Make the most of every moment

This was originally written for my other blog 

A lot of the times we do not enjoy things because we have already set ourselves up to fail, to be scared or simply not enjoy ourselves.

Starting my last year of school I had already set myself up to feel stressed. I had scared myself into thinking, once I stepped into the building I would feel stressed by all the implications of being in my last year of school; exams, uni applications, head girl duties, leaving the school I have become really emotionally attached to. It was not a surprise that despite all the hugging and smiling, I felt really weird about being back at school.

I took a moment to reflect and think; if I continue in the vein of being ‘pre-stressed’ I will spend my whole year stressed for no reason and unhappy. Sure there are a lot of things that I have to do, there are a lot of people, places and traditions I have to eventually say goodbye to, but I still have months until all of that.

The focus now is on being present and making the most of every moment. We rob ourselves of happiness when we walk around thinking rigorously about all the things we haven’t done and will have to do in the future.

Instead of thinking about what is going to happen in the next ten minutes appreciate the moment you are in, so that the next ten minutes will feel great, instead of feeling like an obstacle when you finally get there.

I read in a book that you should focus on the 24 hours ahead of you, and make sure that you make the best of every single moment in those 24 hours. Now, this isn’t just a pretty concept it really works! I took this concept and applied it to my life last year, and I felt so much happier and more fulfilled, but like the silly human being I can be I stopped doing that and let the worry pour in (BAD MOVE ITUNU).

Focusing on the 24 hours ahead of you helps you to appreciate the moment you are in. You can sit in lessons and focus on what is being said, rather than organising what you will be doing in the next few months, or worrying about all the things you haven’t done.

I know that there are tons of things to think about and there is a main goal or goals we all have in mind but by focusing on the 24 hours ahead of us (and keeping our goals in mind) days become so much happier.

Keep Smiling!

Itunu :)

Click here to vote for me as blogger of the month

Brontë and Blogging

This was originally written for my blog https://voiceofthemaverick.wordpress.com

Hello All !!! I made a deal with myself that until I finished reading Jane Eyre I would not blog  (I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier because I whizzed through the rest of the book). So here I am, free from Brontë and back to blogging yay (I will do a Jane Eyre review soon) !!!

In February I had the amazing opportunity to start writing as a student blogger for UCAS. (Click here to view my UCAS blog)  UCAS stands for Universities and College Admission Services and ‘it is a UK-based charity whose main role is providing the application process for almost all British universities’. (thanks Google).

Having the opportunity to blog for UCAS was amazing because not only was I writing on a huge platform I was also blogging about school; full of all its highs and lows and sharing advice about dealing with the jungle, that is school life.

In September I will be starting Year 13, my last year of school before University.I have had the opportunity to continue blogging for UCAS during Year 13, where I will be starting the University application process, getting really stuck in to my role as Head Girl and bidding farewell to the school I have been at for 6 years (ahhh the emotions). So keep on the lookout for my posts throughout the school year.

This is where you come in. I need to gather as many votes for title of UCAS Blogger of the Year before embarking on blogging during Year 13. I have had so much fun being part of the blogging community, both on WordPress and as a blogger for UCAS, where I have been able to reach out and help many students across the UK.

 I would LOVE to win the title (and left it quite late to gather votes *cringes*) so please click here and vote for me (itunu).

Keep Smiling (and vote!)  :)

6 STEPS TO DEALING WITH RESULTS DAY

1. Be honest about how you feel about results day

If you're scared, say that you're scared. If you're confident, say you're confident. It is important to acknowledge how you are feeling about results day. If you are feeling very negative about it spend the rest of today channelling happy vibes and don't dwell on the negative feelings.

2. Open your results away from your friends

Now, everyone opens their results differently, so this is just my opinion. What I do is go away from friends, open the envelope, take in the grades (call my loved ones and let them know my grades) and then go back to my friends. For me, this has been the best way because you are able to take time to look closely at your grades and think about anything you have to address, instead of getting wrapped up in the grades of those around you.

3. Look at your results carefully

There is a tendency to look at your main grade and just accept it, however on your results sheet there is a breakdown of what you received on the individual papers. So if you get lower than expected in a certain subject look at the breakdown because it may be that a lower grade in a certain paper has brought your main grade down. If you think that you should have got higher in a subject, speak to a teacher or exam officer, because you may find that you were only a few points off the next grade and you could consider getting your paper remarked.

4. Don't compare your grades to other peoples

You can be happy about your results regardless of what good grades look like to those around you. If you worked hard for that C, be proud of yourself. Same thing goes for if you got a B but you really wanted an A, you are allowed to be annoyed but again don't dwell on it- it's not the end of the world and remember you've still done very well. You know how hard you worked, you know what grades you wanted, so don't compare your results to anyone else's because everyone expects different things.

5. You don't have to tell everyone your grades

If you want to tell people your exact grades, that's 100% fine but remember you don't have to. You can tell people you are happy with your grades, or that they weren’t as good as expected but it's onwards and upwards. Don't feel pressured to broadcast your grades or even your feelings about grades on social media or to those around you. They are YOUR grades, so you can do what you want with them. (However, I would advise that you tell someone your grades, don't keep them to yourself especially if you aren't happy with them, and remember: a problem shared is a problem halved).

6. Whatever grades you get it's not the end of the world

Right, I say this as a complete drama-queen about everything so you can trust me: you have several opportunities to improve your grades in 6th form and college. Don't let your grades define you. If you do worse than expected let that motivate you to work harder, if you do better than expected let that also motivate you to continue working hard.

All the best for tomorrow GCSE guys! If you have any questions leave them in the comments section below and I will try my best to answer them.

Keep Smiling

Itunu :)

Thinking about University

'You're going to University next year'.

'No, next year is...YES I AM'!!!

I'm sure many of you can relate to this, that sudden realisation that in September you're going to be in Year 13 and next year you will, if it's in your plan, be going to University. There have been many changes over these past few years forcing us to look beyond the walls of the sixth form common room and think about the future. Although, thinking about the future is quite frightening the great thing about A Levels and IB is that you do less subjects so possible university courses, to an extent, are narrowed down. Now it's all about finding the appropriate resources to help you on  your search  of possible future careers.

So here is my fabulous list for all things University that will make you super organised before you start Year 13:

WhatUni-   What Uni is a great tool and it's free! It guides you along the way, from showing you what career paths people have followed with your subject choices and grades to University reviews. It also monitors your progress e.g. alerting about when you need to start writing your personal statement, this makes What Uni an amazing tool if you have absolutely no idea where to start.

The Student Room - From advice about University Courses to personal statements Student Room is the hub for all things University. All you have to do is login (it's free) and search to your hearts content. If there is a specific thing that you want to find out you can always start a discussion thread and get responses from the other students on the site.

Fast Tomato - Complete with information about the job requirements, salaries and different career paths Fast Tomato is also brilliant for career advice. It includes questionnaires about things such as your working style and personal interests, both of which are essential when making your University choices. Unfortunately Fast Tomato is not free but possibly if you talk to your school they can sort out logins for you(fingers crossed).

Morrisby Test- The Morrisby Test is also another great tool and although you have to pay for it, it is very useful if you have no idea where to start. The Morrisby Test  'assesses various factors including abilities, aptitudes, interests and motivations' and provides you with a detailed list of possible career paths that are best suited to your abilities and interests.

The Internet and Social Media- Google is your friend, as is YouTube and Twitter. Research anything and you will definitely find information. I have a habit of looking up Universities on YouTube because some Universities have student vloggers who talk about their Uni experience and their chosen course; which I find very insightful (and great when I can't be bothered to read). You should also sign up for emails or follow Universities on Twitter so you can get updates about open days and taster sessions.

Talk to people- Career advisor, current year thirteen students, university students- anyone. I have found talking to people about my ideas post year thirteen to be extremely useful, as not only do they suggest options that I would have never thought of- they also bring to light other factors that I should consider when making my University choice e.g. whether I want to be close to or far away from home or go to a campus or city University etc.

Apply for Open Days- Find out the dates of the Open Days of Universities that you like the look of and apply for them. Some just require you to sign up to show your interest, others need you to book for a place- so ensure that you research carefully. If you are completely clueless on where to start try researching the best Universities for the course you are interested in and pick a few Universities in the Top 20 to have a look at. (I say Top 20 because the lists tend to be really long- but obviously if you prefer widening or narrowing your options, do that instead). Also it is important to treat University lists with caution because they are not always completely accurate- The Guardian University guide is said to be a good one.

So, there you are, my fabulous list. I will try and add to or elaborate on the list in the near future. Feel free to add any additional advice in the comments below.

First University Open Day

Last Saturday I went to my first University open day at Warwick University. Initially I was not excited about the open day, or any open day at all. I thought that it would add to the confusion, the confusion being WHAT ON EARTH DO I DO WITH MY LIFE and that it would be an all-round scary experience; but I loved it. The open day was wonderfully organised, the student guides were friendly and the whole atmosphere was really relaxed and homely.

 

Once dropped off by the pick-up bus the first thing I realised was, if I choose to attend Warwick, to attend this strange, huge place, it is going to be my home for the next few years and some of these strangers are going to share the whole experience with me, now that was frightening. I felt like I was in Year 7 all over again, with the butterflies and overwhelming feeling of being in an unknown place for a significant part of my life. Once the butterflies had settled and I had soaked up the surroundings it was time to attend the talks about the degrees on offer.

I had the opportunity to attend the Politics and International Studies (PAIS) and English Literature talks. Right now, my major battle is which path to pursue, Politics which I am really interested in and seemed to provide a much clearer pathway career wise, or English which I am completely obsessed with and would miss dearly if I leave it after Year 13. A little bit of me wanted to hate the English talk just so that PAIS ,which seemed like the course that provided the clearer path, would become more attractive to me. Unfortunately (ahh who am I kidding it wasn't unfortunate at all) I loved the English talk, the degree sounds incredibly flexible at Warwick and as you progress with the degree you gain a lot more freedom on what you want to study. There are also various opportunities to meet with experts in the different areas of English, whether it’s poets or authors. The English and Creative Writing talk blew me away, in that you are immersed in the whole English world but there is also the focus on the creative aspect and how to develop it.

After realising that dumping English (I have a strong emotional attachment to the subject if you haven't already guessed) would be harder than I thought it was time for the PAIS talk. The quirky professor, the cool students and the encouragement of debate within the audience made the whole degree seem amazing. With a focus on both British and American politics, PAIS seems like the wonderful degree to expand my limited knowledge of politics and gain a deeper understanding of the world and how it works. The political buzz in the room was intimidating especially for someone who pledges no severely strong allegiance to any political party or leader, however, the debate, disagreements and different viewpoints served to show just how challenging and interesting PAIS would be as a course. I also realised that just like English, the course does not offer a straightforward career path, both subjects are equally flexible and can lead you to a variety of careers in the future.

I left Warwick with a fresh outlook on the future and prospect of leaving my little town for the strange world of University. I am still scared and not entirely sure what I want to do, but pursuing what I love seems like a starting point, so we'll see where it goes from there.

Have you attended any Uni Open Days yet? How did you find it? Are you still not sure what course to pick or are you the complete opposite? Feel free to comment below :)

Third Week Back, Head Girl Duties and Year 6s

Third week back in school and yep we're still doing work. I've finished one book for English which makes me so happy. On Beauty by Zadie Smith is a great book and the way Smith writes is unlike any author I have ever read. She is able to present the emotions of multiple characters with equal depth all the while maintaining a great storyline. I was pretty distraught after finishing the book, not because it was sad but because I wasn't reading it anymore; it was over, no sequel, no movie, just over. If you've ever become completely engrossed in a TV series or movie you'll understand the horrible emptiness of knowing that it's over. But I'll find another book to become obsessed with soon.

Now back to school.

School has been full of group presentations- History is all about America pre Civil War, I'm in the American South group focusing on the economic and social developments up to the 18th century. In English we are working on presentations for both the prose and poetry lessons. For prose we're looking at House of Spirits by Isabel Allende and Victoria by Knut Hamsun, and our poetry ranges from Pablo Neruda to Simon Armitage. For both sections we get to select a song of our choice that best encapsulates our given extract or poem, which has been very fun so far.

Head Girl duties have also begun to kick in, we have been working on establishing what we want to represent and be advocates for (I say we because we have two head girls at my school) and also planning for and being part of different school events. I reckon my organisational skills will improve tremendously having this role, and that was not just a pretty comment for UCAS, that is a genuine life achievement for me considering that I have spent 5 years getting made fun of for having a bottomless pit of a bag and losing my phone every day. It's really exciting to have this role and represent my school community and still be my normal goofy self.

On the topic of goofiness we had our Year 6 Transition Evening a few days ago and I decided that it would be appropriate to put my hair up in two buns, like a life size Minnie Mouse despite supposing to represent this cool older girl to all the Year 6s. Instead it was more I never really left primary school, I’m 17 and still consider being Minnie Mouse as a possible career option. Meeting all the Year 6s, however, was an amazing and bizarre experience. It was like a flashback to being the nervous but over-confident Year 6, who was determined to make friends and be amazing. (Making friends, I managed, being amazing, still a work in progress). I got to talk to the Year 6s,and find out what they were looking forward to and what they were nervous about and it was beautiful to have the chance to be a part of, albeit a little part, in  their progression into secondary school.

As I'm going to be making the transition to University next year, it's amazing to see that the fears are still the same as the Year 6s. Will I cope? Will I make friends? Will I get lost? Will I survive this alien place? There is a whole load of progression made between ages 11-17 (apart from hairstyle choices maybe) and in seeing the Year 6s bubbling with enthusiasm about this new journey they are about to embark on makes me think, you know what  maybe just maybe everything is going to be ok.

How has your time back in school been so far? Are you getting nervous about University, or are you the complete opposite? Feel free to comment below :)

My First Week Back

As part of my whole plight to document Year 13 (you can read about that here) I decided to start writing little diary entry type posts- this is the one for my first week back at school after study leave  and I thought I'd share it with all you lovely people :)

I'm back to school, and how do I feel? Erm, well a bit confused. I thought the week would be a chill, sitting down in lessons doing nothing, getting a textbook or two and some sheets, maybe watching a little film. I was so wrong! It's Friday and I have books to start reading, poems to start analysing and presentations to start preparing. I guess when they said we would be starting the Year 13 syllabus, they really meant it. But you know what? It's not all bad. We are starting the most AMAZING topics in English and History. In English we are learning about Love through the ages, which is a big difference from AS The Struggle for Identity in Modern Literature. Initially when I heard the A2 course was Love through the ages, I thought 'eww why? ‘As much as I love English the thought of spending a year talking and reading about love was so unappealing, but now I am literally doing laps about how amazing the  course sounds (because I often do laps around my home whilst typing, that's how talented I am). Basically every novel has a film equivalent, which is a dream come true. I'm planning on reading The Great Gatsby (because the film is stunning), The Virgin Suicides and On Beauty by Zadie Smith. We have to read Jane Eyre and after reading an extract I just know that the language is going to be on another level of WHAT IS SHE SAYING, but it is a challenge that I am completely up for.

Then there's History, oh History, in one half of the course we are learning about Russia, which is always going to be interesting, and in the other half we're learning about 100 years of American History and get to write a huge essay on a question of our choice. I'm planning to write about The Emancipation of the Slaves, and the excitement about that is unreal. What about my other subjects? One half of Psychology is about Research Methods, which is always going to be boring, then the other half is all about addiction and why it occurs, and I'm loving it. Spanish is about technology and in the in the other half we are watching a film, which is going to be the main focus for our writing in Year 13.

So, forgive me for this dorky post but I'm super excited about learning new things in Year 13 and I'm sure you secretly are as well.

Are you still in shock that you are back to school doing actual work? Is there any thing that you are excited about learning in Year 13? Feel free to comment below:)