Flying by!

So the last few weeks have flown by and I’m trying to keep up with all the work that third year has thrown at me! I’ve been doing a lot of work on my literature review and gave in my first draft a week ago. My supervisor said it’s a strong start (thank god!) so I’m now doing my second draft. There’s definitely a lot more work to be done this year, but it is the final year so I suppose it makes sense!

I’m really enjoying my modules; all of the lecturers are really enthusiastic and want all of us to do really well. The sociology department have set up workshops for us to attend which involve tips on how to get a 1^st class in your essays and exams, that’s been really helpful so far and has made me aim for a 1^st in my dissertation, or even overall but let’s start with the dissertation :P.

Over the last couple of weeks I began my mentoring in the psychology research centre that I work for. So far it’s been fantastic and all of the other mentors are great! I went to the Isle of Sheppey on Wednesday and mentored the Year 9’s in a school there; they were all really happy to see us and got excited about the project we’re all working on. We told them about the France trip that we’ll all be going on in February and they all got really excited about that (which made me all excited too!).

I’ve now been living in my flat for about a month now, me and my boyfriend have bought canvas’s and a big rug for the living room to make it more cosy so it feels like home now! I’ve been pretty busy since Uni has begun, but it’s been so much fun and I’ve really enjoyed third year so far! I’ve been going round my friends’ houses/ flats a lot as they all live down the road around the Greenwich campus which is handy!

This weekend I am going to see the new Bond film ‘Skyfall’, I’ve heard that it’s one of the best Bond films but I’ll let you know next time I write to you! Apart from that, I think my weekend will be filled with essay writing and revision… fun, fun, fun!

Speak to you soon! J

My first blog

So, about a week ago I moved into my flat in Greenwich with my boyfriend! It’s a lovely place and we’ve made it really homely now, as it initially felt too empty and plain. It’s only a 20 minute walk away from university and Blackheath is only up the road too which is great! It’s also right next to the DLR which is handy for my boyfriend as he works in central London.

It’s been pretty hectic over the past couple of months. I worked full time at the university’s enquiry unit during clearing from August to September and saved most of the money for the flat deposit (which was a miracle as I’m not usually good at saving!). I applied for term time Enquiry Unit work as I enjoyed it there so much and after interviews I was told I got the job! I work 8 hours a week which is perfect as I have some work experience jobs too and of course my monstrous load of university work to be getting on with!

I have worked in the Research Centre for Children, Schools and Families in the psychology department since April 2012 and will work there until I finish my studies next year. I work as a research assistant and help the research fellows with their projects, such as doing data collection in schools and then helping with data entry and data analysis. I love working there and the research fellows are all so friendly! It was weird working there at first as I was working alongside some of the lecturers I have on my modules but I got used to it after a while! I worked on a project looking at bullying and anti-social behaviour in schools which was really interesting. The data collection was the most fun part as I got to work with kids from South East London in a range of schools! I’m now going to be working on a couple of projects, including a big EU one involving England and France and a smaller one focusing on children in Greenwich. If you haven’t already guessed I want to work as a research assistant either in developmental, social or clinical psychology when I graduate!

If any of you are doing psychology at the university I would definitely recommend looking out for research support worker/ research assistant job opportunities on the university’s JobShop vacancies website! The work experience you gain is amazing and will look great on your CV.

This week I’ve been working on my literature review for my dissertation. I was scared starting it, but now I’ve got most of the theories and research together its okay, still a daunting piece of work though! I also started my new modules last week and they’re all good so far! Other than my studies and work, I met up with some old friends who I used to live with in halls at their house party this week. It was really good and lovely to see them as I haven’t seen them all summer as we all live in different parts of the country! This weekend I’ll be slaving away on my dissertation and might actually get some revision for my health psychology exam in there too (might as well start early!), and I’ll also be going to central London to get some flat bits. I might also be going out for lunch this Sunday with some friends which will be nice. J

That’s all for now guys, but I’ll be telling you about my third year adventures again soon! J  x