This may seem like a bit of a strange title for a post, seeing as we’re coming up to the end of term (Aaaaah!), however, at uni things don’t cease as soon as exam period hits in and, to be honest, it’s nice to have other tasks alongside of revision!

Well, I will actually start this post with an ending! I have handed in my last official essays of first year! Aah! (I have a Gobbet exercise left to do, which is similar to source analysis, but that’s not the same as an essay!) I think that that’s absolutely terrifying! Where on Earth has the time gone? It seems so strange to think that I’ve done a decent majority of my course now and that there’s only the exams left to go! This week has been a challenge, because I knew that this was one of my last opportunities to write an essay as a first year and get some really decent feedback to prepare me for second year – I just hope I’ve done some justice to it! Now that my coursework essays are handed in, I am starting a final module for History on the American West (and this is the subject I have to write the Gobbet for!) I really enjoyed the lecture at the beginning of this week on the topic; I studied the American West at GCSE and it’s cool to be taking what I learnt then forward into my uni studies. Now that my essays are done I have to keep my head in the books for revision – so that’s the plan for the next month and a bit!

The people I know in third year have been talking a lot about their new beginnings this week. It’s been really cool listening to what they have in story for next year and after that for when they’ve completed their exams. Some are going into Grad Schemes, some are going on to do their masters and others have had job interviews already! It’s so exciting for them and it made me think that, in all honesty, that that time will come around for my year soon enough. So, this week I attended another careers meeting which aims to engage you in a mentoring scheme with somebody employed in the sector you’re interested in. I figured it was a good beginning step to search for what I really want to do and having some first-hand advice will be invaluable. In the presentation we listened to some reviews from previous students and it sounds like they’ve taken a lot away from the programme – some have contacts in the police force, others with advertising agencies and one girl even has contacts in Chicago! The application process opens next week, so I think I’ll give it a go! It seems like it is worth getting involved in and hopefully I can gain a little bit of experience in journalism and publishing!

So beyond work and careers, as of Saturday evening, I am now the official treasurer for Ballet Society! We had our handover meal at Oscar’s after a long week and it was wonderful! It was so lovely to see people all dolled up and stress free sitting around the table just laughing and chatting about everything. Emily, our new president and former treasurer, presented me with the pink folder to end all pink folders, complete with pretty notes and labelled dividers! I’m really looking forward to taking on the role for this upcoming term and into next year. I really can’t iterate this enough, but, I love my society – everyone is so friendly and we get on so well! Before we went to Oscar’s we met at our (now former) president’s house to share the winnings of the Harry Potter Quiz that I ran last term! The ballet girls had two teams and won first and second prize, how fab is that?! (All marking was anonymous!) So we had a bottle of Champagne as a toast to the new exec and to celebrate their triumph! After the meal we headed back the house again for some photos and a vast array of chocolate and biscuits! We may be ballet society, but we like food! I had such a lovely evening and I really look forward to the next social!

Choir are also preparing for the ULMS Proms Concert now! I can’t wait – if it’s anything like the performance we did at Campus Fest, it is going to be a lot of fun! We’re doing a Les Mis medley, which, so far, sounds lovely! I believe we’re collaborating with the symphony orchestra again, which is always cool! I love the fact that there are still things going on with societies, even though we are coming into exam period. It’s always good to know that there’s opportunity to take some time out and do something that isn’t a particular strain on the brain, or stress inducing! I really value the time I have in societies and likewise, spending a little bit of time with friends. It’s been good this weekend, as I’ve entered full revision mode, to take a little bit of time to go for a coffee with my friends, or watch a film, and we made Nutella sushi (no, it’s not made with raw fish!)… I Skyped my bestie this week as well, and it was just the best thing! Revision definitely takes priority, but taking just a short while to regroup is important. I’ve found it’s quite often my friends and family that put my feet back on the ground this time of year! Tackling revision also means baking as stress relief, so a carrot cake will be in order this bank holiday Monday – YAY! I can vividly remember writing something along the lines of when there are time of worry there will always be someone to talk to and there will always be cake and I feel this is a perfect mantra to live by most of the time and especially during exam season.

So, new challenges arise as the end of the year comes closer and closer – but I’ve said this before, they’re challenges worth taking on. Like I said in my last post, I came to uni to learn about things that I enjoy learning about and I need to make sure that I am still enjoying it! So as revision takes over my free time, I plan to make sure I keep focused not only on the content but on getting as much as I can out of this experience.

Thank you for reading, guys! I hope you had a lovely week and long weekend!

History Hugs,

Eleanor :0)

I cannot believe that it’s third term already! In 8 weeks’ time I will have completed my first year at uni – aah! When I came back from the holidays this time I had a similar feeling to when I first arrived here, that nerv-cited tingle; I knew that this term would be challenging, but it would also continue to bring me lots of opportunities as a student.

I hope everybody had a lovely Easter full of smiles and yummy chocolatey things! And I hope, for any potential Lancaster students reading, you had a good break to prepare for your A-level exams (good luck!) I must admit that the break this time around was much needed; it was just a chance to recuperate and get myself together for this term ahead. I had such a wonderful time with my mum and dad, as well as my grandparents – it was nice to have a catch up and some cuddles! Likewise, seeing my friends was so, so, so great; it felt like an age since I’d seen them! Going back to work in the shop made me so happy too, I miss my work family! I was even lucky enough to do some ‘first hand revision’ (!), because my mum and dad whisked me away to Paris for a few days as a surprise, eeek! I have wanted to see Notre Dame since I was teeny tiny and actually walking up to it and seeing those stunning bell towers and, of course, the wonderful window is an image I will never forget. We even took a trip to Boulevard Haussmann, which was rather cool seeing as I wrote my last history essay on the Haussmannisation of Paris!

Now I’ve been back for a week I feel like I’m starting to get back into the swing of things. Shying away from the fact that I’ve been feeling apprehensive about this term would be a lie – exams are scary and I still have a couple of essay deadlines coming up. However, in my attempt to calm myself down by Googling all sorts of weird things, I did come across one little piece of advice from a past uni-student and it was something we often lose sight of as we tackle exam season. She said ‘just enjoy yourself and remember that you came to uni to study something you are interested in learning about.’ It couldn’t be simpler really, could it? When I tell people about uni I always say ‘aw, I love it there – I’m getting so much out of it and the subject is really thought-provoking’, however, when I sit down in panic mode to write an essay I can’t help but think ‘why am I putting myself through this stress?’; but now putting it into this perspective, this week I have felt it high time to remember that I am here because I enjoy it, so I should be tackling assignments and exams with this in mind. So that’s my little mantra for this term and I really hope I can keep in that frame of mind.

So, revision…! I had my first revision session this week and it was not as horrendous as I thought it was going to be! There were no knowledge drills, or surprise quizzes, or shocking reveals that there would be really narrow questions in the exam, thank goodness! It was just a session to go over how to deal with any exam fear and how to begin tackling revision and thinking about the exam questions: not too bad at all. Plus, my seminar teacher provided chocolate, which is always a bonus! Likewise, the prospect of using felt tips and making posters for knowledge based revision fills me with weird nerdy joy. After this upcoming week, when my assignments are handed in, I will get my creative revision head on! We’ve started with our final modules this week too, so best keep focussed on the new content as it will definitely crop up in the exam!

Speaking of new content, I have also been signing up for my Year 2 modules this week. I still can’t believe that I have done it! Enrolling for second year means that first year has gone too quickly! It is really, really exciting though, because second year gives us a lot more freedom as students to study the areas that we really have a keen interest in, or have a desire to learn a little bit more about. For example, I have a real interest in the history of advertising, media and consumerism so I’ve opted to take a module called ‘Elvis, TV and Tupperware’, which will hopefully fulfil this interest! Plus, there is a module all about the history of Paris, so another trip may be in order for research purposes…what a shame!

Having just paused to get a cup of tea from the kitchen I have realised that I must dedicate a little section to the County ducks this post! Oh my God, they are absolutely adorable! There are lots of titchy ducklings waddling all around the townhouses and they’re so fluffy and tiny…and fluffy! Our house have been researching what to feed them and we now have a tub full of oats, peas and seeds waiting by the door for whenever they appear! If I could use this post entirely to coo over the ducks I would, but I fear several passages of me pointing out how cute they are would bore some readers to tears – so I will move on… (But, they are so lovely!)

Besides from work (and ducks), this week we have started the transition for the Ballet Society Exec, which is rather exciting! The girls and I met up for a handover meeting where we were told all about what we were going to have to do in our roles! Emily, the old treasurer, was so lovely and she’s given me a really pretty folder with a set of notes in telling me all about what I have to do. Next week we’re going to have the exec handover meal at Oscar’s, (one of Lancaster’s wine bars) which looks really lovely. I think we’re all looking forward to donning the glad rags! I can’t wait to start my role properly and to use my pretty folder as the term progresses and, as ever, the society are still close!

So, one week of third term has passed already! It’s time to keep my positive head on, keep my pen to paper and keep focused – I can do this!

Have a lovely week! Thank you all for reading!

History Hugs,

Eleanor

Gosh, the end of term has come around really quickly! This week has just flown by – I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been busy, or if it’s just been one of those weird weeks when you just can’t find time to catch up with yourself. So, this is it! The end of Lent Term! I cannot believe I have finished my second term at university; it doesn’t seem real at all! This term has definitely started to shape my student career a lot more and I’m so grateful for all the new opportunities I’ve been given. Last term was all about figuring things out, finding your feet and getting to know everyone and while these are certainly on-going processes, this term has been about stretching out a little bit further. Spreading your wings is a good (albeit slightly cringey) way to describe the uni experience, but this term’s been a way of working out how to fly.

Just like last term, this last week has been crazy! However, one of my highlights definitely has to be the Harry Potter Quiz in aid of Mind and Time to Talk. I am so, so, so pleased with the turn out we had in the bar. It was amazing to have around 105 people attending the event, adorned in Harry Potter scarves, t-shirts and even a pair of specs! We made a total of around £70, which is excellent and will go to such a worthwhile cause. I really hope people took something away from the little speech I gave and the event in general and now understand that it is okay to discuss mental health and that, as students, we should be looking out for one another and not letting ANY mental health stigma stop us from achieving anything. Working alongside the JCR was so lovely, everyone was so nice and they even organised to dress up for the evening! I went dressed as Hermione, our student welfare officers went dressed as Luna and Harry! It was so great! I am also pleased to announce that ballet society came first! I was so proud! (No, I didn’t mark the papers myself!) I’m hoping to collaborate a little bit more with the JCR next term to organise some more events for Time to Talk, so maybe between revision breaks in the holiday I will try and think of some more things to do. Just seeing everybody there laughing and having a lovely evening made me appreciate how uni can really give people a platform to promote a worthwhile cause and can be such a good way to get involved and meet some really fab people.

Speaking of ballet society, we had a social on Tuesday this week! I honestly had one of the best evenings I’ve had at uni so far! Ballet now have their own society sweatshirts and we were all given them on Tuesday, so we were all sitting eating pizza, watching Pitch Perfect (which is a definite student watch! I’ve never seen it before and it is hilarious!) and wearing our sweatshirts – it was just lovely! I feel like I’ve said this for the last few weeks now, but seriously we are such a close unit! I can’t wait to start ballet again next term. We’re in the transition period for the exec now, so I’ll be learning the ropes as treasurer when Summer Term begins! (As a little side note (about food!) I made my own pizza for the party and it was so yummy, if I do say so myself!) We had such a laugh and I couldn’t help but smile, as tacky as it sounds, this was how I imagined part of my uni lifestyle, just having a chilled evening with food, funny films and really fab company. Being part of this society this term has been so worth it, it’s really made me engage in student life a bit more. Our current president has asked me to be part of the Cultural Arts Committee too, eeek! The committee meet once a month to discuss arts projects and new developments for alternative arts festivals and events, so that should be rather exciting next term! It’s all go! I haven’t given you many photos so far in the posts, so here is a rather lovely one of the ballet girls at Campus Fest last week!

Amongst all these socials and events I have spent a bit of time hiding away in the library this week, like I said I would. (My Moomin flask was definitely worth investing in!) so I’ve been planning for my essays that I’m to write over the holiday, which is still a little bit scary! I’m trying to incorporate ideas from EPR into my History essay, like I said last week, and it’s proving a little tricky, but I think I’m getting there now! I’m enjoying doing some independent research and I’m learning how to shape something targeted to my other areas of interest, which I hope will be a useful skill. I love the fact that uni gives you the chance to do this and we don’t have to stick to the constraints of A-level marking criteria. For any A-level students reading, you’ll know exactly what I mean when you get here! Our History seminar this week involved an awful lot of food (YAY! I made little Easter nests!) and a really interesting discussion about how some aspects of material or visual culture can shape and reshape our understanding of our own and other people’s pasts. I’m so pleased that we’ve started to talk about this sort of thing, because it the consideration of these types of sources that made me seriously consider taking History at uni. It’s really exciting to be looking at the modules that made me want to come here in the first place!

So, this is the end of Lent term…already! I’m looking forward to having a couple of days off in the break and to making lots of cakes and pretty revision timetables (revision timetables = felt tip pens, YAY!) but between essays and little chunks of revision, I’m so excited to see my family and my friends and to going back to my job for a little while too! I’ll miss my flatmates, of course, but like we did at Christmas we have Skype and FaceTime sessions pre-booked! I have mixed emotions about next term, I’m excited because there are new challenges and opportunities, but I’m also nervous because it is EXAM SEASON, AAAH! Best get revising!

Thank you all so much for reading my little ponderings this term; I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts! I hope you have a beautiful, sunny Easter full of smiles!

See you next term for more stories, little stresses and memories!

Huge History Hugs,

Eleanor :0)

What a week! As term comes nearer to finishing I’ve had quite a busy week! You may recall my telling you of my to-do lists last term as Christmas approached? This week has been no different! I’ve had to be here, there and everywhere this week for meetings, workshops, lectures, seminars, rehearsals! It’s been fab though – I’ve really missed having a run around sort of lifestyle and this week has really made me feel like part of the bigger community here at uni and hopefully this post will be able to explain why!

As I type this week’s entry I am lucky enough to be accompanied by the buzz of the crowd, the smell of sizzling burgers and the sound of Lancaster’s wonderful musical talent. I am sitting literally next to the 2015 Campus Fest! There are two stages, countless pieces of equipment, several food stalls and a really lovely (but probably very chilly) crowd outside my window and I have been very, very lucky to be a part of it today – I’ve had such a lovely time! Part of the reason why I’ve been so busy this week is because I have had so many rehearsals ready for this! Ballet society performed a piece with LUDans, which is the bigger dance society on campus today, and I had such a good time! We learnt the dance in only four rehearsals (which I’m really proud of, eeek), but I have learnt so much more about the people in ballet society too and I think we’re becoming really close as a group. We spent 4 wonderful evenings together this week and next week we’re having a pizza and movie night! The girls and I all got ready together before Campus Fest on Saturday and then spent some time together afterwards, just having a chat and drinking hot chocolate! It means such a lot to me that I’m becoming closer to my society. Ballet is something that I really enjoy doing and being close with the people that you’re doing it with makes it all the better.

This applies to choir too! As we all huddled together this afternoon dressed in our concert attire and coats, like penguins, I realised that we are becoming a lovely close group too. I really loved the set that we performed at Campus Fest, we did two classical pieces as well as Royals, I’ve Got Rhythm and The Lion Sleeps Tonight! Later on this evening we are performing our Disney medley before the fireworks are set off and I can’t wait! I was so keen to write the post this week that I just couldn’t wait until after the fireworks! (I will put a little note at the bottom to let you know how they went!*) Just seeing choir collaborate so well with Orchestra and our new Rep (we had exec elections a few weeks ago!) allowed me to think about how much people can get out of a society. I know this sounds like something that a uni would put into its Student Union prospectus, but they put it in there because it’s true! Joining a society is so valuable part of student life, but when you get to know the people and you really enjoy what you’re doing it’s priceless.

Speaking of societies, I have a little bit of news! I am now the treasurer for Ballet Society, eeek! I really wanted to be part of the exec because I love the society; it’s so titchy and everyone’s lovely. We had Hustings before a rehearsal last week and it was adorable! I had to give a little speech about why I’d be a good treasurer and what I could bring to the role. It was kind of nerve-wracking saying why you’d be good at something, though! I thought my past retail experience would be pretty helpful, so I said that and I thought about keeping the finances running smoothly – but it was still tricky! I guess it as good experience for any potential interviews, though (but that’s a long way off yet!). I’m so excited to be treasurer and I’ll be living near the bank next year, so that’s pretty useful, I guess! That’s the reason we’re having pizza next week: to celebrate the new exec committee. I am so, so excited!

Last week I mentioned working with the JCR to organise the Harry Potter Quiz for Mind and their new campaign, Time to Talk, Time to Change. Well, this week we’ve really been getting on with sorting everything out and next Wednesday is the quiz! I’ve designed a poster and a flier to be put up around campus and our lovely JCR Welfare Officers are helping to advertise the event on our college page, and are doing the rounds around the flats with me to recruit as many teams as we can! All the questions are now on a PowerPoint with pictures (which I had an insanely good time finding!) and everything’s looking in place! YAY Our JCR have been so kind and donated some money towards a prize too, so hopefully that will entice people to the event for this really, really important campaign.

While all this has been going on (!) it’s been a fab week workwise too, I think! I’ve started to think about my essay title for history, as I have to write it over the break. I think I’m going to choose the topic about Orientalism, which discusses how Western society perceives Eastern culture and their history. However, my seminar teacher was talking to us about bringing in areas of our other subjects and reshaping the question slightly to cover these topics. This is so cool because I’m doing Hindu and Buddhist beliefs in EPR and that’s really made me think about the way we perceive not only Eastern culture but also their religion. So, I’ve been to speak to my current EPR lecturer and he gave me a couple of books to look at, from this I’ve been creating an essay plan this week, and it’s been so interesting! The fact that my subjects can overlap so closely and I am able to make something of this overlap is fab. I’ll have to finish the essay plan on Monday because the weekend’s been so busy! So I will be spending Monday evening curled up in the library with my pad, journals and my Moomin flask full of tea!

I also attended a careers workshop about Personal Appearance in interviews on Tuesday this week. It was so odd, but really informative. I was shocked at how much appearance actually matters; not in a bad way, just very surprised. We learnt all about personal colouring and which shades or colours should be used and avoided, as well as learning about our body types. I know that I should be buying a certain type of trousers and jacket now, though, and I should go for blended, medium tones, avoiding black jackets, as they will wash me out (haha, it sounds so funny when I read it back in my head!)

As the end of term approaches things do seem to get busier, but I would have it no other way! I have had such a lovely week, I have enjoyed every second and this weekend has been absolutely fantastic. I’m starting to feel a lot more at home now, I feel like I’m part of something bigger here now. My studies, of course, take priority and I love what I’m doing at the moment! (We actually start the Enrolment for Second Year Modules next week, which is terrifying (but still pretty exciting) so that’s cool!) I feel like I’m getting a lot out of the module and I’m looking forward to tackling the essay, as long as my plans are okay! However, having a good work and society (and sleep!) balance is so, so, so important as I’ve contemplated before, and this week I have really noticed how true this is.

*I promised to let you know how the fireworks went, so I am typing this little section literally 2 minutes post Disney medley, firework amazingness, and best evening magic! I have the biggest smile on my face right now! I am wrapped up tight in my coat and my fingers are numb, but I have honestly had one of the best nights I’ve ever had. Just to see the smiles, hear the crowd and feel how I feel right makes it all worth it. I couldn’t pinpoint what ‘it’ is, but it sure is something pretty special.

Thank you for reading, guys!

Have a lovely week!

History Hugs,

Eleanor :0)

Elections for LUSU full time officers were held this week at uni. Looking around campus there were so many fliers, posters and banners promoting the (rather brave) candidates and their ideas for a better students’ union. As I took note of these promotions I began to think about how uni can give you a voice and a platform. Uni can offer you the opportunity to promote something important to you and this week I have decided that I’d like to take up that platform; it’s time to talk about a few things, beyond my degree, that are really important to me.

– Raising awareness

This week I have been in collaboration with County’s JCR (which is our college’s student led council, for those wondering what on Earth a JCR is!) to organise a quiz to raise awareness about mental health and the stigma that surrounds it. Actually, the title for this week’s blog is taken from the name of the campaign I am supporting: Time to Talk, Time to Change. There are so many questions people have about mental health and this campaign wants to show that it is okay to talk ask them and to talk about it. There should be no labels preventing people from doing anything at all. Mental health is not something we should be supressing, it is something we should be supporting. People do NOT deserve to be discriminated against because they have a mental health problem, they deserve support and understanding. My aim for this event is to really encourage people to adopt this view and to highlight that, as students, we should all make the effort to talk and make the effort to change by stopping this stigma.

The quiz is actually Harry Potter themed and I have had such a great time organising it! I have created a set of questions based on the series of books and the films which will hopefully challenge even the most dedicated Potterheads! I’ve been working alongside our college welfare officers to develop the event and we’re hopefully going to be able to hold it in our college bar, The Northern Oak. I’m really hoping that it’s going to be popular because the campaign is really, really important to me. It’s been so fun writing the questions and designing the posters for the event, so I’m willing people to come along and support this worthwhile cause, plus they’ll get a chance to show off their Harry Potter knowledge!

– Food(!) and Writing

You may recall my mentioning of joining up for the uni paper SCAN and that I had a meeting with the editor of Carolynne to discuss some ideas? Well, I had a fabulous time with her! It was really great to hear the sorts of things they wanted to include in the column; I now have 2 sides of A4 full of article topics that they want me to get going with! I’m particularly looking forward to writing an article on how to make vegetarian food interesting, as well as working alongside Green Lancaster to promote their new ‘pick your own’ herb gardens and give some suggestions of how to use what they’re growing effectively. I really enjoy cooking and baking, so hopefully writing the column will inspire some students to get a bit savvier in the kitchen. I’m hoping I’ll get quite a lot out of it too, because they have given me some challenging ideas! I just hope my flatmates have a pair of stretchy trousers on hand if they try all of the new recipes!

– Being part of my societies

This week choir had TWO (!) wonderful announcements! We are going to compete in a sectionals competition in Wales later on in the year and we will be doing a set at Campus fest next weekend! BUT to top that off, we are also accompanying the fireworks on Saturday evening with a Disney medley – including Let it Go from Frozen! Aaaaah! I am insanely excited! I’m looking forward to going to the competition so, so much; I’m sure it’s going to be such a fab day. We’re deciding on what we’re doing for that when we’ve finished Campus Fest and I think it’s going to be amazing! I’ll let you know how Campus Fest, which is a big event at the uni with music, food, other cool stalls and fireworks at the end, goes in the next post! I can’t wait to sing the Disney medley, but our set also includes ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ which will be a bit of a laugh!

Ballet society are also performing in Campus Fest, I found this week, so I’ve got some extra rehearsals coming up for that too! We’ve also been discussing our new exec for ballet, so who will be our new president and treasurer, things like that. I think I might run for Secretary of Treasurer; so I’ll have to get on with a little manifesto! I think being part of the ballet exec will be fab; it’s such a titchy society and everybody is quite close, so I’d like to think that that will continue as we move into next term and next academic year! We’ve also got society sweatshirts now (and I am way too excited at this fact) so we’ll all match!

– Being close with my family and my friends

I spent Saturday in Liverpool with my auntie  the weather was absolutely stunning and I had such a lovely day! We visited New Brighton and Birkenhead and rode on an old fashioned tram! I have two aunties living in Liverpool so I went to visit my other auntie too! I love being so close to them, as it’s a five hour car journey from where I usually live! I had a really lovely chat and a proper giggle! So, there you have just a couple of things that are important to me!

It’s strange, sometimes my flatmates and I will hardly see each other – we’re either busy with assignments and lecture notes, or out at society meetings, or trying to catch up on sleep. This week, however, we’ve done so many things together! We went on a little jaunt around campus, when the weather was lovely, and took some great photos; we went to Nando’s in Preston on Friday (it was beautiful!) and we watched a film! Just taking some time away from study to have a bit of fun without going out-out is wonderful; we chatted and we laughed and we just had a really fab chilled couple of evenings. I think everyone had a nice time, well I hope they did!

This week has made me appreciate the fact that sometimes it’s worth discussing what’s important because these are the things that I feel strongly about, or that I really enjoy and, for me, they really matter. I really hope my little adventures this week have somehow conveyed this and that you’ve enjoyed reading!

History Hugs,Eleanor :0

  This week’s blog is all about moving forward. After a busy couple of weeks, it made me think about what’s to come after university – I mean, where will all this hard work lead me? Everyone says that the university can open up a new pathway for you, but it’s about the steps you take along that pathway that really matter. So, I’ve tried to take a couple of steps this week to begin making that journey. It’s really made me think about the sorts of things I’d like to do when I have to leave the lovely, cosy, university bubble, and while it seems that the big wide world of work is a good trek away, I might be worth having a bit of a route mapped out to start with.

  The main highlight of my week this week definitely has to be a workshop I attended with the careers service, called ‘So you want to be a publisher?’ It was absolutely amazing! The lady giving us the talk, Debbie, was actually the Head Buyer for the bookshop Waterstone’s for 10 years, which is pretty fab, and she even has a Jacqueline Wilson book character based on her! I was quite overwhelmed to see how many people were actually interested in pursuing it as a career path, as it isn’t something I’d really thought about until very late in year 13! (But I guess there were quite a few third years or postgrads in there too!) It was very clear that the other students there were really keen and interested and I thought it was great to see and meet other people interested in similar career paths as me. I really appreciated the fact that we were given a realistic view of the career too, Debbie made it clear that it was ‘all about the deadline’ and that there was a lot of hard work involved! However, the world of publishing seems so exciting, even though she mentioned that it can be ridiculously intense, and it is definitely something I think I’ll consider. It was so cool to hear what she had to say about all the routes into publishing and the different roles that they have, so I’ll have to keep exploring. I’ve actually considered doing some work experience for Bloomsbury (which is the company that publish the Harry Potter books – eeek!) in the summer! I’m still seeking out if they take first year students, or not, but it should be really exciting if they do!

  You may recall last week I said about joining SCAN, our uni paper?! Well, I took the plunge and e-mailed the editor, asking if they had room for a column and they said YES! I am so excited, especially because I’ll get to write about food and food is my fave! I’ve a meeting with the editor of Carolynne, which is the magazine-y supplement part of the paper, next Tuesday to discuss some ideas for the column! I’ve thought about sharing a couple of recipes I’ve tried out since I’ve been here, as well as thinking about some cooler ways to cook on a budget and maybe some reviews of local restaurants. (Which will definitely include a review of Dip Dip! Which means going again…what a shame…!) I’m looking forward to it so much, so hopefully they’ll like my ideas for the column and can help me to make it something that people will really want to read! In anxiousness to write a food column I even baked some cupcakes this weekend!

    Some of the most important steps that each student will take at uni are those made with their society. I really thought about this this weekend when the choir had another concert on campus – I realised that I’m given a lot of opportunity there to make new friends, to develop my singing skills and perform in new places when I saw the audience’s reaction to what we were doing. The concert, this time, was a little more intimate and we performed in the Chaplaincy centre on campus. With no bright lights or any show features it was just a really lovely concert, with symphony orchestra and string orchestra playing some stunning pieces of music too.  We performed quite a range of pieces too and I really enjoyed that, as it makes a change from some of the usual pieces we do; we even tried a piece in Latin! (And if I do say so myself it was beautiful!) I realised as I was chatting to people later that evening after the performance that I really was getting so much out of my time in the society. The concert reminded me quite a bit of the sort of thing I used to do at home with my singing teacher and her other pupils. It was always so lovely to have a sing with friends and then hear some fab music – and here it was no different. I had a very good evening! I look forward to the next concert like that, in a little cosy venue!

  So, those are just some small steps I made this week along the extended, twisting path of uni (and this week the path was rather snowy! We had so much snow here on Sunday and it was beautiful!) So many people are talking about the prospect of careers at the moment and I figured it is important to start thinking about that (even though it seems so far away and quite scary) but it’s worth enjoying the steps you take to reach the career aspirations that you want.

 Thank you for reading! Have a lovely week!

 History Hugs,

Eleanor :0)

I’m sure, as any students reading will know, that there are a ridiculous amount of worksheets on how to deal with essays. How to research them, how to plan them, how to and how not to write them, how to cope with writing them – the list is endless. These tips are useful as teaching aids go, and I give no discredit to those who have taken time to offer their valuable advice. However, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, essays always seem to cause a new challenge. While all these tips are being thrown around sometimes it seems so hard just to catch a break. This week’s blog is designed to give any potential or current uni students a bit of reassurance to know that essays are hard, but there are ways of getting through them (involving baked goods and dance routines.)

1.  Remember that other people find essays difficult too!It’s been all too easy for me to sit in my room and think that I am the only one struggling with my assignments. In my mind, I imagine my classmates sitting at their desks with a cup of tea breezing through the content, formulating decent analysis and using sources to the very best of their argument. I (rather briefly) imagine this while I too sit with a bucket-load of tea but I find myself diving in and out of books, scrolling through articles, attempting to fit my various paragraphs into some marvellous jigsaw. The inevitable question rears its head: ‘why is this so difficult?!’ – (I think I know why, and it’s all to do with the insane amount of pressure we, as students, put on ourselves) and I am left feeling bit lost and quite worried about what I’m supposed to do.

2.   However, having spoken to people on my course this week, I am now somewhat aware of the fact that there are other people who ask the same question. It’s weirdly reassuring to know that I am not the only one with ridiculous amounts of caffeine filtering through my body while I scan various books and attempt to piece together a coherent essay. I have learnt that I am not alone in my essay struggles and that I can talk it through with my friends to be able to get a better idea of what on Earth I’m trying to discuss. It’s worth remembering that we’re all students together!

3. Breaks ARE allowed (and are particularly effective in combination with a dance routine)This is a very handy little piece of advice. Now, I am sure that it’s always been a focus in essay strategies that you should take time out, so that you can reassess your ideas and come back to them. However, sitting down and just solidly writing can seem like a way better idea. I admit, it is ridiculously satisfying to finish a section after a couple of hours and think ‘yes, I am actually quite pleased with that’, but achieving that sense of satisfaction can be tricky. But, it’s about what you put into the hours of work that matter. When achieving this sense of satisfaction, or even when you feel like you just need to step away from the computer screen, breaks are a good thing and they are allowed. Being in essay mode does not mean that you are bound to your desk. My little break routine often consists of a cup of tea, some form of biscuit or cake (the student essentials), a banana if I’m in need of some happy chemicals and a quick sesh of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it Off’ or a Zumba routine to ‘Dangerous Love’,  just to get the blood flowing and some real motivation! As weird as this may sound, I do find this particularly effective!

4.  You can always call back-upUni isn’t something that you should be doing alone. There are plenty of people around to go and have a chat with about essays. Seminar tutors are a definite go-to because they know what they’re talking about and have probably been through the same little stresses that you have. Friends are so helpful, and lovely, too! Even if they can’t offer you some advice on what to write, just having a friend around to have a quick natter to or to have Nutella crumpets with is just great. However, I have found this week that sometimes I just want to speak to my mum and dad. I couldn’t help feeling that this was me admitting that I was giving up the student-y independence, but this is not the case! Sometimes it’s necessary to have a chat, to get some reassurance and to gain a bit of perspective. Speaking to my mum and dad can just chill me out and calm me down.

4.  Keep a pen and a piece of paper next to you whilst you’re workingWhen I am starting out with my essay writing I always find I have thoughts all over the place and I just want to get them all down as quickly as possible, in the most fluent, fully analytical, accurate way imaginable. This is tricky, though! Yet, if I have a piece of paper next to me, I can just jot down my thoughts as they come, in relevance to something I’ve already discussed, or if it will aid the overall shape of the argument. This may be a tip you already know, or already adopt, if you’re a student – but it is so useful! It’s also quite entertaining to have a quick look at all the little scribbles you’ve made and think ‘how did I ever shape that into an essay?!

5.  There will always be cake I was scrolling through my posts a couple of weeks ago for some reason (most likely procrastination) and I came across this: ‘If I’ve learnt one thing…it’s to take each challenge as it comes. It may be struggle and it may cause stress or worry, but just remember that there’s always someone to talk to and there will always be cake’. I think this is a comment really worth remembering (even if I do say so myself!) I have really been stressed out this week – hence the lateness of this post, sorry guys, but sometimes it’s essential to gain that little bit of perspective: even when things get tough – you will get through it.  So there we go! 5, hopefully realistic, hopefully useful tips! This blog has probably given away quite a lot about me as a student too; I am quite a ‘stress-head’ and I like things to be right! However, these little tips do provide some perspective for essay writing. It’s all about personal standards and expectations, for me, and I hope that these little nuggets of advice will prove useful to help people reach their own expectations, or that they show you that there are definitely perks of essay writing in the wonderful form of cake!

History Hugs, Have a good week!

Thank you for reading!  Eleanor :0

Without a doubt, the first couple of paragraphs for this week’s post must be given over to talking about the charity showcase I was involved in on Friday evening. Each year the Lancaster Ballroom Dance Society, in collaboration with LUDANS (the main dance society) and factions of ULMS (our music society) including Big Band, Big Orchestra and Choir, put on a showcase for charity. This year funds raised went towards Cancer Research, which I’m sure is an important charity for many involved. If somebody asked me to describe Friday in one word it would be awesome. Now, I don’t mean that in the conventional sense – amazing, brilliant, wonderful (even though it was all of those things too), but I mean it really was awe worthy. The amount of talent that took to that floor and to that stage was incredible. I’m so pleased and very privileged to have been a part of it. The fact that the entire thing, from the choreography, musical arrangements and conducting all the way down to the filming, sound, tech and lighting, is student led is absolutely wonderful!

They decided to do a Strictly Come Dancing take on the event this year and it was so good! It seemed that one member of the ballroom society was paired up with another student and collaborated a routine! It was so, so, so good! The winners performed a rumba and it was stunning – they had some really beautiful lifts in there, which for somebody who potentially hadn’t danced before was so impressive! There were musical interludes too, and it reminded me how much I enjoy watching live music! The Big Band were insanely good, plus they played a couple of Disney pieces: always a winner with me! In the second half we did a compilation of songs from Wicked, which was the little section I was involved in! Singing is something that really makes me smile and just being involved made me so happy; I really hope there are more concerts like that one! Working alongside these students makes me feel like I’m part of a bigger community and people really get along well too. Watching the last waltz from the balcony in the Great Hall, as the audience joined in on the floor and the music from Big Orchestra seemed to fill up the room, I just had this smiley feeling…it was just wonderful…*sigh*

Friday evening was a great way to round off a rather hectic working week! Three essays takes a lot of research, guys! However, going to speak to my seminar tutor for history put my mind at rest somewhat (okay, so I’m still panicking a little bit, but at least I know I’m panicking along the right track…). If I can offer potential students a tip, it is definitely worth going to ask questions and to talk things over – if it’s to yourself or with a tutor. I had quite a lot of thoughts whirring around in my brain and I just needed to focus them a little bit! Now armed with a focussed plan (hopefully…), copious amounts of tea and a packet of ginger nuts this weekend and next week will bring hours of essay writing. Three, two, one…GO! In a fortnight’s time, when they’re all handed in (eek!) I will probably be one of the most elated people on the planet!

After rigorous planning and navigating the online article store and library it was time for a little break, I thought. Friday afternoon here in Lancaster was beautiful, my dad would probably describe it as ‘crisp’ I decided, just for half an hour, that I would sit outside in Alexandra Square and enjoy the sunshine.  (I actually planned this week’s blog whilst I was sitting there, but it was a change from the library, my bedroom or the study zone, as lovely as those places can be for working). I swear a little bit of sunshine can make me feel so much better!

Aside from essays, (aargh!) we have been asked to choose our options for the next history module this week. There were some really interesting topics to choose from, including Satanic Witchcraft in Lancashire, (so the Pendle Witch Trials, cool huh?), the Partition of India and The Myth of the American West. I was a little bit torn, if I’m honest. Each seemed interesting and there were options there that I’d never looked at before. However, I didn’t want to go into it with my eyes closed, if that makes sense. It’s all very well reading a brief, but I wanted to make sure that I was going to enjoy the module. One of the beauties of uni is tailoring your own course and I don’t want this to be a wrong fit (do you see what I did there?!). After seeking a little bit of guidance I think I’ve chosen my top three! Fingers crossed I’ll be studying The Myth of the American West later on this term.

Right, let’s make some headway with these essays! Notes ready, laptop on, kettle boiled, biscuits open – FOCUS!

Thank you for reading – have a lovely week!

History Hugs,

Eleanor :0)

The title for this week’s post is inspired by a very popular student saying! There are so many things that I’ve come to appreciate more since we’ve been here, and as sad as it sounds it can quite often make my day. This week, weirdly, there have been several occasions where these moments have really made me smile. I thought it’d be something worth blogging about because in everyday life quirks of being a student may be a little trivial, but honestly it’s the little things like this that really count!

So, here we go! You know you’re a student when:

• You get way too excited about free laundry!
• I have never, in my entire life, been so excited to do my washing! We found on Friday evening that the washing machines in County laundrette weren’t working properly – meaning that they weren’t charging! My friend and I were just sitting down to watch a film when our flatmate came in yelling about free washing; I don’t think I’ve seen people run so fast to collect their laundry baskets. Admittedly, it was nearing 11 o’clock on a Friday evening, so we needn’t have rushed – most people were getting ready to go out on the town! Not us, though! House 105 turned into what looked like Widow Twankey’s laundrette! It was just so great (reading this back for editing, I can’t help thinking that I need to get some new hobbies…) but it was crazy that it was all free – what a bargain! I saved just over £10, which means more money for cake ingredients!
• You get lost in the library
• This week I spent around an hour looking for a book in the library. AN HOUR! I really do not know how I managed to do that! I’m currently researching for a history essay on Modern France and when I popped to the library I expected the books I’d researched to be in the History section, but I realised they were actually in the section for modern art and engineering. It did mean that I was able to go into the bit of the library that reminds me of Harry Potter because it’s underground and the bookshelves are like vaults; we have to turn a wheel to open them and the shelves move – just like magic (well, maybe not magic – but in my own little world it’s pretty cool). But, I found myself feeling very, very lost! I could only keep pacing up and down, up and down but with no such luck! When I returned the next day though for another go – there it was, right there…in the modern languages section. (Note to self: learn to differentiate between +V and V) While I did laugh at myself I couldn’t help but feel a bit stupid. I told my flatmate and she said that she’d done the same thing. So, getting lost is perhaps commonplace for students!

• You attend a careers meeting and find out about jobs you didn’t even know existed
• You may remember last week, that I said I was to attend a careers in museums meeting. Well, I did and it was fantastic! We had a PHD candidate from the History Department come and give a chat to a few of us and I never realised the variety of positions within the museum sector. There are curators, specialists, documenters, roles is display and interpretation, publicity, education co-ordinators – even careers in artefact conservation and archive work! I really had no idea how broad the options were. I realised as the talk went on that opportunities like this are invaluable. We have somebody with genuine experience and interest in the subject giving us advice on the next steps. I really enjoyed hearing about some of her experiences and what a variety of these roles will entail. We were even given some tips on routes into these positions and how to make headway from now on in. It seems really scary to be thinking about careers at the moment, because it feels like I’ve only just arrived at uni. However, it’s best to start getting some ideas together, I think – I wouldn’t have even considered display and interpretation had it not been for this meeting. Sometimes it’s worth going – there were some real gems of information there!
• You are insanely happy to hear the Skype ringtone  (Okay, so this may not be one that only applies to students, but this is definitely worth mentioning) This week I had a call from my friend who is working as a dancer on a cruise ship, travelling around the South American coastline and all the way down to Antarctica. (Amazing!) I was just sitting at my desk doing some notes for philosophy and my laptop began to sing the ringtone – I had to do a double take! It was so, so, so lovely to speak to him and hear what he’s been up to! It was so weird to see him sitting in a bar in Argentina in the sun and to look out the window in my room at uni and see it snowing, but I had such a fab chat! I’ve known him for a long, long time and it just seems so strange that I’m at uni and he’s off travelling the world. It was the cutest and I’m really looking forward to hearing more of his stories! I’m not sure if it’s because I’m away from home, or because I’m actually at uni, or even if it’s because I haven’t spoken to him in so long, but hearing from old friends (even if it’s just a text from my bestie living at home) is just the best thing ever. I’m sure it’s not just a student thing, but a phone call in the middle of some critical thinking formula can just make your day so much better.

So, there you have it! 4 things that are sure indicators of student-y-ness! To some,these may only be small things, but the small things sure make the biggest difference!.

I’m tackling three essay plans next week, so I’ll let you know how I get on with those in the next post!

hope you’ve had a lovely week! Thank you for reading.

History Hugs,Eleanor :0)