyway, but there was still a lot of chaos in my house.) The bad part came when my father decided to drag me into all of that to win the cause. He basically made his lawyer write some sort of lawsuit (toward me) claiming that my mother and I had made an allience and that I was an horrible person. This letter was one of the most disturbing things that have ever happened to me. To hear your own father call you names and stating how horrible you are as a daughter (in front of a judge) is something I can’t even begin to explain. What I remeber was the humiliation I felt thinking that so many strangers would get that idea of me, that they would think that I was horrible when none of the things written in that letter were true. I never went to the court because I was mortified. Anyway, I went through all the stages of grief. And I decided to never speak to my father again (actually, I yelled at him to never talk to me again the same night that I turned 18 because he managed to ruin things even that night.) First there was rage, then there was sadness and a lot of other feelings. I came to guilt. Because you know, after all, I was the one calling the shots. I was the one that decided to never see my father again. If he died, I would be the one having that burden on myself. I know this is a stupid way to feel, considering what he did, but back then - I swear I could never let that go. I cried every day at least once and I was on non-speaking terms with my father for more than 6 months.

It was the worst thing ever and I knew I had to do something because I didn’t want all that responsibility.

Bones did it for me.

In 2011 they were arining s7 and most importantly, they aired the episode where Booth’s father dies. If you think about it, it was a good episode, but it’s not even an episode you would consider that much speaking about the show itself. It’s a show about death. People die in every episode. Anyway, that episode in that time of my life had such a strong impact on me, I can’t even begin to explain it. If you ask me to remember lines from the episode or even details, I won’t be able to do it because I don’t remember it. I have never rewatched that episode again. But what I remember is crying incontrollably in my room during all the scenes where Booth struggled with the death of his father and the sense of guilt of never having the chance to have closure with him. I sobbed incontrollably and then went to a board online and kinda told this story. (in my language). After a few weeks, I called my father. I don’t know if I did it for me or for him. I think I mostly did it for me. Because I didn’t want to have any regrets (see what I did there??) and it worked. My father and I will never have a normal relationship and I think that deep down I will never forgive him completely for what he did. But anyway, 5/6 years later, we now speak to each other. I go weeks without hearing from him, and the last time I spent a significant amount of time with him was like 2 years ago. But I am free. I don’t feel guilty anymore.

So, when I think about Bones, I think about this. Bones gave me more that I could ever imagine. It gave me my life back. Through its characters it made me a better person. No show will ever have the same impact on me Bones had. So yes, when I say that I am gonna miss Bones. I am really gonna miss Bones.

#bonestv #seeley booth #booth x brennan #LONG POST #REALLY LONG POST #i think i told this story already but not just as detailed #this is the real reason why i love bones #there are so many others really but THIS ONE #bones will always be my 1st #</3

[amanda-fior]

I’m used to being disappointed in life. I had to learn very early on that life is not fair. That hard working people don’t always reap the benefits. That even bad days are a blessing for those of us lucky enough to keep living to see them through. That some people breeze through life while others were born in shit creek. 

I first looked into the CSU vet program in March 2014. The minimum GPA requirement for a graduate was just above what I had achieved for my double degree in Law/Arts. It stung because I had spent a year studying abroad at Washington State University and the lowest grade I achieved out of the 8 classes I took there was 89% (I got 95+% for the majority of those classes) and if I had achieved those same scores here in Australia, I would have had 8 High Distinctions (which require just 85% or higher) but because I only received credit for study, those HDs turned into passes. My GPA was therefore much lower than what I felt I had earned. 

This meant that I had to start a new degree. Having already completed an undergraduate degree, I was no longer eligible for Centrelink. I did receive New Start (which I will be forever eternally grateful for) which meant that I had to have fortnightly appointments at Joblink, apply for a certain number of jobs and meet a bunch of other time consuming criteria. It made me feel like scum to have to get a handout. Every time I went in for an appointment, my self esteem managed to sink just a little bit lower. I worked at Furballz, knowing that it would look good on my application. I volunteered at the vets. I wanted to know if it was really the job for me before putting my heart into it. I started my certificate IV in vet nursing on top of all of this, so that I would learn some real skills and so that I could continue volunteering at the vet clinic. 

At that time, TAFE was changing its policies/fees and could not tell me how much the vet nursing course would cost but they gave me an estimate. It looked like they would no longer be giving discounted prices to people on Centrelink. Open Colleges cost $5,000 for the same course (slightly less than the cost at TAFE) but it had way more flexibility. So I signed up for Open Colleges. A month later, TAFE released its new fees and policies. They had decided to continue with Centrelink discounts and the whole course would have cost me next to nothing had I gone with them. But it was too late to get a refund with Open Colleges and most of my Centrelink went to paying off that $5,000. I was still working as a volunteer at the vet clinic even though I was on the roster working the role of a nurse who they would otherwise have had to pay wages for. 

The worst part was that Newstart required me to do 25 hours a week of approved activities. I was working for approximately 4 hours each morning at Furballz 4 days a week. That was 16 hours. The 8+ hours a week at the vets didn’t count because Newstart stipulated that volunteer work (at a business) couldn’t count because they wanted you to seek paid work. The hours I spent on the Open Colleges course didn’t count either because it was mostly self learning and the teachers at OC refuse to sign off on hours because they cannot personally verify them. And uni was difficult for the same reason (I was studying online but had to attend intensive schools). I was actively trying to find another job that would offer me more hours but no one wanted me. I told them I could work any day and any hours except Fridays (I had to continue my work experience at the vets for the vet nursing course). I had a couple of interviews but was never hired. That was a really low point for me. I honestly don’t think even Frankie realised how much I resented myself at that point. 

It was finally September 2015 and my vet application for CSU was ready. It looked really good because I also had volunteered with the RSPCA (and had been vice-president of the branch), had volunteered halter training alpacas and showed them (including the grand champion). Plus I had a lot of experience with large animals growing up on the farm. But I didn’t make it to the interview stage because my GPA was too low. Again. By the slightest of margins. 0.1. I was pretty devastated but decided to look on the bright side and planned to do something amazing with the year ahead. So I went to Africa and volunteered with animals there. It was incredible and added even more to my application.

I had finally started to get paid at the vet clinic. Toward the end of the year, I could finally get by without Newstart! It felt great to have that burden off my back even though I was getting slightly less money each fortnight and my prescription medication tripled in price without a healthcare card. Still, it seemed like things were looking up.

Then came August 2016. The applications were finally opened again. I agonised over the questions, wanting to give the best but most honest answers. I did not want to jeopardise my chances after putting so much into it. I had changed degrees at uni and had managed to obtain a 7.0 GPA. That is the highest possible score. The wait to find out if I had an interview was agonising. I called CSU multiple times during the week that interview offers were given. They kept saying that we would all be informed either way by Friday afternoon. I was at work that afternoon but kept my phone in my pocket. My heart raced the entire time. It had been racing that whole week and the week before that. I could not sleep. I just kept checking to see if that email had arrived. By 4.30pm, Frankie came into work with a frappe for me and asked if I knew anything yet. I anxiously asked if she could call them pretending to be me, to see what was up. I held up the vein of a dog so a vet could take blood. Then I checked my phone. Still nothing. I put on a load of laundry and then heard a little buzz. It was 5.02pm and I had finally received my email informing me of my interview time. It turns out that they had emailed me several days earlier but their system had some issue with sending emails to gmail and hotmail addresses (eg. my primary and secondary emails). The only reason it came through at all was because of Frankie’s phone call. 

I honestly could not believe that I had an interview. I felt like the hard part was over and now I was almost guaranteed a spot. I fulfilled every criteria and then some - I had made sure of it over the past 3 years. I had practised what I would say  almost every day for the past 2 years. I had so much to talk about in just twenty minutes. I felt confident which is rare for me.

Then came more waiting. I just wanted to do my interview! I was excited! 

But the interview seemed to be over too quickly (according to Frankie, I was actually in there longer than 20 minutes). I started to feel nervous. There was so much that I had not even talked about. I didn’t tell them about going along to the greyhounds with Emma when she was the volunteer vet at the Armidale races. I didn’t talk very much about all the things I did at the vet clinic. I didn’t even talk about Africa! But it was all on my application and I could tell by the panels comments that they had read mine right before I walked in. I had simply answered their questions:

Why do you want to be a vet? Why do you want to study at CSU? What are your favourite subjects? What community work have you done? Talk about a current, controversial issue involving animals in Australia and what you think should be done. Tell us about a procedure you have performed involving animals, preferably large animals. If you moved to a remote area to work as a vet and did not know anyone, how would you go about meeting new people?

I felt like I had done well but not as good as I could have done. All that I could do was wait. And wait. And wait. 

I haven’t been able to sleep properly. I thought about the questions and wished they had done it differently. I personally would have had each interviewee handle an animal. I think it would have told them a lot more about their capabilities than any of those questions. I also wondered about the different panels of judges. There were 4 panels running at once. What if I had been interviewed by a different panel? Would the ‘nicer’ person on panel A have given me a 10 instead of a 9 for a certain answer I gave? Would the ‘harder’ person of panel B given me a 4 instead of a 3? 

But that there was nothing I could do. I had tried my best and it was done.

I had checked my UAC offers 50 times before the offers were released. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a problem with my log in. It always said  “You have not received an offer for undergraduate study.” 

The offers were to be released at 7.30am on 5 January.I told myself that even though I probably deserved to get in, that I wouldn’t be chosen. I waited until 7.32am to check my offer, just in case the time on my computer was slightly fast.

“You have not received an offer for undergraduate study.”

I didn’t feel sad. I didn’t feel surprised. 

I thought I would cry and be upset but I guess I wasn’t lying when I left the interview not expecting to get in. It has slowly sunk in and now I just feel frustrated and angry. How could I have stuffed up the interview that badly? Were there really 60 candidates that were really better than me? I honestly doubt it. I have gone over the criteria and there really isn’t anything I could improve. So I guess it all came down to those twenty minutes where I somehow just didn’t make the cut. 

It’s hard not to feel like a failure right now. I have never worked for anything so hard before. Maybe I should not have tried to follow my dreams. Maybe I should not have had such an ambitious goal. All of the wonderful people that I have surrounded myself with have been trying to lift me up. It was starting to work but now I feel like all of those horrible things I tell myself were the things I should have listened to. 

I keep thinking about what one of the CSU vet students I’ve met told me. That on her first day, they had been really straightforward and told them all of the realities about how difficult the job of a vet is. It scared several of them so much that they left the course there and then. I wish I could take their place. 

As a final kick in the guts (yep, this is a full on a self-pity, whinge-fest now!) I received a letter from Centrelink saying that I owe them over $2,000 from 2013-14. Apparently everyone has been getting them. I need to pay it by 13 January. Dunno where they think I’ll get the money from. Guess I’ll have to go back on Newstart now. 

My plan is to study Bachelor of Veterinary Technology through CSU. I haven’t been offered a place in the course yet. I got in last year so hopefully I will get in this time. Otherwise I’m officially out of ideas. There is still a chance I may receive an offer for vet science on 18 January but I’m not holding my breath. 

I will still apply for vet next year because fuck em, I want to prove them wrong. Even though I have written an essay wallowing in self pity (that I kind of hope no one actually reads even though I’m posting it on the bloody internet) I still have fight in me. I’ve gotten the self-pity out (for now) and I’m ready to prove that panel of judges wrong. I’m not a quitter. I will continue to work toward my goal that just keeps tickling at my fingertips. And if nothing else, I will be the best vet when I do finally get there because even if they didn’t think I was the best candidate, no one will be more grateful for the opportunity than me.

#self pity #rant #personal #inspo #vet science #disappointment #failure

[iamvirtualvikki]

Japan Plan: 5 Step Guide for Pinoys

Craving for some ramen and real sushi? Want to experience Japan’s amazing culture every waking moment of your life (or at least until your visa expires)? Well, I felt the same way a year ago. I may not know everything but here’s a quick guide based on how I made it to the land of the rising sun as a foreign student. 

1. Research. Research H A R D. 

I really wanted to pursue further studies so I decided to apply for post graduate programs in different universities. Make sure to check their websites for details, deadlines and requirements for application. Application periods vary but for Spring Semester (April), applications start around September or October while Fall Semester (September) applications start around March or April. Research doesn’t stop with uni programs. You have to keep researching about how to actually get your ass to Japan. And that means legal matters, visa requirements, and so on.

2. Sort out your finances.

Yes. It costs a lot to move to Japan even though you’re a student. If you’re fortunate enough to have a financier or amazingly supportive parents or maybe you have saved up enough money from working, then all you have to worry about now is making sure that you prepare all the requirements that both the school and the government may require. (e.g. financial statement, show money, etc.) Got no doe? Don’t worry. There are a lot of options and opportunities for you to study here in Japan. Here are a few:

(i) Check your school’s partnerships and exchange programs. There are some programs wherein you will only be required to pay your tuition fee and other fees (plane ticket, processing, etc.) for you to be able to spend a semester or a year studying abroad.

(ii) Apply for a scholarship or maybe a fully-funded cultural exchange program. The Japanese government and as well as private institutions have scholarship programs for foreign students. Some scholarships are inclusive of everything (tuition fee, dormitory and fees, monthly stipend, etc.) while there are those that offer partial scholarships (1/2 of the tuition fee, dormitory, etc.) There may be a lot of competition but there is no harm in trying your luck. 

(iii) Look for an organization that can help you finance your studies. Check if your government sponsors study abroad programs but if they don’t, you may also opt for private organizations like Jellyfish Foundation who promotes and provides education and work in Japan.

(+)If you work for a Japanese company or a company that does business with Japan, it may be possible for you to be sent here to study or do training. Since I have no experience on coming to Japan with a working visa, all I can point out is the fact that I have seen it happen and that this is truly possible so you should explore the possibilities! But this means: work hard = play hard!

3. Check your options. So you’ve done your research and sorted out your finances. Now all you have to do is choose the perfect fit for you! Are you an undergraduate student? Maybe going for an exchange program with your school’s partner university here in Japan would be ideal! Already done with university? Come over through a postgraduate program or you can simply go for a Japanese language school! Still in highschool? Go for summer programs. Don’t want to quit your job but still want to be able to live in Japan? Go for a short-term program. For scholarships, if you fit in the requirements like a puzzle, I say whatever you’re doing in life, just apply! You’ve got nothing to lose!

4. Process.

So at this point, you start gathering all the documents you need, meet specific deadlines and wait for your golden ticket to the Land of the Rising Sun. The process will vary but the wait will feel the same. Instead of constantly refreshing your inbox, use this time to improve your skills and to learn about the culture. The process does not stop with the paperwork. Mental and emotional preparedness is very important as well. In my case, I decided to take a short Japanese course at Yuno Japanese Learning Center to prepare myself if and when I got accepted. Once you get the go signal, more processes will come your way. From handling more paperwork to applying for your student visa. The The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines has a list of partner agencies who can help you with processing your visa. (I highly recommend Rajah Travel Corporation) Once you get everything stamped, prepare your finances and get your passport back, you’re good to go!

5. Pack, breathe, fly out with your one-way ticket.

You made it! You’re a full pledged gaikokujin now! Enjoy Japan! 

Obviously there is more to this 5 step process and experiences may vary but I hope this helped you see how moving to Japan is definitely achievable! It will take a lot of time but with the right amount of drive, you can make it here too! Good luck and I hope to see you soon! :)

PS. Got more questions? Throw a question my way or hit me up on any of my social media accounts! I’d love to help!

#Japan #Tokyo #Japan plan #how to move to japan #japan student #iamvirtualvikki #virtual vikki #VVGAIJIN #travel

[fishingowls]

ADÉLIE, the SPONTANEOUS

(Versión en Español más abajo)

How do your friends call you? Actually in my uni in France we have nicknames, no one calls another person by his or her real name. At the very beginning of the master we have this party with people from our floor and people who used to be at that floor come to party with the new ones so the old ones make the new ones drink and when they are drunk enough they ask them questions so ideas follow up in order to find a nickname and generally you're too drunk to remember the origin of your nickname...but I do! Because I was not that drunk because I don't drink that much and because they managed to find a nickname with the first question, what it's unusual...and mine is Fly and NO ONE, NO ONE calls me Adélie in my uni; and it's Fly because: I believe Adélie I can fly, I believe Adélie I can touch the sky...voalà, that's why! So Fly! Long story for a short question hahaha

Where are you from? I'm from Paris, but I've been living in Lyon for two years.

What are you studying? I did 2 years of Prep-class in Paris, then we have three years of uni technically, but as I am doing a double degree it's 2 years at my uni in Lyon and 2 years at DTU. Actually I have two masters because they are joint masters because we have some fields in common. In France it was general engineering, so I had electrical as well as I had physics and math, it's eveything and then in the last year it's when you get specialized but still includes general courses; and now in DTU I'm doing Sustainable Energy. I wanted to do energy, but renewable energy and they didn't have it in my uni so I came here and actually it's quite speciallized but you can still choose one third of your classes. It has fit my expectations, in fact I already know what courses I'm going to take next semester.

After your master, do you know what do you want to do? Yees... I want to keep studying, my parents are going to kill me. Because it's very common to...I don't know if it's the same in other countries but in Fraace, the most recognized studies is engineering studies so if you wanna become a CEO or manager you have to either have engineering studies or be one of the two best ones in a management school.So that's why I did engineering studies, but nowadays it's getting more and more popular to have people doing both: engineer and business schools but the easiest way is from engineer to business. So I either wanna do a very good normal business school or another kind of business school you would have to take to work for the government or the EU for example. I also considered doing an MBA in the US but it wouldn't be as recognized as it should in France, because they know better french business schools.

You had visited Denmark already before right? Because your boyfriend was already here... is it the reason why you are in Copenhagen or is your masters specialization? Yes true, I came here like three times to visit him. I would go the once a month and he would come back once a month. Both actually, in my uni in France we have to spend 6 months abroad at least, doing an exchange or an internship or a double degree. But I didn't want to do an internship abroad because get into the population and the culture it's harder so I rather do an exchange or a double but an exchange is too short and you can only do it during your second year, which it's very early. So the only option I had was a double degree, and my boyfriend was in the same situation and after all we both wanted to do it Europe and the Energy specialization and we decided to apply for the same university; and he got in but I was rejected because my schools needed to keep students; and it was a huge disappointment. So I went to the dean and I resulted to be the one application no one could agree on, but finally they decided to let me go to Denmark. So it's for the lessons and the classes but also for my boyfriend... what I might regret some day, I don't know hahah.

Do you have any newbie funfact? So, I had get this bus anonymous card- my boyfriend bought me one in September- but when I arrived here I didn't have a place to live yet. So I asked Elodie, from downstairs, if she could leave me her keys when I saw her in France so then when I come to Denmark I can leave some staff here already so I don't have to bring more staff with me when I come in February. So I was supposed to come here but I was on my one, I just had my keys and my phone but wihtout a danish sim card, with all my luggage. And then I arrived to the bus stop: Terrasserne, but I was not prepared at all, (this is not funny, don't have any expectations at all haha) but you know there is another stop called Terrasserne, the next one, but when I got out I didn't recognize it. And then the door opened and I realized I had to check out but I had all my luggage and my card was at the very bottom of my bag and I looked at everyone thinking if I had time, but the doors were opened and I had my luggage so I just got out of this bus knowing I was not checking out and I might have to pay maybe a 100dkk for this. And then I got lost in the neighbourhood, and it took me like 30min to find the place so finally I missed the check out. But as from then I was with my boyfriend and his friends this is the only newbie story I have.

What do you miss most since you moved to Denmark? I would have said food but actually it's the weather, I think it's the same for you. I cannot wear the way I do in France, and besides that it's not seeing the sun and receiving pictures from my friends nor wearing a coat already in March it's torture, it's torture. And I think it's gonna be worse next semester, because it's Spring now.

Could you tell me three French stereotypes and say if you agree or not with them? I think the most famous one, that every foreigner know but no one in France knows it's a stereotype, which is French people don't shower often because they put perfume to cover the smell because they don't shower enough and because we are dirty. I've met many people that has asked me about it; in my last trip to Asia one guy asked me if I showered a lot...and I was like...of course I do... hahah So THIS IS NOT TRUE AT ALL. The second is that Paris is such a romantic city, and this is such a cliché! I mean I love Paris because I've grown there but it's too crowded and touristic, so I prefere Lyon; and for me it's not romantic, and maybe it can be applied to all France. And the third one would be that French food is good: ok of course I agree with that so it's not funny. So the third one would be that French people are not nice, and it's true; for example if you arrive to France and you're a foreigner and you start speaking in English the French person is going to be like panicking thinking "OMG I don't speak English, I don't know how to answer that." But actually they way you would see it from the outside it's that he's not answering you and looking at you like "WTF you're a foreigner, why are you talking to me", and this is so true. When I go back to Paris, whenever you go to a restaurant and ask to the waiter or waitress he or she it's gonna be so cold if you're a bit different, and this is so true and sad. In France you enter a public space and you have to ask if they speak English because it's almost sure they don't do.

What's your favourite French expression?

1.- Ça ne mange pas de pain (French) = It doesn't eat bread (English) = Do it, because it won't you to do it that much.(Meaning)

2.- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard (French) = It wouldn't break three legs of the duck (English) = It's not impressive.(Meaning)

So whenever you are having a conversation in French and you don't know how to answer, you can say that. I'm not sure people will understand why you're saying this now, but they will understand the meaning.

What is your favourite place in Copenhaguen? Mhhm, probably in Christiania. You know the lake, at the other side, if you walk at it there are these small piers next to the water and you can sit there; it's so quiet and I really like it. What dish do you feel most proud of having cooked here? I think I'm very proud of my Lemon Tart I cooked for the French dinner. The cupcakes as well, they were so good!

If you had to choose one hobby, which one would be?I don't do it much now, but I used to love photography and that would be my hobby, I think. I have this very big professional camera and I used to do portfolios for one or two models, but I never got a real website or nothing like that. But I would typically shoot some friends in weddings and that.

What have you learned from moving to Denmark? Well I thought I was adaptable, but I'm not that much. For the moment I've been here for two months and I just realized I thought that I would socialize very easily but because people are not my nationality (it's not because I'm French, I mean it would be the same if I was Australian or Polish or whatever), it's more difficult to socialize because you have way less things in common with them. And because I'm shy and genuine at well, I'm not good at meet people, it has been harder than I expected. For example I'm very sarcastic in some situations, and many times people don't get it and I see it and it's very hard to find a balance between being myself and being social with people that don't share my culture. I have to work on this and I didn't expect I would have to.

If you could be a pizza topping, what would you choose?I know the one I wouldn't choose, which is PINEAPPLE! hahaha Oh, but I like pineapples in pizzas! Ohno, don't tell this to Adriana, she will kill you for sure!! I think I would be riccotta, I love it.

_____________________________________________________

¿Cómo te llaman tus amigos? En realidad en mi uni en Francia tenemos apodos, nadie llama a otra persona por su verdadero nombre. Al principio del máster tenemos una fiesta con gente de nuestro piso y la gente que solía estar en ese piso viene a la fiesta con los nuevos para que los viejos hagan beber los nuevos y cuando están lo suficientemente borrachos les hacen preguntas para que salgan ideas con el fin de encontrar un apodo; y por lo general estás demasiado borracho para recordar el origen de tu apodo ... pero yo si me acuerdo! Yo no estaba tan borracha porque no bebía tanto y porque lograron encontrar un apodo con la primera pregunta, lo que es inusual ... y la mía es Fly y NADIE, NADIE me llama Adélie en mi uni; Y es Fly porque: I believe Adélie I can fly, I believe Adélie I can touch the sky... Voalà, por eso! ¡Entonces, soy Fly! Larga historia para una pregunta tan corta hahaha ¿De donde eres? Soy de París, pero llevo dos años viviendo en Lyon. ¿Qué estás estudiando? Hice 2 años de clase de preparación en París, luego tenemos tres años de uni técnicamente, pero como estoy haciendo un doble grado hago 2 años en mi uni en Lyon y 2 años en DTU. En realidad tengo dos másters porque son másters conjuntos porque tenemos algunos campos en común. En Francia era ingeniería general, así que yo tenía electricidad así como física y matemáticas, es general y entonces en el último curso es cuando te especializas pero todavía con cursos generales como economía. Y ahora en la DTU estoy haciendo energía sostenible. Yo me quería centrar en la energía, pero concretamente en la energía renovable y como era posible en mi universidad, vine aquí. Ha cumplido mis expectativas, de hecho ya sé qué asignaturas voy a elegir el próximo semestre. Después de tu máster, ¿sabes qué quieres hacer? Sii... Quiero seguir estudiando, mis padres me van a matar. Porque es muy común ... No sé si es lo mismo en otros países, pero en Francia, los estudios más reconocidos son los estudios de ingeniería, así que si quieres convertirte en director general o gerente tienes que tener estudios de ingeniería o ser uno de los dos mejores en una escuela de gestión. Así que por eso hice estudios de ingeniería, pero hoy en día es cada vez más popular tener gente hacer las dos: ingeniería y dirección de empresas, pero la forma más fácil es pasar de ingeniería a la otra. Así que o bien quiero ir a una escuela muy buena de negocios normal o bien ir a otro tipo de escuela de negocios que que sirve para trabajar para el gobierno o la UE, por ejemplo. También he considerado hacer un MBA en los EE.UU., pero no está tan reconocido como debería en Francia, porque conocen más y prefieren a las escuelas de administración francesas. Ya habías visitado Dinamarca antes verdad? Porque tu novio ya estaba aquí ... ¿es esa la razón por la que estás en Copenhague o es la especialización de tu máster? Sí cierto, vine aquí como tres veces a visitarlo. Yo venía a ir una vez al mes y él iba una vez al mes. Ambos motivos en realidad, en mi uni en Francia tenemos que pasar 6 meses en el extranjero al menos, haciendo un intercambio o unas prácticas o un doble título. Como yo no quería hacer prácticas en el extranjero porque socializar es más difícil, debía hacer hacer un intercambio o un doble grado; pero un intercambio es demasiado corto y sólo se puede hacer durante el segundo año de carrera, que es muy pronto. Así que la única opción que tenía era un doble grado, y mi novio estaba en la misma situación y después de todo lo que queríamos hacer era ir a un país de Europa y  y especializarnos en Energía, así que decidimos solicitar la misma universidad. Entonces él entró pero a mi me rechazaron y fue una gran decepción. Así que fui al decano y resultó ser la única aplicación en la que nadie podía estar de acuerdo, pero finalmente decidieron dejarme ir a Dinamarca. Así que es por la universidad, pero también pormi novio ... lo que podría lamentar algún día, no sé hahah.

¿Tienes alguna anécdota del principio? Yo ya tenía esa tarjeta anónima de autobús- mi novio me compró una en septiembre- pero cuando llegué aquí no tenía un sitio para vivir todavía. Así que le pregunté a Elodie, del piso de abajo, si podía dejarme las llaves cuando la viera en Francia, entonces cuando vaya a Dinamarca puedo dejar un poco de cosas allí, así que no tengo que traer más equipaje conmigo cuando venga en febrero. Así que se suponía que iba a venir aquí, pero yo estaba sola: sólo tenía mis llaves y mi teléfono, pero sin una tarjeta SIM danesa, con todo mi equipaje. Y entonces llegué a la parada de autobús: Terrasserne, pero no estaba preparada en absoluto, (esto no es gracioso, no tengas ninguna expectativa haha) pero sabes que hay otra parada llamada Terrasserne, la siguiente, pues cuando salí no la reconocí. Y luego la puerta se abrió y me di cuenta de que tenía que hacer el checkout del autobús pero tenía todo mi equipaje y mi tarjeta estaba en el fondo de mi bolsa y miré a todo el mundo pensando si tenía tiempo, pero las puertas se abrieron y acabé saliendo del autobús sabiendo que no hacía el check out y que podría tener que pagar quizás unas 100dkk por ello. Y luego me perdí en el barrio, y me costó como 30 minutos encontrar el lugar así que finalmente me perdí el check-out. Pero a partir de entonces estaba con mi novio y sus amigos así que esta es la única historia de novata que tengo. ¿Qué echas más de menos desde que te mudaste a Dinamarca? Te habría dicho que la comida pero en realidad es el tiempo, creo que es lo mismo para ti. No puedo usar la misma ropa que visto en Francia, pero lo peor es no ver el sol y recibir fotos de mis amigos que no necesitan abrigo ya en marzo, es una tortura. Y creo que va a ser peor el próximo semestre, porque ahora es primavera. ¿Podrías decirme tres estereotipos franceses y decir si estás de acuerdo o no con ellos? Creo que el más famoso, que todos los extranjeros saben, pero nadie en Francia sabe que es un estereotipo, es que los franceses no se duchan a menudo y se ponen perfume para cubrir el olor porque no se duchan lo suficiente y porque estan sucios . He conocido a mucha gente que me ha preguntado sobre ello; en mi último viaje a Asia un chico me preguntó si me duchaba mucho ... y yo estaba como ... por supuesto que lo hago! ... hahah Así que esto no es cierto en absoluto. La segunda es que París es la ciudad del amor, y esto es un cliché! Quiero decir que me encanta París porque he crecido allí, pero es demasiado lleno y turístico, así que prefiero Lyon; y para mí no solo París es romántico, creo que se puede aplicar a toda Francia. Y el tercero sería que la comida francesa es buena: ok, por supuesto estoy de acuerdo así que no es divertido. Así que la tercera sería que el pueblo francés no es agradable, y es cierto. Por ejemplo si llegas a Francia y eres un extranjero y empiezas a hablar en inglés a una persona francesa, esta entrará en pánico pensando "OMG no hablo inglés, no sé cómo responder a eso". Pero en realidad, de la manera que lo verías desde afuera, es que él no te está respondiendo y te mira como "WTF eres un extranjero, por qué estás hablando conmigo", y esto es tan cierto. Cuando vuelvo a París, cuando vas a un restaurante y pides al camarero o camarera él o ella va a ser tan frío si eres un poco diferente, y esto es tan cierto y triste. En Francia cuando se entra en un espacio público hay que preguntar si hablan inglés porque es casi seguro que no lo hacen. ¿Cuál es tu expresión francesa favorita? 1.- Ça ne mange pas de dolor (Francés) = No come pan (Español) = Hazlo, porque te cuesta tanto (Significado) 2.- Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard (francés) = No rompería tres patas del pato (Español) = No impresiona (Significado) Así que cuando estés teniendo una conversación en francés y no sepas cómo responder, puedes decir eso. No estoy seguro de que la gente entienda por qué estás diciendo eso en ese momento, pero entenderán el significado. ¿Cuál es tu lugar favorito en Copenhague? Mhhm, probablemente en Christiania. Sabes el lago, en el otro lado, si caminas cerca de él hay estos pequeños muelles al lado del agua donde te puedes sentar; Es muy tranquilo y me gusta mucho.

¿Qué plato te sientes más orgullosa de haber cocinado aquí? Creo que estoy muy orgullosa de la tarta de limón que cociné para la cena francesa. Los cupcakes también, eran tan buenos! Si tuvieras que elegir un hobby, ¿cuál sería? No lo hago mucho ahora, pero me encantaba la fotografía y esa sería mi afición, creo. Tengo esta cámara profesional muy grande y solía hacer portfolios para uno o dos modelos, pero nunca tuve un sitio web real o nada de eso. Pero normalmente haría fotos a algunos amigos en bodas y eso.

¿Qué has aprendido desde que estás en Dinamarca? Bueno, sobre mi pensaba que era adaptable, pero no lo soy mucho. Por el momento he estado aquí dos meses y me acabo de dar cuenta de que pensaba que socializaría muy fácilmente, pero como la gente no es mi nacionalidad (no porque sea francesa, quiero decir que sería lo mismo si fuera australiana ó polaca o lo que sea), es más difícil socializar porque tienes muchas menos cosas en común con ellos. Y porque soy tímida y genuina en bien, no soy buena en conocer gente, ha sido más difícil de lo que esperaba. Por ejemplo, soy muy sarcástica en algunas situaciones, y muchas veces la gente no lo entiende y lo veo y es muy difícil encontrar un equilibrio entre ser yo misma y ser social con personas que no comparten mi cultura. Tengo que trabajar en esto y no esperaba que tuviera que hacerlo. Si pudieras ser un ingrediente de pizza, ¿qué elegirías? ¡Sé lo que no elegiría, la PIÑA! Jajaja ¡Oh, pues a mi me gusta la piña en las pizzas! Ohno, no le digas esto a Adriana, ella te mata seguro! Creo que sería riccotta, me encanta.

#kitchencrew

[mnovenia]

A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN 

When was the last time you feel like butterflies are flying inside your stomach? When was the last time you realize that you are valueble, you accomplish something great, you belong somewhere? How do you feel when you know that you are ACCEPTED?

March 22nd, 2017 - The Day I Will Never Forget, I received an email:

Dear Marshella,

thank you for you application for the MIBM programme at Hanze UAS! We have checked your application file and we are pleased to inform you that you can be fully accepted. You will receive the letter of acceptance shortly, 

We look forward to welcoming you to Hanze UAS coming September!

You can prepare your StuNed application, please let us know if you need any documents for it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards, Ekaterina Gurchenkova Enrolment Officer Master Programmes Member of the Admissions Committee Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen Mobile/WhatsApp: [phone] International Business School www.hanze.nl/ibs

After a long time waiting for something like this to happen, God finally reveal His direction for me. The first attempt to pursue a higher level of education was already popped up a long time ago. When I was an undergrad student, I went to see my professor for finalizing my thesis. His name is Prof. John JOI Ihallaw. He’s kind hearted, professional, heart-warming and respectful to everyone, simply the one that students look up to. He told me about his experience of getting a degree from a reputable university in the US, through a scholarship programme by President Suharto. It’s still vivid in my mind, right in his room, building F, morning time, I promise myself, one day I will also tell my story to people that God also enable me to go and pursue a higher education abroad. Not only Prof JOI, my favorite lecture Pak Radit also shared his story of him being granted a scholarship to pursue his education in Canada.

I have no idea how to turn that promise into reality, where should I look, who can help me, and so on.. Graduating from undergrad study, I tend to look for a job so I don’t need to depend on my parent’s monthly allowance anymore. I applied to go to Singapore, it’s failed and cost a lot of money. So I continue to work, while sending my friends one by one to the airport, because they got to go to London, Birmingham, Shanghai, etc to pursue a higher education.

I wish I could join them, but I burried all the envious feeling and jealousy deep in my heart, I just didn’t want to add more burden to my parents, it was all just seemed impossible, and so I just want to be independent at the first place. 

2013, my mother changed her job to a company in which the boss said he wanted to support my mom to send her children to go abroad for study. I was so excited, I was looking for so many school options and trying to apply. I finally being brave to tell few people that I actually have a deep longing to go back to school. But then, few months later, my family experienced the hardest time of our life. My mom lost her job, we sell most of our belongings, I got to sell my saving in a form of gold in order to pay my mom’s debt because she didn’t even receive her last salary. Looking for a high paid job for my mom’s age was not easy at all. Even after she found a new job, it was hard for her, she was very sick then we figured out that she had cancer. And we can’t save her..

Me and the whole family was hit to the very core bottom during those year. Never in my mind to stop and thinking about my dreams, it was all shattered. All I was thinking w just how to continue this life, without the anchor of my family, how to adjust my life by being a mom to my brother, a care taker for my father, self comforter by preaching to myself that it’s all gonna be okay, and life goes on. On the other side, this situation also force me to work harder because now I’m not only responsible to my own self, but I also have to support my longtime jobless father and newbie employee brother at that time. 

Going through all these reminds me that God is the only provider of all things exist in this world, He takes and gives away. According to His plan. 

Juggling through family problems, financial resource, health issues, church, ministry, social life and responsibility somehow made me feel lonely in this road. Like literally. While a Godly man sent by God is still somewhere in the corner, these routines bore me somehow.

Changing job doesn’t seem inviting, until January 2016, on a church retreat, God opened my eyes. I met lots of great people, they’re open minded, confident, and so put together. I look up to them, a lot, most of them are graduated from various reputable universities. At that time I was wearing a hoodie, given by Michelle, stated: “Penn State University”. Everytime she’s going home, if she asked what I want her to bring, I always said something small from university that you happen to visit. Simply because those things are what I value the most. I always wanted to wear one of those things as if I’m an alumni, yet I’m not. But when I wore it, two persons slap me on the face. One said: ‘Hmm, Penn State? Did you go there?’ (i’m ok with him since he’s a foreigner and probably just want open up a conversation), second one said: ‘whose hoodie are you wearing?’ (I was so embarrassed, she looked down to me and I know, because nobody ever thought I’d ever be able to be an alumni of such reputable university, simply because I didn’t get a chance to study overseas like them). Never mind, ignore my over sensitive pride and anger.

Anyway long short story, I knew this one guy was graduated from HU, he’s so kind, well behaved, smart and just basically adorable. Deep in my heart I always want to be compatible to talk to someone like him. Till I read his blog and it renewed my faith, there is still a man like this in this strange world. He came from a usual family but he’s faithful to God and he’s given open door to study all over the world with tons of achievements. For me it’s like: I want to grow up like him. 

I started to remember again about my childhood dreams and convicted that it’s not too late to start living up that dreams again, one of those is to study overseas. How? Thankful for opportunities and scholarships available in my country, and when I look back? My educational background is not bad at all. So first step that I did is taking TOEFL test. I was rushing because I wanted to follow LPDP’s timeline. I studied in between work (mostly I spent few hours after work at office) ministry at church, arranging different events, and so on then I managed to take the test on March 2016.

In between of family drama that cause me to sell my investment (gold) to cover my family’s fraud, and using my coworker’s credit card to pay for the test (thanks Tjung Mega). It was a great time to spent at home, with my father, without internet, away from my routine, and being treated like little girl again. And when I took the test at Vista Bandung, it feels so awesome. I met plenty of people from all over places, taking test for the sake of pursuing their dreams, and I feel so very accomplished because simple I DID IT, after a long hours of enduring the study, stress, worry and fear but well, thank God for the opportunity, I was like don’t mind at all to sell my belongings for taking TOEFL test :’)

I was waiting till I decided which school should I register, my hope LDPD was gone, I couldn’t make it on schedule. Then I interacted with a Alfan Rezani which I know from Indonesia Mengglobal. I was hesitate but his email reply after reply somehow give me hope. When the time was due, I hesitate still to send my application. I remember that christmas/new year time at Michelle’s house, I was so confused, stressed, under pressured and have no peace at all. One thing I know of, I didn’t pray for this matter because I was afraid that this was just a selfish desire. So basically that shows how I rely on my own strength.

And then I found out for the first time that I can’t bear any longer. All the pressure I put to myself, about my future school, relationship with Sam and different expectations, caused me being hospitalized for the first time in my life.

After I went out of the hospital, I dare myself to just submit my halfway school application to Aarhus University, simply because I received a deadline reminder. Then I watched Lalaland movie that made me so proud because I dared myself to submit an application, finally, one very small step but yet I found it was brave enough HAHA. Behind the story: of course I wouldn’t be able to pay the app fee which cost me around 70 euro and so I asked my coworker’s credit card again (thanks Juned), and promise him to pay in installment for 3 months. I was waiting, hoping for any answer from AU then finally an email came and they asked me for course description of my previous study. With another drama, it was so hard to get the document from my old uni, that cause another headache (thanks Nongky for all the help). After I submitted the additional document, I didn’t reallyy remember what’s going on. Suddenly it’s a day after my birthday. I was still celebrating myself here and there, and on March 2nd, 2017 I opened an email from Aarhus University: (my heart was pounding like crazy, I said God, this email can either change my life because I get to go to Denmark or the opposite) and it said:

Application to Economics and Business Administration - International Economic Consulting, summer intake rejected due to lack of qualifications

I couldn’t remember how I handle the feeling In my life, I didn’t receive many rejections. Applying for jobs, schools, even to be friend with someone, I was mostly got accepted. I processed this rejection in a poor way. I was just trying to be strong, tell myself that it’s ok, the world is still going round, I tried so hard to not see God as a bad provider, and of course, I didn’t tell anyone about it.

Trying to handle that myself caused me a bad bad anxiety problem, I got so insecured, I lost my confidence and kind of lack of appettite to do anything. Different celebrations that people made for my birthday didn’t even help, until poured this to Michelle and she prayed for me she listened to me and cooked for me. She’s truly a God-sent friend.

March 12, 2017

It’s a day after my mom’s birthday, she supposed to turn 57 if she’s still alive.

I was at my bedroom on Saturday night. I was tempted to watch something bad but turned out that I saw a scholarship page from Nuffic Neso, about Stuned, Orang Tulip Scholarship, NFP, etc. I was interested because it hasn’t due, I mean, I still have time to apply. I scroll back and forth, I asked God which one which one, I downloaded few brochures from different uni, until I don’t know why I register to Hanze University of Applied Sciences (the possible due date maybe is the reasone why). And: DANG, it’s due in a week after I accidentally registered myself. 

Dear Marshella, We thank you for applying for one of the study programmes offered by Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen (Hanze UAS). Hanze UAS has assigned you the Student number 373079. Please mention this number when communicating with Hanze UAS, so we are able to assist you better. I knew that I have to submit my full application before March 19th, which I know I’ll be away to my hometown for my bestfriend’s bridalshower. I was like why God why that date, I knew I would be so busy preparing everything, but it means I have to submit before March 17th because I can’t do that from Bandung.

Of course with a touch of Michelle’s help I managed to submit online, I was ready to pay for another application fee charge, I was just don’t care because I see an open door, I have peace in my heart and I know God was alongside me and make the universe conspires to help me. The last thing I have to do is to click ‘submit your application’, and then THAT’s ALL. Hanze UoA didn’t ask for application fee, PRAISE PRAISE to the almighty God.

Around 5 days after I submit, I was at my office and doing regular email check then I found that Hanze UoA has accepting me as one of their student!! I shared the news with my LCG Amel, Michelle, Nongky, Juni and Ci Sisca.

Then I thought, what now? I just need to figure out how to pay and what kind of scholarship I can apply. In the midst of so many things, I managed to apply to Stuned (a bit tight, again because it’s due before my long-awaited trip to Coldplay concert in Singapore). Again Michelle help me and Juni gave me her cousin’s contact to help me for my application. I asked Cheri, Kara who went through the same situation. It enhances my knowledge but still I didn’t know what to expect, I am afraid if I put too much expectations, but I don’t want to be hopeless and not trusting God for this matter. 

To be honest, I doubt myself too, there are so many greater people out there that deserve this scholarship. But it also hurts to think of ‘why not me’, is it because I am half chinese? My life is not miserable enough? My so-so job? And many other things that can hinder me to believe that I deserve a scholarship, to be able to find fund for my master degree, to trust that if God gave me this desire and He doesn’t just give to take it away again. But one thing I’m sure of, if He wants me to go, He will make a way, and He will open the door no matter how people and even myself won’t :)

Jeremiah 29:11-14  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord,

Amsal 23: 18  Karena masa depan sungguh ada,dan harapanmu tidak akan hilang.

[edge-hill-university]

Five Reasons to Start University: look what you’ve got to gain

Your Independence “The best part about living in halls is having my independence, and actually having to look after myself. The worst part is not having a dish washer,” says first year Jack Lloyd, highlighting some of the trials and tribulations of living away from home for the first time. 

University life offers many things, but nothing is quite as liberating – and daunting: doing your own washing up? The horror! The horror! – as being in charge of your own day-to-day life. Making every decision to do, or not do (see washing up, above), something yourself. Independence is a powerful drug, and can send some off the rails, but once you’ve got the hang of it, there’s no going back.

An Open Mind It’s worth remembering now and then that university isn’t just a pit stop on the path to your chosen career. It’s also somewhere to discover fresh ideas, and somewhere to mould your own. It’s base camp in the foothills of life’s huge challenges, a place where you can weigh up the journey ahead, and plan the best route for you, in collaboration with friends and fellow travellers. So take your time in the library, get involved in the seminars, forego that early pint to catch the speaker whose latest paper caught your eye, take a module that appears entirely alien to any previous study. As English Literature student Melanie Senior says, “my tutors from first year really inspired the way I look at literature and the way I write, both creatively and academically.” The mental adventure you embark on at university is as exhilarating as anything else you will experience during your time in higher education. You may even be able to answer one or two questions on University Challenge, which may be something you couldn’t say when you were neck deep in foam at a Freshers’ bash.

Friends for Life You will be influenced by many academics, intellectual thinkers and figures from history.  But you will also be influenced by the people who will come to be as important to you as family – new friends. From all over the world, not just the UK.  With different ideas, cultural traditions, senses of humour, food, music and fashion tastes. But they’ll be there when you have your biggest revelations, are at your lowest ebb, or experiencing your first all-kind-of-things.  And you’ll be there for theirs. Psychology student Lydia Suffling clearly remembers time spent with her university buddies: 

“Travelling to Southport Beach with my housemates was great fun – walking along the coastline, going on the fairground rides on the pier and enjoying hot doughnuts from the beach stands.” 

It may not sound like the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle you’re sometimes sold, but they say that what you experience at the sharp end of your teenage years stays with you for life, its vividness undimmed. Doing stuff with these new friends is the point where you really bond, and it’s often for life.

Responsibility and Employability Suggestive of cleaning, cooking, time constraints, and the basic requirements of personal hygiene, responsibility is a word parents tend to use on a depressingly regular basis. However, the responsibilities required to perform well in a job, or on a placement, or in an elected capacity are much less mundane. And these life skills can all be gained through opportunities found at university, and they give you a head start in your search for a successful future. Psychology undergrad Lydia Suffling recalls the benefits of being a course representative: 

“It’s a real social responsibility and it allows you to blend with the other students on your course (because you are advocating for them) and also the module leaders. Not only this, but I feel that I understood a lot more about the effort put into the course itself and the way in which modules were created.”

Alternatively you could approach the university careers team, who can help you find part-time work during your undergraduate years, or become a student guide, showing prospective candidates around campus, like Law with Criminology undergraduate Fabrina Benhamada-Lasborg, who has used the role “to challenge some boundaries, one being to speak confidently in front of large audiences, which is something I’m now comfortable with and very important for my future law career.” Or you could try your hand at student politics, campaigning on issues close to your heart, join – or even start – a society around something you are passionate about, from Jeremy Clarkson to Jeremy Corbyn to Tom and Jerry.  You could work abroad during the summer break, or devote some of your time to volunteering. All these things will enhance your life experiences.

Your Money Goes Further Finally, some very tangible perks.  As a uni student, you get lots of free stuff – everyone loves that, don’t they? Banks will dangle carrots in front of you, and there are discounts-a-go-go through your NUS membership, as well as simply for holding student status. Student nights are regular dates in the diaries of most reputable after-dark entertainment establishments, while many shops, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and gig venues offer student discounts. Even public transport is cheaper. And here at Edge Hill you get automatic free membership to The Arts Centre, our on-campus venue for all things cultural, which includes tickets to several shows of your choice each year, just to get you started. And let’s not forget Freshers’, one of the most memorable weeks of a student’s time at uni, with something for everyone, from society fairs and comedy nights to super, great, smashing nights hosted by superstar DJs. With added foam and lasers. But why listen to us when there’s Lauren Mann, Edge Hill NUS Vice President, who can say it so much better: 

“Whether it’s an inflatable fun day, mini golf, slumber party film night or massive DJs and live bands taking the roof off the Quad at night, there really is something for everyone at Freshers’.”

So there you have it, and we haven’t even scratched the surface.  If we’d compiled a top 50 reasons to go to uni we’d still have plenty more things to shout about.  

UCAS applications close on the 15th January – what have you got to lose?