Monthly Archives: October 2021

Adapting to the new world!

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By Aditi (Student Blogger: BSc Marketing)

Higher education, as we all know, is an integral part of our lives. After our school is over, we all try our best to get into great universities and colleges. Some of you, like me, might have dreams to go and study in a different country, make new experiences and get exposed to new environments, cultures and ideas. Just like many others, I wanted to go and study in England.

I had these big hopes, big desires, and bigger dreams, and I just wanted to bring them to reality by gaining world-class knowledge and experiences at a good university.

So, my research got me to Lancaster university, the name of which I had never even heard about. Funny enough, but little did I know it was going to be one of the places I dreamt of. It’s not easy to shift to a completely different country, where you hardly know anyone and anything. But, my dreams and hopes got me here to Lancaster.

Initially, it was hard. I am extremely close to my family and living far away from them was a great challenge. In the beginning, everything seems very new and unseen. I’m sure most of you might have felt the same in the initial week but I hope things might have become a little better now.

I read somewhere, “It is so so important to leave your home at your 20s or else you’ll never be able to fully succeed in life”. Profound enough. I think it is so important to finally step out of your comfort zone and move out. This is the only way to reach great heights and become fully independent.

It’s been more than 15 days now in Lancaster, and I’ve already learned so much. Adapting to a different environment and life isn’t easy but it is not impossible either. Here are some ways that helped me adapt better. Making my daily TO-DO lists. I think if you define the tasks for your day, you won’t think about any unwanted thoughts and just focus on those tasks the entire day. It’s the trick to stay busy, because when you stay busy, you think less about being away from your family. This has helped me the most, trust me. Secondly, listening to some motivational podcasts by great speakers or reading a good book helps. It can literally change your entire mood. Thirdly, try to interact with new people around and build friendships. Go out and explore the new city you are in, cook some amazing food that you’ve never cooked, attend your lectures on time and research as much as you can and lastly just remember your ultimate goal for this new life that you’ve chosen. Study and gain as much as you can, make the most out of this golden opportunity, be the best version of yourself and make your parents proud.

Structuring your Academic Life

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By Azizan (Student Blogger: BSc Hons Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics)

After a long period of lockdown full of restrictive measures, most of us are excited to finally have in-person classes and activities as we enter the new 2021/22 Academic Year. Other than your classes, you might be inclined to join some of the societies and public events scheduled over the academic year. This is a great time to finally reconnect and make new connections within the University’s population. However as more and more activities are being introduced each day, it is normal for us to struggle to balance our limited time given the various attractive activities being offered, on top of our classes and given assignments/coursework. Here are some tips that might be useful in structuring your academic life.

Make full use of a Calendar/Planner

Most of us find the Timetable feature on the iLancaster App to be convenient as it allows us to check when our classes are and where the venue is. Consider using your phone’s inbuilt calendar/planner App to write down all your leisure/meetings/meet-up/social plans along with their time and venue. Some Apps allow you to synchronise all your calendars, allowing you to have a better overview of your classes and your recreational plans through a ‘centralised’ calendar. Through this way, you will be able to plan out your day more efficiently and, hopefully, you won’t miss out on your classes or meet-ups!

Break your day into ‘time blocs’

Once in a while, it is tempting for us to overwork ourselves until late at night. This however restricts us from enjoying our leisure time, which can affect our productivity and performance in the near future if done repeatedly. Consider dividing your days into time blocs, let say 8.05 – 8.30 am, 9.35 – 11 am and so on. For each time bloc, assign it to categories: academic, leisure, personal, etc. By doing so, you have set up a boundary for what and when you will be doing your work or when is your rest. It is also a good way to track whether you’re meeting your personal needs or not.

Focus only on a Main Task each day

Many times, when we have too many works assigned to us, we tend to try to complete them all at once by multitasking. However, this is not a good practice, as our concentration is not at its optimum as our mind struggles to divide between the various tasks. By setting a main task at one time and sticking to it, you’re more likely to be productive and able to contribute considerable progress rather than splitting it into small progress for various tasks. In a sense, it will help to complete your task much quicker compared to the alternative.

Stay Grounded

As days progress, we tend to lose touch with time and reality – we’re so ‘invested’ in our work/responsibilities that we fail to notice what’s happening around us. It is important for us to step back once in a while and be present in the moment to appreciate the blessings surrounding us. This helps to prevent us from overstretching on our work beyond our allocated time, allowing us to rest and recover both physically and mentally. A good way to stay grounded is to utilise all of our 5 senses – touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste. This will have a positive impact on your wellbeing.

Integrating a well-refined structure into your everyday life has plentiful benefits. It gives you certainty, and restores a sense of order in your life. Most importantly, having a structure allows you to navigate your day with ease!