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How to manage life in a student house

Fri 20 December 2019 - 10:46

By Campus Society in First year

Viewing, packing, moving in, and decorating sounds like the most exhilarating thing, right? You're either prepared to start a new chapter of your life, or all hyped up for your second or third freshers, and hanging out with your mates all over again. It's such an exciting time of the year, but it's worth taking a minute to consider how you're going to manage your independence over the next year.

Those bills don't solve themselves
Unfortunate but true – the money involved in the rent isn't the only money you'll need to fork out. By keeping track of what you each owe per week or per month, it'll be so much easier when it comes to paying your letting agents. Keep emergency numbers, previous payments, and any necessary details together, somewhere all housemates can access. If someone has to file through every bit of discarded paper on top of the fridge to find out who to contact, or can't find necessary numbers because they're locked in Jonny's room, it can be a...

Ten essentials you don't realise you need to bring to uni

Mon 28 October 2019 - 10:46

By Campus Society in First year

There are some things you obviously need to take to uni – like clothes, shoes, and bedding – but here are ten things that might not seem so important, but, from experience, are essential.

Posters, pictures, and wall hangings
It might not seem like much of an 'essential', but trust me, it is. When you move into your room and look at the stacks of boxes and blank white walls, it's easy to get homesick. You don't want to feel like you're living in a hotel room for a year. Take posters and things to put on your walls. It's also a very good idea to take pictures of you with your friends and family, as most halls will have a corkboard where you can pin them up.

Wok
Take a good wok with you. This is a durable piece of kit that's great for a multitude of one-pot meals, perfect for cooking for one person, batch cooking, and all those endless stir fry meals you'll be making.

Dressing gown
The humble dressing gown. Hidden in its soft,...

13 Reasons Why You Should Study Abroad

Thu 10 January 2019 - 14:53

By Anna Whitaker in First year

Hiii,

I have now been back at home for a whole month! I can't believe how time has flown since January when I was unbelievably worried/excited to be going abroad for a semester. Since I have been home I've been working two jobs, one as a cleaner and one as a waitress...so overall not quite as glamorous (or exciting) as living in Spain with my friends and going to the pool every day.
 
Since I've been back at home people have asked me a lot of questions about going abroad and whether they should do it themselves...and it made me think about all the reasons I wanted to study abroad in the first place, all the doubts I had along the way, the stress, but also the fact that this experience has opened my eyes to how amazing it can be to experience another country....So here goes, my big list of reasons why you should study abroad.

1. Discovering new...

The ultimate checklist for parents ahead of exam results

Fri 31 May 2019 - 11:37

By Exam Results Helpline in UCAS advice

While students across the country are nervously waiting their A Level results this Thursday (Aug 15) or GCSEs (Aug 22), a thought should be spared also for their equally anxious parents.

To help everyone going through the stresses and strains that inevitably come with this time of year, the Department for Education’s Exam Results Helpline opens at 07:30 on A Levels Day and will continue to be a lifeline of support and guidance until the end of the month.

Although students make the bulk of the calls, a quarter are from parents phoning to find out how best to help their youngsters take the next steps.

Here, Exam Results Helpline careers advisor Iwan Williams has outlined the ‘Ultimate Checklist’ for parents to ensure they can help their teenagers make the right decisions when the time comes.

So, what do parents really need to know?

1) The options: Having a solid understanding of the...

Five ways to ensure a successful ITT year - Tracey Lawrence

Tue 6 November 2018 - 16:07

By Tracey Lawrence in Teacher Training

Congratulations! You are about to embark on the best career and this year will, without a doubt, be your most challenging and most rewarding year professionally. To ensure a successful Initial Teacher Training (ITT) year you need to make sure that you are fully focused on developing the craft of teaching. To be where you are right now you will no doubt have an innate way with children but to learn the ever-changing skill of teaching, you need to be fully committed to continual professional development throughout the rest of your teaching career.

Behaviour Management is a skill that underpins great teaching. Without successful behaviour management in your class, you cannot have a learning atmosphere, you cannot deliver that incredible lesson that you have planned and you cannot achieve the outcomes nor the progress that you need to. Not only is it in the best interests of the children to get this part right but it is most definitely in the best interests of yourself to...

Feeling homesick at university

Thu 4 July 2019 - 09:30

By Ellen Ramsay in Support

by Ellen Ramsay, BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, Teesside University

University has been the best three years of my life so far but, at first, it didn’t feel like that way.

I was really excited about my new adventure – I was moving 200 miles north to begin my university course in occupational therapy. But the homesickness set in during Freshers’ Week. I found my new life very difficult – I had arrived with freshers’ flu (yes, it does exist!) and I cried all the time. I can remember saying to my family that, if I...

From trainee to NQT – Lauren Gaisford

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:54

By Lauren Gaisford in Teacher Training

 
My PGCE has been a tough but exciting year. It’s affirmed and re-affirmed my faith in the profession and my career path, it’s taught me to be patient and made me see that I can learn so much from others, but most importantly, it’s taught me that every single teacher is different.

Embarking on your journey from trainee to NQT is difficult, it’s a tough year that no one can really prepare you for. However, here are six tips that should help you along the way:

1. Ask for help
The most important piece of advice I can give is to ask for help. Seriously, I know it seems simple, but it’s hard to do. Whether it’s asking for resources, asking for advice on lesson plans, or just needing someone to rant to, you must ask for help. No one is expecting you to be perfect, so use the people around you!
 
...

Top ten student money tips

Tue 19 May 2020 - 14:40

By money.co.uk in Money

Getting a degree is expensive, but making every penny count lets you squeeze every drop of fun from your uni days without getting saddled with debt. Here are the top ten essential money tips for students.

1. Work out a budget
It is hard to set a precise weekly budget before you get to university and see what things really cost. However, trying to work out an outline budget before you go is still a good idea – even a rough idea of how much money you will have available each week will help you to avoid blowing your budget early.

The simplest way to do this is to make one list of all your monthly income (e.g. from loans, part-time work...

My teacher training experience: part 2 – Stephen Pearce

Tue 6 November 2018 - 15:54

By Stephen Pearce in Teacher Training

 
This is the second my blog where I’ve been reflecting on my experiences of initial teacher training. You can read part one here. But now, I’m going to look at some of the questions trainee teachers frequently ask themselves:
 

1. Is my subject knowledge good enough?
I am going to probably upset a few people but the answer is no, your subject knowledge is not good enough. Before you grab your pitchforks let me explain. You may be an expert in your subject and have a degree to prove it, however, teaching a subject is vastly different to being able to do it yourself. To really exaggerate this point, let's take 2 + 2. This would be mathematics most of us would have seen at a very young age and now you can tell me that the answer is four. You have...

My teacher training experience: part 1 – Stephen Pearce

Thu 21 March 2019 - 16:36

By Stephen Pearce in Teacher Training

As the end of the PGCE course seems in sight, I have taken the opportunity to reflect on my experiences. If you are reading this you are probably at the same stage of your career or where I was last year, considering if this is what I want to do. If you are in the latter, please just do it, I won’t say you won’t have moments that you regret that decision but on the whole you will love it.
 
I am going to start off with one of the best things about the course. I started teacher training successively from an undergraduate course and your new classmates will seem very different. Mainly, you will notice the range in ages. This diversity means that your new classmates will have a variety of professional experience that you can learn from.
 
Honestly though, the other people on the course will be great for support and for letting off steam but your main asset on the course will...

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