#back with a new format (7 gifs instead of 5) and now being presented out of chronological order

[gaelstudies-blog]

A new university year (or rather, the first university year) is starting for University students all across the UK. As I am going into my third year this Monday, I thought I would share some of my tips and advice.

1. Don’t beat yourself up if other people seem to have it easier

Sometimes it can feel like cliques develop straight away, which if you’re struggling to make friends can make the experience even more isolating. I remember turning up to my first ever class and there was already groups of friends who had bonded well. This made me feel really anxious and hesitant to  make friends incase I was intruding on friendship groups. The reality is that you can make friends at any point in the year, and a lot of people don’t limit how many friends they have. 

2. Your Freshers friends might not be the people you stay friends with

I know a lot of people who had big groups of friends during Freshers and then not long after classes properly started, these friendship groups no longer existed. These people stuck together because they were scared of being alone, and because they didn’t want to miss out on fun events. Which is completely normal and fine. But it does mean that when people feel more confident in themselves and when they branch out more in classes that they might not want to hang around with you anymore. Plus you’ll often find that conflicting timetables, different campuses, and high workloads can put a strain on even the most genuine of Freshers friendships.

3. Don’t slack off just because other people seem to 

There will be a lot of people that simply won’t turn up to a lot (if any) classes, or do any of the readings for seminars or any lecture preparation. And this can make it really tempting to do the same, after all, everyone else is doing it right? But don’t let your grades suffer because you don’t want to stick out. It’s better to be the nerd of the class than make your workload so much harder on yourself. I made the mistake of doing readings before every seminar until a lot of people weren’t doing it, and then I stopped because it felt like there was ‘no point’ to it. But the point is to learn, and that preparation could’ve made exams and assignments a lot easier for me. 

4. Reach out for help - be that mental or academic

As scary as it can be, reaching out for help at university is so crucial. Don’t understand an assignment? Your lecturer will have contact hours and will likely be pretty responsive via emails. You’ll also have a personal tutor that you can flag up issues with. Struggling with mental health issues? Be sure to let your university know so they can put support in place. Your university will have that support available, but sometimes it might not be so well advertised, so be sure to have a look at your university website and ask your lecturers for help. Your university lecturers want you to succeed, and they’ll be really happy to put in the extra support you need to boost your grades.

5. Take first year seriously

For a lot of university students, first year won’t count towards their end grade. Which is why they’re often told to be laid back and just have fun. And whilst not overdoing yourself and having fun is essential, so is putting in the work. Use this year to experiment with different study techniques, use this year to experiment with how you dedicate your time to studying. This way you can really see what works for you and what doesn’t, without you having to worry so much that a mistake can mess up your grade. A lot of people will find that their old study techniques don’t work for them quite so well now that they’re at a higher level and potentially tacking topics in a different way. Instead of desperately trying to make ineffective techniques work, branch out and learn new ones.

6. Don’t overdo yourself with non-course related commitments 

A lot of people will stress the importance of getting involved in societies, trying to build up volunteering experience, as well as having a social life. And again, yes this is important, but it can come at a cost. You might find that this can be really draining for you, leading to mental health complications. You might find that this gives you a lot less time to study which impacts your grades. Be realistic in your expectations for your social life. You don’t have to have something planned every day, or even most days. Try and ease yourself into it, starting off with 1 or 2 commitments and increasing / decreasing later on depending on how your schedule goes. Try and avoid getting involved in any commitments that you can’t back out of, because this can also have a negative impact on you. Be sure also to not miss any classes because of non-course related social events because often times classes cover 1 topic per class, so it can be really easy to fall behind or miss out.

7. It’s never too late to sort out your studying

If you find yourself later in the year not doing much (or any) studying or preparation for classes, don’t be afraid of taking a step back and sorting out your priorities. It might be harder to get back on track, but it’s important to try and get back into studying. At my university, my first lots of assignments are often November or December, which can be a big gap between when I start and when I get proper work to do. This can mean it’s really easy to end up closer to those times having fallen back on my studying. Instead of letting it overwhelm you, choose to get yourself prepared for your next lecture and do some studying straight after having it. This way you can focus on your upcoming lectures and not neglect them for lectures you’ve missed out on in the past.

8. Look out for lectures and events outside your course you can attend

My university often invites speakers in from places like Buzzfeed, Vice, BBC, etc to give lectures which are open to all students. They also host networking events for different industries. Getting involved with these can be a great way to network, develop career knowledge, and also potentially learn things that can improve your own studies. Sometimes I’ve attended a lecture by a speaker for a course outside mine and they’ve touched on a topic which I then studied up on to apply to a current assignment. I also know people that have gotten work published because they spoke to journalists after their talk who were more than happy to help them gain connections or give them advice. Don’t neglect your own classes for them, but be sure to consider them next time you’re bored and looking for something to do. A lot of these will be free also, so it doesn’t matter too much if you end up not enjoying it.

9. Talk with your lecturers

This is one which is often talked about, but I find that a lot of people talk about it in the wrong way. I really would not recommend meeting up with your lecturers every time they have office hours like some people suggest. Instead, meet up with them for the purpose of answering questions that you’re struggling with. Are you struggling with sources? Are you struggling with formatting or understanding an assignment question? They can be a great source of knowledge. Also look to see what work they have published and actually read up on it. This can be a great opportunity to not only find new sources that are likely relevant to your studies but also discuss it with them so you can have a deeper understanding of it. This can also be a great way to build up a relationship with your lecturer. I’ve had lecturers send me free books or give source recommendations because they’ve been interested in what I’ve had to say in class and would like to give me something back in return.

10. Don’t be afraid to turn down drugs  / alcohol

So for a lot of people, Freshers events will have finished. But these opportunities can present themselves again further down the line. Here’s the thing, if people are pressuring you into drinking, smoking, or doing drugs then they’re not your friend. If someone is insistent on you trying drugs or drinking (especially for the first time) then it’s because they want you to embarrass yourself so they can have a laugh. Don’t be afraid of standing up for yourself and saying no and meeting new people who won’t pressure you. You’ll often find that even if you like drinking, sometimes you’ll get invited to nights out when you have a lot of work to do. Again, if they’re your friends then they’ll understand you have other priorities. Yes, it can suck to miss out on things but remember that there’ll be plenty more opportunities to go out and have fun but those hours spent out drinking and being too hungover the next day to study won’t be something you can do over. 

11. Get involved with the student union and other university jobs

Your university Student Union is a fantastic resource, where they can help you if you’ve been accused of plagiarism or any other academic misconduct. They will represent you against the university to ensure that you get the best possible outcome. They can also assist you with housing issues, financial issues, and a whole host of other things. Additionally, they will often put on great events and the student union can be a chilled place to hang out. As a university student, you’ll automatically be a member of your student union so be sure to check it out and get to know more about your one. They often provide students with jobs, which are usually extremely flexible to fit your timetable. Additionally, at my university there’s a student ambassador scheme. Where I get paid to help out at open days, visit schools to tell them about university life, and more. I sign up for shifts, so I can tailor it extremely well depending on the time of year and my timetable. Be sure to check out if your university has this or anything similar. As it can be a great way to make money alongside your studies, without having to worry so much about having a boss that wants you to prioritise them instead of your studies. I know a lot of people that have had bosses schedule shifts for when they’ve had classes which can cause a whole host of problems. Because I work as part of the university and as part of the student union, this isn’t an issue for me - so it’s definitely something to look into and consider. 

12. Get involved in mentorship schemes or workshops

A lot of universities will have a mentorship scheme in place. Be that, a 2nd or 3rd year student helping a student in the year below to improve their studies or having someone from a particular industry come in and help a student with improving their career development skills. My university puts on a lot of workshops where they will go over your CV and help you improve it, as well as offering tailored workshops for industry particular CVS (e.g. making or improving an engineering CV). They also have workshops where they help students improve their academic writing, or their English (if their native language isn’t English) and many more. I also know that the same is true of a lot of other universities. So be sure to have a look out for these events and put yourself forward for them. Having a mentor can be invaluable for networking, improving study skills, improving grades, or knowing how to get your foot in the door to a particular industry and all sorts. Doing workshops might seem boring, until they help you get in to the job you want or help you know what job it is you want. A lot of them will be free, and they’re definitely worth giving a go. Remember that whilst university life is about your academic success you want to then be able to get a good job at the end of it.

I hope you all have a fantastic first year, and I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have. I’m a third year Global Politics and International Relations student in London, I also transferred courses in my second year. I’m a student ambassador and I’m a worker in the student union. So don’t be afraid to ask me any question, no matter how silly you think it might be.

If you liked what I had to say and/or found it useful in any way, then consider donating to my ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/gaelstudies

#university #studyblr #studying #uniblr #studyspo #mine

[ny-watcher]

#GH18 - Meet the 20 New Gran Hermano Revolution Housemates 😉👌

The GH Revolution Premiere Started on 9/19/2017 and will continue on Thursday 9/21/2017 when 2 more Housemates will be Voted into the House by the Public making a Total of 20 Housemates for this Edition of Gran Hermano. Update: The 2 New Housemates Voted in by the Public were Daniel and Jose Maria. 

Although the Premiere Launch Show was Entertaining and the Show was off to a Good Start it was stained by the BAD and STUPID plan the GH Bosses decided to implement with this Edition - which was to Eliminate the 24 Hour Live Feed - Very Stupid Move!!

As an Analyst of Big Brother I watch Big Brother from Many Countries and I can tell you without a doubt 100% that every Big Broher Show that have eliminated the Live Feed (The Most Fundemental feature of the Whole Big Brother Format) have killed their show from within. Eliminating the Live Feed goes hand in hand with Ratings Drop for obvious reasons. The Big Brother Format was created so we the Public could play the the role of the all seeing eye of Big Brother by studying the Housemates every move in the Big Brother House in REAL TIME LIVE UNEDITED!! - Not so we can only see an EDITED Version of it on TV. This is why the Live Feeds were created as the most important part of the Big Brother format in the first place. So instead of the GH Bosses Demonstrating a Positive Revolution with New Ideas like Muticameras with more interactions they chose to do the opposite and eliminate it. This Obviously is now backfiring on them right from the Start. The Irony here is they thought Eliminating the Live Feed would be a Good Revolutionary Strategy when in fact it's the contrary. Instead there's a Real Revolution already forming on Social Media with most of the True Fans up in arms over this Stupid decision and are demanding the GH Bosses bring back the Live Feed or their will be no one watching this Edition of Gran Hermano. As proof the Premiere Launch had the Worst Ratings in this Gran Hermano's History. Below I'll post the Stats from every Premiere launch Show since the 1st edition.

Here are the Ratings Stats for the 1st Gala of every Past Edition until Present:

'Gran Hermano 1' (23/04/2000): 5.296.000 y 36,5%

'Gran Hermano 2' (18/03/2001): 5.400.000 y 36,3%

'Gran Hermano 3' (04/04/2002): 6.596.000 y 38,8%

'Gran Hermano 4' (06/10/2002): 5.108.000 y 33,5%

'Gran Hermano 5' (21/09/2003): 3.852.000 y 26,9%

'Gran Hermano 6' (05/09/2004): 4.131.000 y 31,6%

'Gran Hermano 7' (20/10/2005): 5.611.000 y 35,2%

'Gran Hermano 8' (07/09/2006): 3.804.000 y 30,6%

'Gran Hermano 9' (09/09/2007): 3.497.000 y 28,7%

'Gran Hermano 10' (21/09/2008): 4.517.000 y 29,2%

'Gran Hermano 11' (06/09/2009): 3.449.000 y 25,3%

'Gran Hermano 12' (17/10/2010): 3.353.000 y 22,8%

'Gran Hermano 12+1' (19/01/2012): 3.528.000 y 24,5%

'Gran Hermano 14' (11/02/2013): 3.061.000 y 19,3%

'Gran Hermano 15' (18/09/2014): 2.438.000 y 22,4%

'Gran Hermano 16' (13/09/2015): 3.407.000 y 24,8%

'Gran Hermano 17' (08/09/2016): 2.557.000 y 23,9%

'Gran Hermano 18’ (19/09/2017): 1.809.000 y 16,2%

As you can see the Ratings Drop is Alarming considering this is just Day 1 Stats and without Live Feeds this could get Worse since there are already many Angry Fans upset over this Bad Decision.

So my advice to the GH Bosses and Production Team is simple - Roll back the Stupid decision you guys made and bring back the Live Feed Fast before the Negativity snowballs out of control. For example Big Brother Australia eliminated the Live Feeds and killed their Ratings and the Show now no longer exist. Big Brother UK eliminated their Live Feeds and year after year their Ratings Dropped lower and lower and this year it went as low as 600,000+ Viewers - way below the 1 million Mark which was embarrassing!! Now they have only 1 year left in their Contract with Endemol so 2018 could be their last year. Get the Picture?

So why does this happen? Simple - Some Producers and Network Bosses become so blind and arrogant they actually believe they can control every aspect of the Shows they produce for the sake of Ratings. However they forget and/or overlook the fact that without the Public input especially with this Reality show Format, they will have no Show or get High Ratings if they continue to ignore and treat them as Fools. It's easy to see that these GH Bosses have lost sight of what the True Concept of the Big Brother Reality Show is all about.

The Big Brother Format was created so that Public would have the Most input on what happens on the Show not the least input - Hence the Public Vote. The Public are the ones who ultimately decide if the Show Succeeds or Fails not the Producers or Show Bosses. So when you ignore the Public and treat them like Morons then you get the Ratings you deserve as these Fans don't appreciate being insulted by all the Shady Manipulations. This is why they decide to abandon the Show en Masses which causes the Ratings to Obviously Drop. 

So GH Bosses I know you are reading this or you can easily translate it - Stop the Stupidity and Listen to what the Public want and consider how it benefits the Shows Ratings. Don't Ignore them and play God cause they will knock you off your High Horse Real Quick. Bad Ratings = No Money for you. So Wake Up cause you are Killing one of my Favorite Versions of Big Brother!! 😡

#GH #GH18 #GHRevolution #BBSpain #BBSpain18 #Big Brother Spain #Gran Hermano