My university experience

I've done it! I've passed my degree and I'm graduating. With a 2:1!!

 I found out last week and I still can't believe it, but I've actually managed it. 

Three years ago I packed up my parents car, got on the ferry and moved across the Irish Sea to start the biggest part of my life so far: university. Now that I've reached the end I thought it would be the best time to write a post giving advice to the soon to be freshers out there. 

1) do what you love, regardless of what others tell you. 

You might get advice at school or 6th form where they might tell you to do specific course because they have better employability or something, but honestly, three years is a much longer time than you think, especially if you're stuck on a course that you hate. 

Doing something you love really helps make the work seem easier and slightly less stressful. 

2) you might not meet your best friend on the first day.

And that's ok. I was lucky that the first person I spoke to at uni is still now, one of my best friends, but apart from that one person, it actually took me until 2nd year to find the people I now consider to be my closest friends. 

3) get a part-time job. Even if you don't need the money. 

Even if you're one of these people who gets a healthy loan that they can survive off easily (lucky you!) getting a part time job can do so many things for you. Weekends at uni can be very boring, so it's nice to have something to do that's giving you a bit extra in the bank too! I've also met some amazing people in my job who I hope to be friends with for a long time, and it's a whole other group of people to socialise with. The possibilities really are endless. 

4) Experience is key. 

Even if your grades aren't the highest in the class, there are ways of impressing future employers by gaining experience in other areas. I've done work experience at several big magazines, and even though I don't currently have a job, my CV looks quite impressive and this gives me confidence when applying. 

5) if you aren't happy don't feel like you have to stick it out. 

If you get accepted onto a course you've always wanted to do, in a city and uni you dreamed about, but then get there and realise it's actually the last place you want to be, that's ok. 

We all suffer from thinking that the grass is greener somewhere else, and then we get there only to find that we were much happier before. Talk about it with someone and don't suffer in silence. It will only make everything harder to deal with. It's most important to be happy, an despite what you think, no one is going to think that you've failed. I had a few moments in second year where homesickness almost got the better of me and I nearly packed my bags for the next flight back to Ireland, but after some long ready phonecalls with my mum or my sister I realised I was exactly where I needed to be. 

6) Network. Network. Network. 

You never know who knows the right person to get your foot in an important door. The right email from the right person can be all it takes to set you on the right path. 

7) Be prepared to make the best memories of your life. 

As cliched as this sounds, some of the funniest moments ever have happened at uni with the friends I've made for the rest of my life. 

8) Party a little too!

This is the one time of your life that you can enjoy midweek drinking and not have to be up early the next day. Embrace it! I mean, if the price of a drink when you're a student isn't enough to convince you then I don't know what will!

9) Take advantage of being a student while you can!

Student discounts, interest free overdrafts, cheap rent with no council tax and long holidays. I'm starting to ask myself why I want to graduate so badly! 

Oh how I wish I was a fresher again! 

2014...Bring it on!

I hate the whole 'New Year, New Me' thing that goes around all of the social networks on New Years eve, and I'm not one for making resolutions, mainly because I always break them.

However, 2014 is the year I am going to get myself organised, in every sense. 

• I already am a big list maker, and I live by to-do lists, but this year I'm going to sort out how I keep them. at the moment I keep them all on scrap pieces of paper and on random notes on my phone, but I'm going to try and keep them all in one notebook, or on a to-do list app so I know exactly what I have to do and what I have completed. No more hunting for my lists! 
• I've also only recently learned how to make a calendar sync on my phone, laptop and tablet, so now I'll be able to have the same information on everything, and I won't have to keep checking my updates. Brilliant!
• Last August I was in TK Maxx with mum, and I spotted something I have wanted for ages, well reduced. A beautiful Orange Filofax. As a self-confessed stationery addict, and someone who loves Colour, it was right up my street. Plus it will only aid my resolution to get organised. 
• I want to get myself into a good daily routine. With university timetables, and a Part-time job where I work random shifts, it can be easy to have lots of late nights and early mornings and not leave a lot of time to get stuff done outside of these hours. I also Procrastinate. A LOT. I want to set myself a waking up time so I will get up at the same time everyday, and try and make sure I get enough sleep!
• My room is in severe need of sorting out. There is no system to where I store or keep things, so getting ready is often a massive stress! I like these clear makeup storage sets because they look good and sleek, while still serving their purpose. My interior design board on Pinterest is filling up nicely.
• Currently still living between Ireland and Sunderland means I have lots of clothes I have abandoned and no longer wear, I'm going to have a wardrobe clear out and sell it all on ebay. This also means I'll have that extra bit of money to save.
• Saving is something else I want to get serious about. I have bought one of those money tins which you can only open with a tin opener so I won't be able to dip in and out of my savings when I need something extra. If I can't justify it, I won't buy it!
• My poor little blog has been abandoned with all the other commitments I have, so I want to spend my free days writing up several post and scheduling them, and I want to properly commit time to making this blog amazing. My first step has been looking at books on blogging to download to my kindle once my loan comes in, I'm looking forward to this step and I can't wait to make this work.

I am coming to the end of my university life, and I'm applying for jobs and trying to plan out what I'm going to do when I finish. I know that getting organised now is really going to help me in the long run when I am (Hopefully!) working.

What are your New Years Resolutions? Happy 2014 to all of you!

Catch-up

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Hi guys,
I know its been a while since I've blogged, and I am really sorry, but I have two words that act as an excuse: FINAL YEAR.
I'd heard all the horror stories, listened to all the ranting, and thought "That won't be me. I won't let myself get that stressed" well, here we are, 5 weeks into term, and I am well and truly stressed. (Also, sidenote, I would totally love you all forever and ever if you would fill in my survey for dissertation here. thankssss!)

The last time I blogged I had just spent a brill week in London on placement at Fabulous mag, and spending much needed catch up time with my big sis, and since then a few things have happened.

Firstly, A new haircut

Me and my gorge flatmate

Anyone who follows me on pinterest (if you don't, why not? find me here.) will probably have guessed that I was contemplating a full fringe for a while, as my entire hair inspiration board was filling up with pictures of gorgeous fringes. Once I got back from my girly holiday in Magaluf, I fancied a change and bit the bullet. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but it has taken me about a month to love it, as I was totally unsure at first!


Secondly, A new Job title.
My uni have are launching a new Fashion Website called Fashion North, and I have been named News Editor! I'm super excited to be part of the new site, and totally thankful to have yet another amazing opportunity to put on my slowly expanding CV. I hope to post loads about it closer to the launch, and will definitely try to post about the launch party, but for now follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

But that's pretty much it, apart from a trip home planned and a halloween night out, my next few weeks consists entirely of uni work and shifts in Sports Direct.
Who said Fashion Degrees were glamourous?

Changes in life, changes in style.

For those of you who may not know, I am about a month away from starting my final year of university (Too scary, have a mild panic everytime I think about it!) and so far my university experience has been AMAZING. I really feel like uni has changed my life in so many ways, and the major change I've noticed has been in my own self-confidence.

Three years ago I moved from a small Northern Irish town, to a slightly bigger English city. I left behind my friends, my family and everything that was familiar, to be a small fish in a much bigger pond than I was used to. I remember being nervous about moving, but also really excited. Without dwelling on it too much, I didn't have too fab a time at school, and was really excited to be somewhere that I could have a new start. Going over (with a shocking amount of stuff) I had been chatting to a few people on my course on Facebook, but had absolutely no idea what to expect from them in real life. 

Long story short, some of those people are now my best friends, (Miss you all, as at this point I haven't seen you all since May!) and I feel like a completely different person than that nervous fresher who got off the boat three years ago. I can see these changes in so many ways, but the biggest has to be in my wardrobe and pictures of me. Fresher me didn't know the benefits of a good eyebrow threading and tinting, and even though I study Fashion, I look back and cringe at what I was wearing. But now I am so much more adventurous with clothes and makeup, as well as being so much more comfortable with myself. 

Being really self-conscious meant that a lot of my now everyday wardrobe staples, would have totally terrified me. Leather trousers would've made me run a mile, but now they're the favourite piece I own. Even with regards to my blog, I used to be scared to post the link anywhere and kept it to myself for a while, but know I tell any social media platform that'll listen, and I would never have dreamed of taking pictures of myself and posting them online for fear of people calling me vain. Now, I don't care. Before uni I used to worry about what people thought far too much. I hated my legs so I never went on nights out without tights on, now I wear whatever I want as long as I like it.

Before discovering what an eyebrow pencil was, and well before I realised that a side fringe was SO not a good look for me. But good to see I still have one standard pose. Hands on hips everyone!

Basically the whole point of this post is just to tell anyone debating about their future or whether they should take a massive step in life, to just do it! If it doesn't work out, that's fine, at least you tried, and you never know what amazing things will happen to you along the way.