London Eye

July was an iffy month. (I'll avoid mentioning that situation in detail again.) So, in general, it was difficult to venture out with my camera.

However, in the midst of all that stress, something good happened too! Of course, I was offered a place at Uni, starting this September. I really, really didn't expect to get onto the course, so it was an overwhelming, but lovely surprise! I'm pretty much still coming to terms with the shock now, weeks later.

A Week In The Life

Do you remember back in the olden days when I used to write a post at the weekend called 'This Week...' and I'd show off some photos of whatever I'd got up to? (Shameless plug: Read them here!) Well, I thought I'd kind of revive the same format, but film a video instead! (So you can see how much of a boring life I really lead.)

It's not technically a weekly vlog, because I don't really want to bore you by talking self-consciously and awkwardly to my camera. Anyway, here's what I got up to last week:


(LOOK OUT FOR: Mr. Potato Head! And the duck that pooed itself because I'm too scary.)

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Summer Holiday Goals

I'm back off to Uni this September, (did I mention that?!) so I thought I'd give myself a bit of a challenge: I'm going to set myself some goals to complete over the next month or so!

Buy my own bodyweight in stationery.

Because a girl can never have too many pretty notepads and pens.

Spend valuable time with friends & family.

I'm going to be totally rushed off my feet soon, aren't I? So, I've realised that I need to spend quality time with family and good friends before I'm a student once again.

Enjoy the summer as much as possible.

I'm awful for just concentrating on worries and not appreciating good weather, (rapidly shortening) long nights, and halcyon days like I should. It changes now.

Embrace my inner bookworm.

There's a huge pile of books in my room that need reading before I end up waist-high in books solely about news. (FUN!)

Go to the seaside!

It's been years since I upped and went to the seaside. I was supposed to visit Skegness a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, it was the day when all that trouble kicked off, so we never got to go! (All because we were hiding at home waiting for the police.) Here's hoping we make it soon!

Continue learning new skills.

Wow, I'm boring, aren't I? Why sit back and enjoy the summer when you can get stuck in and learn stuff?

Learn more recipes.

I'm such an incompetent adult in a culinary respect. It'd be great to actually learn how to make a few staple dishes & maybe even write about them on here too!

Make more YouTube videos!

I've made a few new YouTube videos recently, which I've throughly enjoyed. So, before I become a student again, it'd be good to make more! (Incidentally, what would you like me to make? Let me know in the comments below!)


Be a better blogger.

I definitely haven't been the best of bloggers lately, so I'm going to try and knuckle down and get KW in order. I've tried to be as upfront and honest as possible about the reasons why I've struggled to publish posts consistently, and voiced my worries about producing quality content that I'm happy with on a regular basis.

It'd also be great to implement some kind of schedule that works both for myself and you lovely readers! (Mainly because I'm acutely aware of how shabby this current 'only-post-when-you-have-something-to-say' schedule is.)

What are your goals for the summer?


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5 Tips for Starting University, Stationery, Tips, Student,

Is it nearly that time of year ALREADY? A-Level results day has been and gone, and now it's almost time for the academic year to start. It's three years since I finished Uni now, but I'm about to start a Masters! So, here are my top 5 tips for those of you who are starting Uni!

Enjoy it! (Because it'll be over before you know it!)


Those three years will fly by, trust me. So, have fun! And knuckle down and get a good degree too, obviously...

Being a student isn't all about hard work, it's time to enjoy early adulthood, before you're back down to earth with a bump as a graduate. In all honesty, I don't really think anything prepares you for the shock of leaving Uni for the 'real world'. So, enjoy your time as a student!

Get the work/life balance sorted.


During my third year of Uni, I was pretty close to burning out all the time. By the time I left, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. Don't make that mistake. Make sure that you leave time for socialising and having fun, because it'll make the hard work so much easier to contend with! 

I really can't stress enough how important it is to look after yourself. Make sure you eat properly, sleep as well as you can, and don't drink too much. (And that's my cue to move on, as I probably sound like your Mum.)

Make sure you're doing the right course.


Now, that might sound like a really stupid point, but there are several people I went to Uni with who ended up swapping courses along the way. Sometimes, that means that you'll end up with a bigger loan hanging over you. So, it pays to make sure that you're doing what you'll enjoy, and what'll get you decent career prospects too.

You definitely don't want to make the mistake that I did the first time round, by picking a course that won't get you a proper PAID job. Make sure that you get plenty of experience relating to your post-uni career of choice too, while you're still a student, because that'll really help your job prospects.

Grab as many opportunities as you can, seek them out yourself, because they're not going to just come to you.

Spend your first year settling in & getting used to things.


I don't know if all Unis are the same as the one that I went to in this respect, but my first year didn't count at all towards my final degree classification. So, that meant that I could spend the first year finding my feet and getting to grips with university life. (And Harvard Referencing, because it's surprisingly hard... Especially if you're rushing it hours before your deadline.)

This also helped us to get used to the University system: the grading, the coursework submission, and all of the other student-y admin stuff. That doesn't mean to say that you don't need to try very hard, but it's a lovely not to have the extra pressure of worrying about your final classification piled on.


Keep organised.


Nothing will help you through Uni more than getting organised. (Except intelligence, perhaps.) Seriously, honing your time management skills and devising some sort of helpful schedule will keep you sane! You probably don't need telling that you'll need to keep track of deadlines, exams, and lectures/tutorials/seminars, so treat yourself to an academic diary. (Because everybody likes buying new stationery!) 

And if you're on a budget? Use a handy free calendar app like iCal or Sunrise Calendar instead!


Are you headed to Uni? Let me know in the comments if you've got any questions or advice!

Katie
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