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Thursday 31 January 2013

Exciting times!


I don’t think I can quite get over that it’s now the end of January, how fast is this year going already?! Everyone has been super busy with deadlines and dissertations and the thought of finishing my last exam in 4 months time scares me a tad, but the thing that is motivating me through all of it is the thought of come July I’ll be sitting on a nice beach in Spain with no more deadlines woo! Thankfully, I’ve finished my methodology section on my dissertation, well I say finished I’ve done my first draft so I have to amend it here and there, but at least them 3000 words are no longer lingering on my mind! Oh and another lift off my shoulders was that I found out I got high 2:1’s in both my modules for last term J so now it’s the worry of these three modules and my dissertation (so not much then! :P).


As you know I am a research assistant and mentor for the psychology department and as part of the project we’re on I am required to go to France, Amiens to be exact, and it’s come around so unbelievably fast that I’m going there on Monday woo! We had a session on it this week about what we’re doing out there and what we get paid (which gave me a massive smile!) and what times we’re leaving, etc. The bad bit about it is that we have to be at the Greenwich campus at 4am on Monday, yes you read that right – 4am K. So realistically I’ll have to get up at 2:30, what kind of joke are they playing at? – is that I first thought, but then they told us we have to go to Kent first to pick up the kids (who we’re mentoring) and then we’re going through the Eurotunnel and then to Amiens, so we probably won’t get there until 12! So maybe 4am is an okay(ish) time to get there :P. Every since I was a child I have been prone to travel sickness so I definitely have to bring joy rides and sit near the front, especially if we’re going to be on it for 8 hours! I’m going there from Monday to Wednesday which is a good time I think, and although I’m working out there, I look at it as though it’s a paid holiday ;).

Apart from work related stuff, I have been succumbed to the vampire diaries fan club, I don’t know why I never watched it before but I was flicking through Netflix one night and thought ‘yeah I’ll give that a go’, ever since - I have been addicted to it! So if you’ve never watched it and you’re into the whole Twilight/ Charmed thing then get onto the vampire diaries bandwagon as you’ll soon find that your face is glued to the TV all night.

Thinking future wise and all and I’ll be finishing my BSc degree this year, I’ve been thinking about postgraduate study. Almost everyone I’ve spoken to has said ‘I can’t wait to be free of education forever!’ and although I agree with them in a way, I kind of want to do a masters degree to train me in psychological research methods which would be funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council), as it would open up so many doors into research and that’s what I’d like to do really, or work in academia. If I have the master’s degree, then I could go onto a PhD which would follow on from my masters so that it’s funded by the ESRC too. I’m saying all of this, but these programmes are so competitive let alone to be funded and I’d have to create a PhD thesis :P but it’s always an option, plus can you imagine the amount of research jobs that I would be opened up to if I did do it! I think I’ll work for a year and see how it goes first though ;).

I guess my next blog will be telling you about France, expect a big blog! Speak soon! J

Thursday 10 January 2013

Happy new year everyone!


Well as it’s now 2013 (still don’t know where 2012 went!), we can make a fresh start on everything! As per every year, I make my new year’s resolution to stop biting my nails, do well in my work, etc, but this year is slightly different to any other year before… I’m turning 21 (scary!), I’m finishing my degree in May (only 5 months), I’m graduating and I’m going to be in a full time job! So a lot is happening this year but I’m really excited!

Apart from thinking about my future plans, I have loads of work to do this month, including my sociology essay, my methodology for my dissertation and conducting my focus groups for my research, I really hope it goes well! I found out that I got a 1st on my Health Psychology exam woo! So that was a nice surprise over the Christmas break! J I think coming back to Uni its hit me how much I need to do as I had a rather lazy one over the holidays, kind of wish I did a bit more but I’m getting there! So glad I don’t have any exams until May now though, the week before we broke up for Christmas was ridiculously busy… I had 2 exams and a big deadline in one week! But I think I did well and that 1st I got made it worth it!

As for outside of University, I’m doing some extra shifts over the holiday which helps a lot! I've also been really busy seeing friends who I haven’t seen in so long as they go to different universities around the country, so that was nice! I've also been out a lot, for new year’s we had a house party with all my friends from home, it was so good, definitely a great way to start the year! I think I’m going to the cinema next week to see Les Miserables, actually can’t wait it looks so good! They filmed part of it at this university, Greenwich campus, and apparently (I didn't see it) but there were elephant statues there and Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried were spotted walking around the campus for filming! So look out for the university if you watch the film. >>>>>>

Also, I really want to see Gangster Squad, it has Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in it! There are so many other films I want to see!

I’m actually applying for jobs at the moment (can never be too early I suppose), so when I have the time I’m working my way through application forms and information packs! I just hope I get called for an interview soon, it would make me relax a little as I know how hard it is for students to get a job that quickly (fingers crossed!). I’m applying for research assistant/ officer jobs and marketing assistant roles at the moment. Some people say it’s way too early to apply but it’s only 5 months away!! *Panicking*
I hope you all had a great Christmas and new year, will speak soon!
Hayley
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