Packing for University.

You may have lived in the same house for over 18 years, so like me, you're going to have had gathered rather a lot of unnecessary clutter over the years. This makes deciding what to take away to university all the more tricky... Do you really need that t-shirt aged 12-13years? (Not going to lie, I found a few of these, and they did make it to York shamefully enough.)

When I was deciding what we needed to buy before I moved away, I scoured website after website for lists of things people recommended taking away. I found a massive list on The Student Room (I bookmarked it) here, and it's seriously been cut down since I last checked. At one point it was suggesting toastie makers, food processors and even 'traffic cone' make the list. Yeah, it was a bit extreme, but it's a rather helpful list so I'd definitely take note of that (except maybe coffee maker and rice cooker)! At the end of the day re. kitchen equipment, you know how good your culinary skills are and it'll be easy to judge how much equipment to bring dependent on that. Some people will cook full meals every night of the week, and others will live off take-aways, pot noodles and beans on toast!

Anyway, here are my top tips about things to bring to university:

1.  Photos/homely touches: when you arrive in your room, you will be faced with a blank canvas - an empty room in a strange city, miles away from home... I find it's the little things that remind me of home, and I believe they're so important when you first move away.
2. Pack the essentials so they're easily accessible: you're going to have a room filled with boxes of stuff and unpacking will not feel like your top priority when you have goodbyes to say, and the anticipation of meeting all your new flatmates. Make sure you've got the most important things somewhere you'll be able to find them.
3. Lamp: I know my university didn't provide one, but if you can't be bothered to get out of bed every night to switch your light off then a lamp it pretty essential.
4. Laundry Basket: yeah, no one likes dirty laundry all over the floor.
5. Hangers: another essential that may escape your brain.
6. Spare teaspoons: out of all the cutlery and crockery you will lose at university, I found teaspoons were always the ones that ran away the most.
7. A Facebook account: so this isn't exactly something physical, but if you don't have a Facebook account, I would thoroughly recommend setting one up. So many society events, socials and everything will be on Facebook - it makes it so much easier to stay in touch with everything that's happening, people to ask questions to and it will make life a lot easier.

(My room after Easter!)

I think that's about all I have to say for now - I'll let you know if I think of anything else! xxx

Results Day!

Results day can go one way or the other. You've been waiting so many months for the moment you step inside that hall, collect your envelope and find out whether or not all the hard work over the past two years has paid off...

However, many students will know whether they have succeeded in getting into their first choice of university beforehand through UCAS. On my A Level results day, I woke up at around 6am and there was no way I was getting back to sleep the way my stomach was curdling with nerves - to quote:

"Ergh, ergh, ergh! Why do this to me?! Why am I awake so early? I woke up at 6:10, and the thought of an hour and 50 minute wait until Track opens is scaring me so badly. I feel so sick, and tired. My stomach feels like I want to rip it out!"

To pass the time, I sat on my laptop talking to other students I'd met on Facebook groups who also wanted to get into York. It made me feel a lot better knowing that everybody else was just as nervous as I was! When Track finally loaded, a short while before 8am and I'd seen the 'conditional' offer turn to 'unconditional', I sat there in shock for a few moments, just trying to take in what had actually happened.

Mind you, when I opened the envelope full of my results I outright burst into tears on the spot with happiness!

"I was shaking so badly opening them, and Lizzie was next to me saying ‘oh my God, you’re shaking’ as I read my results. That moment, it’s the best feeling in the world. –cue tears-. Why is that always my first reaction to anything?! The tears started pouring out and Jackie saw me so she came over, gave me a hug, sat me down and said ‘Never, ever doubt yourself…’."

Everybody, take Jackie's advice. Now. 

It might not actually settle in for a while either:

"It still doesn’t all feel very real. It hasn’t really sunken in yet, the results anyway. I’ve fully accepted the brilliant news that I’m heading off to York for University! It’s still quite strange to think about – the idea of going away to University… the idea that we’ve walked into school together for the last ever time now." 

You may achieve the grades you need for your first choice, but you might also fall just short. Nevertheless, you should be incredibly proud of what you achieve and even if things are looking somewhat bleak at the time, they'll work out best in the end. I know a few people who didn't quite make the grades they'd hoped for, but every single one of them has achieved so much since, be it in a full-time job, or further education in a different direction.

Either way, here are my top tips for results day:

1. It sounds so very cliché, but get an early night the night before - have a good meal, take a bath, read a book! Undoubtably, you will be up early checking results and up late in the night celebrating too - that, or drowning your sorrows!
2. Remember that everyone will be biting their nails too; you will not be alone! Talk it through with others who are going through the same nerves and it will relax you.
3. Don't compare your results to everyone else's. If you've done your very best, then that's all you could have done and you should be incredibly proud of that. The only thing you're competing with is your expectations.
4. Be proud of how much your hard work has paid off - if you've worked hard, you will be rewarded! Ensure you celebrate with your friends and enjoy that massive weight that's been lifted from your shoulders!

I hope this has been vaguely interesting/helpful in some shape, way or form! All that's left for me to say about Results Day is GOOD LUCK! <3

Katherine xxx

Welcome! :)

Introduction!

I'm not a writer, and nor do I pretend to be. In fact, I'm a maths student so the phrase 'It's all Greek to me' is actually quite true when it comes to letters. Stringing them together to form actual sentences is hard enough, let alone them actually having to make sense to anyone other than myself.

However, I've just read Carrie Hope Fletcher's book. If you haven't read it yet, I would thoroughly recommend it to you; you can buy it here from Waterstones! Her words and advice ring so true to my ears and it's advice that I wish I'd have read 10 years ago before tackling my years as a teenager.

But she's inspired me to get writing myself. As I'm about to complete my undergraduate mathematics degree, I thought I'd try and write some measly advice for some of the lucky students who are about begin their big university journeys - moving away from home for the first time, having to learn to cook, clean and fend for themselves. It can be an incredibly difficult time in your life, but it's also one of the most amazing. Moving away to university was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and it's so important to make the most of every opportunity. Therefore, this is going to try and help new first years on their brand new adventures...

Lots of love,

Katherine xxx