A Letter To My Student-Self*

With my not-so-litter sister finishing college this year and starting to think about University, I found myself thinking back to my time as a student. Between moving away after finishing sixth form and then graduating three years later, there were many ups and downs which all contributed towards some of the best years of my life.

For anyone who's taking the step and starting university this year or still trying to figure out which path is best for them, I've listed some of the things I found helped me the most during my time as a student.

Freshers Events:

For those who don't know, Freshers is the name given to the time after moving for university, but before studies actually begin. The Student Guild organises events from bar crawls to quiz nights designed to encourage new students to start making friends. Whilst a little awkward and nerve-wracking at first, there really is so there's no better time to start forming friendship groups then with drinks and nights out all together. Five years after my first "Freshers Week" I'm still best friends with some of the people I met during those first nights out.

Student Discount: 

Whether it's through using your university ID, NUS Extra or My Uni Days - Student Discount will quickly become your best friend. So many high street and online shops offer discounts off of full price items which quickly add up to pretty decent savings over the years (top tip, in your last year of studying be sure to purchase a 3 year NUS Card to continue enjoying those discounts even after graduation).

Budget:

Whilst it may be tempting to splash out as soon as that Student Loan payment hits your bank, it's really not a wise move. With only a small amount going spare, I found the best way to make my pennies last was to divide my total amount of loan (after rent and bills etc) by the amount of weeks left until the next payment, which then gave a weekly allowance. Whilst it seems dull, your future-self will definitely thank you! Remember your student loans are not just free money. They have to be paid back eventually and when they do you should look at all your options of repayment. For any US readers places like Earnest* can help you manage those hefty student loans by refinancing them!

Homesickness: 

If you've chosen to move away for university, the feeling of homesickness is something you'll more than likely experience at least once. I personally loved being away from home for the "full university experience" but still had times when there was nothing I wanted more than a good home-cooked meal and to sit see my Mum. If you're unable to travel home due, a phone call or Facetime is the next best thing to seeing loved ones back home - without the expensive train ticket!

Food shopping: 

If you can, I couldn't recommend shopping at places like Lidl and Aldi enough - I was luckily enough to live down the road from a Lidl in my second and third years of uni which quickly became my favourite place for a food shop. Alternatively own-brand items are usually just as good as branded products at a fraction of the price.

Rail Cards: 

Another great savings tip for those who have chosen to move away for university is purchasing a Railcard. National Rail's 16-25 Railcard costs £30 and offers 1/3 off of all train journeys. Whilst a little pricey up front when on a budget, it quickly pays for itself in savings (this little card saved me a whole lot of money during my three years as a student).

Whilst a huge and scary step, going to university was one of the best decisions I ever made. I gained huge amounts of independence and met some of my best friends during the three years spent studying (and partying).

What tips do you have for any new students moving for uni? 

I'd love to know in the comments. 

xxx

Class of 2014 - Graduation

On Monday, after many many months of waiting, the day of my Graduation finally arrived!

For anyone who doesn't know, I finished studying at university after three amazing years in June and was awarded a 2:1 Bachelor or Arts Degree with Honours in Events Management from The University of Birmingham. This technically means I can put letters after my name now .. Samantha Brooks B.A (Hons) - but despite the temptation, I don't do this haha! 

Most of my friends had their graduation ceremonies a few months ago, so it felt like such a long wait having ours towards the end of September... However despite the wait, it's safe to say it was well worth it. 

The day was filled with celebrations with family and friends and was honest amazing.. To document this I  really wanted to write a post, so in a few months or years I have something to look back on. 

Cheeky photo of myself to start...  

And here are a few of my favourite photos from the day... 

My lovely house-mates / some of my best friends

 Family

Me and Ollie x

The classic cap through with one of my closets
course-mates

Walking across the stage - I saw my family and was meant
to wave, however I was so nervous and concentrating
on walking so much that I ended up clapping and
pulling this strange face haha...

Another one of my dearest best friends
(I love how happy the lady in the background looks)

Another classic cap throwing moment

Ahhh we look so happy! 

Just shaking hands with the dean.. Don't mind me

Cute cute cute 

These are just a few of my favourite photos... I had to limit myself otherwise I'd be posting photos all night! 

For anyone who's interested here's a better photo of the outfit I chose (without the gown and cap)...

Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: New Look
Nail Varnish: Barry M, Matte Nail Paint in shade Espresso

Although pretty scary at times (I've never been as nervous as I was walking across that stage, especially in heels!)... Graduation was honestly the BEST day ever! It was so lovely to see all my family, friends and friend's families so happy and proud of each other. 

After working so hard for three years this was the perfect way to finish and celebrate the time we spent at university. Well done Class of 2014. 

If anyone has written a post about graduation - let me know, I'd love to read it :) 

xxx

University reminiscing

After work today I came home for some much needed lazy laptop time. 

As I was flicking through Facebook, seeing different photos and status' from people who are still at university and how their currently enjoy Freshers. 

Freshers for those of you who don't know, is usually a week or two (or three if you went to my university) where everyone goes on lots of nights out and spends time getting to know each other before lectures begin (yes it's as amazing as it sounds). 

This is when I realised that three years ago today - a Saturday to be precise - was the day I packed up my little bedroom and moved to the big city to start my university journey. This realisation made me feel very sentimental to say the least! Therefore I decided to put together a little of some of my university photos. 

Now I could write about this allll night if I let myself, but my aim was for this to just be short post as a little tribute to my student days.  It really made me happy seeing so many old photos I'd forgotten about and all the memories that came with them. 

Just a small snippet of three
amazing years! 

It's safe to say that if you're heading off to uni soon, or if you have time left - I'm incredibly jealous!

If you want to read more about my thoughts on university, you can ready my blog post about it all coming to an end here or have any questions about uni, feel free to ask!

xxx

Finishing University

So, after three years my life as a student is coming to an end. Even though I technically finished all my assignments last week, it still hasn’t fully sunk in and I sometimes find myself wondering briefly if there’s an essay or presentation I should be working on. So whilst I’m waiting for the rest of my friends to finish their exams and essays, I find myself thinking back to all the fun we’ve had and even though I’m happy to be leaving lectures/assignments behind, it’s all very bitter-sweet.

As cliché as this might sound, coming to university was the best decision I ever made. I only moved an hour away from home, but going from a small countryside city to the second biggest city in the UK was a massive change. However I adapted to uni life quickly, which was definitely helped by three weeks of fresher’s events and being around some lovely people. Luckily for me the fun didn’t stop during our fresher’s week(s) and the last three years have gone by in a blur of silly drunken nights out, laughing and fun.

Of course there’s been some low points throughout uni (the odd argument, the stress of assignments and some homesickness at times) but you have to take the good with the bad, and It’s safe to say there have been many more good times than bad.

It’s crazy thinking back to nearly three years ago, how we were all nervously hovering around our flats in halls, not knowing anyone and all (well this may have just been me) in slight shock that our families had actually left us. Then comparing that to now, and how everyone’s grown and changed. Of course, I’m in no way the most mature or grown-up person (let’s be realistic I’m only 22) but I’ve changed a lot compared to the girl who I was when I started uni and it’s safe to say I’m happy with who I’ve become.

I may be being biased, but I know 100% if anyone asked whether they should go to uni I would tell them – or maybe excitedly shout at them – YES! It’s an incredible experience. Okay you may learn some things about yourself that are slightly unexpected (who knew such anger could come from dirty plates or your fridge space being used by someone else?!) but you’ll grow so much as a person, so it’s definitely worth it!

As it’s all coming to an end, with the final nights out being organised, talk of summer plans and (dare I say it) getting a full time job *shudders* I’m excited to see what the next chapter brings. Hopefully a lot more silly laughs and amazing memories!

Source