35 Things I learnt in my final year at university

Every year it has been a sort of tradition that when my university year comes to a close I write a list of all the random silly things I have learnt along the way!

If you fancy reading the list from first year click here or if you want to read the list from second year click here.

Here is the final year’s list…

• Having my feet dangling over the edge of a plane 13000 feet up made me laugh not cry

• Never ever ever ever will I have another chilli vodka shot as long as I live
• Even after three years the Yorkshire accent is still a novelty to 99.9% of people
• And even after three years the midland’s water doesn’t taste any better
• Tabata fitness classes hurt so bad (but are so worth it)
• Cycling on campus is actually quite fun
• Having my own en-suite for the first time is the best
• Work experience at one of the top UK newspapers gave me a taste of the busy London working life
• MAC and Sephora shopping sprees are very addictive (and also an expensive habit)
• The fireworks at Regent Street Christmas lights switch on were amazing
• Having a takeaway after a night out in Paris means chocolate crepes (which I could get used to)
• Being a librarian is awesome

• The best bookshop in the entire world is situated in Carlisle, Cumbria
• It’s still acceptable to dress up for Halloween (even if it is as a zombie school girl)

• Third year means the nights out (although lesser )are bigger, better and crazier
• Dark purple lipstick is chic
• Working in a job with your best friend is never dull

• My homemade cottage pie is now perfected
• The notebook made me cry more than any other film EVER
• Neo-Victorianism is one of my favourite book genres
• Zoella’s vlogs are addictive
• Dissertation takes over your life but you learn to (secretly) love it
• There are no sport facilities like my uni’s (skyping on a treadmill say whaaaaat?!)
• Pigeon Detectives and Professor Green are fantastic live
• Having a chocolate fountain in a club is a genius idea
• Receiving my degree certificate was the proudest moment of my life

• Visiting London, Liverpool, Paris, Prague and Budapest all in my final year was incredible!
• My parents surprising me at uni on my 21^st birthday was the sweetest thing!
• Liverpool is the place to go for a class night out

• Having five inches cut off my hair in one go was definitely for the greater good
• The novel Dracula is now one of my all-time favourites ever!
• Leaving university was the saddest thing I have ever had to do

• After three years at uni I am now a pro at packing and unpacking in record time
• Arthur Conan Doyle’s publishing history is really fascinating
• Loughborough will always be my second home

Finding Graduate Jobs Doesn’t Have To Be Scary

I thought I’d write this piece to voice my opinon and help everyone out there in a similiar situation to me. Being a finalist at university it is time for me to find a grad job. When a lot people hear the words ‘grad jobs’ they freak out. And why shouldn’t they? Being in the comforts of education your whole life it is scary to venture out alone into the big wide world. But it doesn’t have to be frightening. For me, I’m excited. Excited at all the possible opportunities out there. I could be anything, work anywhere in the world, meet so many different people. All the opportunities out there for graduates are phenomenal. It’s just about finding something that would suit you personally.

Through observation, many people have taken different approaches to this, whether it be to put it off, block it from your mind and not attend any careers events or to presume there aren’t any jobs for them or their subject so don’t bother looking. These approaches may work for some people but definitely won’t work long term. It can be stressful when people are around you saying ‘I have applied to five how many have you applied to?!?!’ But everyone goes at their own pace and is interested in different things – an engineering student won’t necessarily want the same things as a fashion student for instance.

My advice to you guys (especially the worriers of the world) would be to research. Start researching companies and from there develop a plan of where you want to apply and work through them systematically. Look at it as a vast amount of opportunities waiting to be taken. Perspective is everything.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That

I decided to make a casual blog post about stuff nobody has time for in their day.There are a lot of annoying things you find yourself doing that you really just don’t have the time for.  

1- Untangling earphones. My earphones literally tangle themselves into an intricate ball overnight JUST WHY.

2- My phone battery dying right in the middle of a text.

3- Dropping toothpaste down your shirt..jumper it is…

4- People who sit in the aisle seats on public transport with their bag just chilling on the window seat.

5- People that walk really slowly in front of you and/or take up the whole of the pavement so you have to make a lil unexpected detour onto the road to swerve them.

6- Receiving snapchat videos of the inside of a club on a night out. You can have a fun night out without taking six 10 second videos and sending it to your whole contact list.

7- When your biscuit crumbles into your drink of tea and it is lost forever.

8- People parking so wonky that they take up not one but TWO spaces in the car park.

9- Wearing matching socks.

10- Daily emails off all the sites you have ever made a purchase from. 

Day 15 – 10 of the Best Presents for Students

1- Literally ANY food. Students always need more food. Whether it is chocolate or snacks to a voucher for Sainsbury’s or Tescos for their next shop.

2- A flask so they can take tea/coffee/hot chocolate to their gruelling 9am lectures.

3- A Kindle. As an English student I know that there is nothing worse than lugging tonnes of textbooks around so a Kindle solves all of that.

4- The obvious one – ALCOHOL. Trust me it will be used. 

5- Student houses aren’t the warmest so a good blanket/ onesie/ hot water bottle will definitely come in handy.

6- A whiteboard. Whether it is for house/ hall messages or for organisation they come in really handy!

7- Anything to decorate their rooms with. So posters of their favourite bands or photoframes etc.

8- Jokey presents like scrabble fridge magnets that will make their accommodation more cosy.

9- A student cook book. My grandma bought me one when I went to uni and it came in soo handy.

10- Anything that will save them money. For Christmas my relatives get me a load of stationary and toiletries because I will use them and it saves me buying them.

Day 9 – 30 Things I learnt from My Second Year at University

1- If someone says ‘Tequila time’ it is never a good sign

2- Making meals from scratch tastes soo much better

3- The correct way to boil a potato (no joke)

4- That Shawshank Redeption is an awesome movie

5- It is perfectly acceptable to be a big kid and go on the swings

6- Water speakers are amazing and mesmerizing (also great for procrastinating)

7- ‘The Monk’ by Matthew Lewis is a weird weird novel

8- The Midlands is crap compared to Yorkshire

9- Toffee crisp cereal is amazing

10- Uni is full of the weird and wonderful so don’t be surprised if you see a boy wearing his gf’s dressing gown in broad daylight around town

11- Passing my driving test was the BEST feeling

12- Every writer should own a pretenstious writing notebook

13- Spinning hurts so bad buuut is worth the pain

14- Anne Bronte is so underrated

15- I love christmas markets

16- Kangaroo tastes really good

17- Flip flops are still a necessity to life

18- Having Dave Franco and Zac Efron in the same movie was a genius idea

19 – Squid is really yummy

20- The Fault in our Stars is one of the best books

21- Converting to Kindle is actually beneficial

22- Real christmas trees are better than fake ones

23- I still and will always refuse to admit my favourite band have split up (JLS)

24- Having a cinema trip, 2 meals out, a birthday pres AND nightout is not excessive for a birthday at all…

25- Being 20 feels no different

26- Inventing the nicknames ‘Soccor Mom, Prowl, Taken, Yorkshire and Hottie’ for my girls was hilarious

27- Never again do I (or any other english students) want to hear the sentence ‘the car is parked on the bridge near the pub’

28- If you keep trying you will eventually find the best work experience/ placement you want

29- I love writing poetry

30- Doing the photoshoot for carnival magazine was really fun

 

Bring on final year!

Interview with Dancer and Loughborough University’s Dance Show Coordinator, Hannah Redfern

Hannah is currently in her third year of studying Sport and Exercise Science. She has been dancing since she was four years old. Hannah has done a variety of dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary along with some others!

1)      What is your favourite type of dance and why?

Ballet is without a doubt my favourite style of dance to both watch and perform. I think ballet dancers are incredible athletes and it’s such a beautiful art form.

2)      What do you love most about dancing and why?

Shows!! I absolutely love performing on stage, hence why I took on the role of show co-ordinator- I really wanted to have a go at creating my own! I am a really arty person so loved getting creative when producing the show- not something I usually get to do on a science course!

3)      As the shows coordinator what did your role entail? Was it challenging?

My role included designing and producing all the promotional aspects of the performance so things like posters, programmes and T-shirts as well as choreographing the opening and closing routines for the whole club. I also had to hire venues and staff, create a theme, liaise with teachers and random other bits of organising such as DVDs and tickets! It was definitely more fun than stressful (except the last week!). The amazing people I had supporting me certainly made my life alot easier! The staff from LSU Media and the LSU Tech Crew have been particularly great so a massive thank you to those guys!

4)      What was your favourite part of the dance show?

From an organisational point of view I loved seeing all of my ideas and designs coming together in the flesh, which was so rewarding! The fact that we sold out twice and were almost full on the remaining night was really great to see and all the hype and support on social media was overwhelming- nice to see people appreciating all the effort everyone from LSUDC put into the show!

5)      How were the rehearsals?

Rehearsals were long and tiring! I worked out I did 48 hours of dance the week before/of the show and I would just like to thank all the dancers again for the time and hard work they put in! The teachers and committee also deserve a massive thank you for their dedication all year round and to making the club as successful as it is!

6)      What is your favourite thing about being in LSU Dance?

The people without a doubt, everyone is so lovely and friendly- we are a very sociable club! I have also loved having the opportunity to teach and be a part of the committee. From organising the show I have learnt just how lucky we are to have such an amazing Students Union here in Loughborough and it is lovely to have gained more insight into areas which I didn’t know much about before!

7)      Now it is over what is next in store? The competition coming up?

Yes we have our competition soon! If you enjoyed ‘Let’s go to the Movies!’ and want to see your favourite dances again, make sure you come along to our LSU Dance Competition in Sir David Wallace on Sat 8^th and Sunday 9^th March. It is the biggest university Dance competition in Britain and its always such a great weekend, there is a big social in Room 1 on Saturday night too which is open to all!

8)      What was your favourite dance on the night and why?

Matilda was my favourite one to dance in as I loved acting like a child every night! However I also loved watching the ‘Happy Feet’ Penguin tappers choreographed by our award winning tap teacher and vice chair Faye!

9)      How was it on the night and being on stage?

The show nights ran really smoothly actually which was nice as it meant I wasn’t panicking before going on stage! Dancing was so much fun but the weekend just went way too quickly! Again, a HUGE thank you to anyone involved in any way, it has been an incredible experience and I have loved every second of it! Anyone thinking of joining LSUDC next year, you would be MAD not too! 

Interview with Dancer, Natasha Tavani after the Loughborough University Dance Show

Natasha is a second year student, studying English at Loughborough University. She recently participated in the fabulous LSU Dance Show. Natasha started dancing at the young age of three doing baby ballet. She then picked up modern and tap which she did until thirteen years old. Then she moved onto doing GCSE Dance which was mainly contemporary. She did this for two years then took a short break before starting again with LSU Dance.

What is your favourite type of dance?

I really like  watching ballet, but I think I enjoy performing jazz and hip-hop most.

What was your favourite type of dance in the dance show?

Tricky one! All the dances had different parts which I loved doing, but I guess Jazz was my favourite to dance.

What was the atmosphere like backstage at the dance show?

There were lots of nerves! But so much fun, everybody was supportive! There were lots of quick changes, so it was all very manic.

How was being onstage on the night?

It was terrifying but exhilarating. I get really nervous but it was very fast paced and you didn’t really get time to think about what you were doing! It was so much fun though, the cheers from the audience were great!

What was your favourite part?

My favourite part was the finale as everybody was on stage. It was really fun and relaxed with everyone dancing, cheering and bowing. It was great.

How were rehearsals?

They were really fun! It was great to see what everyone else had been up to since October! All of the girls in the club are so talented.

Any dance events coming up?

There is a competition in two weeks time. So many universities from all over the country are involved. There will be over 1000 students competing. It is held here, at Loughborough University.

Are you excited for it?

I’m really excited. It should be so much fun! We’ve got a social planned for the Saturday as well, which will be absolutely great.

Who Will Be The Next AU President at Loughborough University?

Martha “Tigger” Riggs and Steffan Lloyd are both campaigning to be Loughborough University’s next AU President. Both are great candidates with strong manifestos.  It is interesting to see the current IMS Chair (Steffan) up against the Vice IMS Chair (Martha) with not much between them.

Steffan’s manifesto is appealing to students as he wants to build upon the current AU President, Jennie Cooper’s foundations. He wants to continue Loughborough University’s sporting success and aims to develop the ‘current AU Execs vision’. He also intends to increase sponsorship received by the AU, which will boost the funding for AU clubs as well as at sporting events. A point which stands out is his aim to increase spectatorship on campus. The spectators are a major part in any sport and encourage the sportsmen to victory. He wants to ‘re-introduce the ‘Big Match’ concept’ and rebrand it. Also Steffan wishes to introduce ‘a centralised fixture system to broadcast on campus sporting events to students’. He also focuses specifically on ‘strengthening the relationship the Au has with the Coaching Academy within Loughborough Sport’. Overall a strong candidate.

Martha’s manifesto also appeals to fellow students as she wants to ‘ensure there is an environment that encourages sport participation for all’. She intends to make students ‘aware of every level of opportunity within AU clubs and Loughborough sport where clubs portray an image of inclusivity’. She wants to introduce some new ideas to the AU such as creating a social sports competition ‘that identifies the champion ‘club of all clubs’’. This is a great idea as it will bring more sportsmen together. As well as this Martha wants to improve the coaching in clubs all across the AU. This is because she thinks that, ‘coaching is the key to ensuring every team and individual reaches their potential.’ Martha is also a very strong candidate.

It is going to be a close and very interesting result as to who gets AU President. It is the most anticipated result yet. WOW wish both candidates the best of luck.

8 of the Best Ways to Make Your Student Room Feel Like Yours

Moving into Student Halls at university was a massive change for me. The room I moved into could not have been more different from the one I have at home. However I made it feel really homey in no time! Here are a few of the things I did to make my student room feel like my own!

1- Photos and lots of them! My room at university was covered in photos of amazing memories I had with my family and friends from back home. Having those not only made me smile every time I looked at them but also was a nice change from the plain white walls!

2- Posters and postcards. I brought a few of my posters from my room at home and put them up which definitely made my room feel a lot more homey.

3- Rugs. Bringing a rug from home really made a difference in my room. A lot of my friends brought rugs as well. It just gives your room more personality and uniqueness to it.

4- Bedding and cushions. Having my funky cushions and bedding from home really stood out in my room.

5- Throws. In my room I had a couple of chairs and they were the standard plain chair that you tend to see in waiting rooms. Sooo I went to Primark and bought a cool patterned throw to put over it which made my room look much more personalised.

6- Lamps, fairy lights. I know quite a few people that brought fairy lights and put them around their bed etc and it looked really pretty.

7- Personal items from loved ones. I pinned up drawings my little cousins had done for me, notes and letters from my friends and family and also birthday and good luck cards.

8- Funky stationary. Whether you have bright pink folders (like me) or lots of funky notebooks (also like me) on your shelves it will definitely make a difference.

Hope this has helped! 🙂

Sophie Chekruga

30 Useful Ways to Save Money as a Student

1-      Share your laundry load with a friend. If you don’t have a big enough wash, split it with a friend making it half the cost!

2-      Buy in bulk. Not only is buying in bulk a lot cheaper but you can split the products with a friend saving even more money!

3-      Get a bike or walk into town. Instead of relying on buses and taxis or using up petrol, walk or cycle to places, not only are you saving money but getting some exercise at the same time!

4-      Get a rail card. These are so useful to have and save you a lot of money!

5-      Get an NUS card. Getting one of these also saves you a lot of money as a lot of shops do student discount and won’t give it you unless you present them an NUS card.

6-      Get supermarket’s own brand. So much cheaper than the actual thing and usually you can’t even taste the difference!

7-      Get in touch with second years and buy their books off them. Buying your books second hand saves you a lot of money, plus it won’t be hard to find people to sell them you as they will be in need of money themselves!

8-      Pre drink more and buy less when out. This saves you a lot of money as drinks in clubs can get quite expensive, so if you pre-drink first you won’t need to buy as much out.

9-      Freebies freebies freebies! Collect any freebie you see whether it is a pen, a Frisbee, a notepad – anything, I can assure you will come in handy at some point!

10-   Book train ticket home well in advance. By booking online in advance it not only guarantees you a seat but often makes the journey much cheaper.

11-   Make use of the library. Before buying a book, check to see if it is available in your university’s library and borrow it instead.

12-   Get in touch with second years and see which books were vital before you buy everything on the reading list. Often when you get a reading list some books will just be mentioned in passing so will be a waste of money if you buy them,

13-   Get a part time job/ summer job.

14-   Trade your books back to earn money.

15-   Get vouchers and coupons. There are so many online coupon sites that you can sign up to. They send you an email with vouchers off everything from restaurants to toiletries!

16-   Make use of 2 for 1 deals with your friends. Go shopping with your friends and you can make use of deals together.

17-   Get a kindle. A lot of the books are free to download on a kindle and it is much lighter to carry than a lot of books!

18-   Use free services like Skype and Wassap instead of using your credit and minutes calling and texting.

19-   Instead of joining a gym do work outs in your room and go on runs with friends.

20-   Make a shopping list. Be strict with yourself not to buy anything that isn’t on it.

21-   Buy meat and veg from the market instead.

22-   Do you really need it? Whenever you buy something on impulse always ask yourself if you really really need it or are you just buying it for the sake of it.

23-   Ask anywhere for student discount, even if they say no it is still worth a try.

24-   Go late at night to supermarkets when they put all their reduced stock out.

25-   Get a coin jar and put loose change in, not only will it stop you spending it saves money!

26-   Make a big meal that will save for example a lasagne that you can just warm up the next day.

27-   Don’t waste food! Any veg you leave, save for the next day, blend it and make a soup.

28-   Care packages! Ask your parents really nicely to send you a few things when you are low on supplies.

29-   Use free online services like BBC iPlayer.

30-   Shop around for the best deals.