Welcome back! I haven't blogged in a while, simply because I wanted to enjoy my summer doing lots of fun things (in reality I spent the majority of it working), and I have also been super busy with University work. But, I'm back, with a burning question.
So, how is second year? A question I get asked a lot, by family, by friends, however I rarely have time to reflect on it myself.
As much as I hate to admit it, first year was (kind of) a breeze. It's only on reflection that I have realised this. Second year is more like a breeze with a lot of rain, and occasional thunderstorms (near deadlines). In case you didn't know, I am a second year Journalism student at the University of Leeds and as we are now right in the middle of semester one, I thought it would be a great time to write a post about the slight differences between first and second year.
Just as I had been previously told, second year has more deadlines than first year. I'm pretty sure that my first deadline in first year was sometime in December, giving me nearly 2 months to party and socialise before then. However, in second year my first deadline is sometime in November (I've made a mental note to research this later... it might help to know it). Although November might seem a long way away to some of you, I have already had to complete a lot of work and A LOT of extra readings that first year Gemma was none-the-wiser about.
Yes, the readings, they seem to be longer, but on a positive note, more interesting too. It always makes it 10x easier to read and make notes on a set reading if you are actually enjoying it. This is soooo much easier said than done because when you're reading a 50 page book about semiotics and the denotations and connotations of images, it becomes less enjoyable to read.
Not everything though is all doom and gloom in second year because at many Universities, you don't live in student halls anymore and you are in the freedom of a house. Not having to get up and stand in the cold in the middle of the night because your flatmate set the fire alarm off after burning a piece of toast, is a blessing. Living with people that you actually like is better, but sometimes the quietness of having a house leaves you missing the constant buzz of student halls.
One of the many life lessons that University teaches you is how to handle deadlines and stress. I seem to be quite organised when it comes to my Uni work, but I wish I could say the same about my life. I stress about absolutely everything. As hard as it is to maintain it, keeping ahead, or at least up to date with Uni helps a lot. If you lose track of Uni work, you end up skipping Uni, to catch up on Uni and from there onwards it's just a vicious circle - I've been there.
At the minute, I am just trying to enjoy University the best I can... I'll keep you updated...
All the love x
So, how is second year? A question I get asked a lot, by family, by friends, however I rarely have time to reflect on it myself.
As much as I hate to admit it, first year was (kind of) a breeze. It's only on reflection that I have realised this. Second year is more like a breeze with a lot of rain, and occasional thunderstorms (near deadlines). In case you didn't know, I am a second year Journalism student at the University of Leeds and as we are now right in the middle of semester one, I thought it would be a great time to write a post about the slight differences between first and second year.
Just as I had been previously told, second year has more deadlines than first year. I'm pretty sure that my first deadline in first year was sometime in December, giving me nearly 2 months to party and socialise before then. However, in second year my first deadline is sometime in November (I've made a mental note to research this later... it might help to know it). Although November might seem a long way away to some of you, I have already had to complete a lot of work and A LOT of extra readings that first year Gemma was none-the-wiser about.
Yes, the readings, they seem to be longer, but on a positive note, more interesting too. It always makes it 10x easier to read and make notes on a set reading if you are actually enjoying it. This is soooo much easier said than done because when you're reading a 50 page book about semiotics and the denotations and connotations of images, it becomes less enjoyable to read.
Not everything though is all doom and gloom in second year because at many Universities, you don't live in student halls anymore and you are in the freedom of a house. Not having to get up and stand in the cold in the middle of the night because your flatmate set the fire alarm off after burning a piece of toast, is a blessing. Living with people that you actually like is better, but sometimes the quietness of having a house leaves you missing the constant buzz of student halls.
One of the many life lessons that University teaches you is how to handle deadlines and stress. I seem to be quite organised when it comes to my Uni work, but I wish I could say the same about my life. I stress about absolutely everything. As hard as it is to maintain it, keeping ahead, or at least up to date with Uni helps a lot. If you lose track of Uni work, you end up skipping Uni, to catch up on Uni and from there onwards it's just a vicious circle - I've been there.
At the minute, I am just trying to enjoy University the best I can... I'll keep you updated...
All the love x