First Year University Reflection.

After months and months of studying, I have finally finished my final exams and my first year of University is now over. Once finishing school, I had heard so many horrible rumours about how awful University is and how people really find the transition from school really hard. I am here to put these rumours to bed. I had an amazing first year experience and I wanted to share with you that University is actually a lot of fun, if you make it.

Firstly being able to leisurely stroll in and out of campus is one of the greatest aspects of University. If you have an afternoon lecture that you aren't really feeling, then you can just go home, no questions asked. This however can lead to you missing all of your lectures, so it's important that you still have some form of weekly learning structure. Otherwise when it comes to exam time, you will be stressed to the max!

The semester that I just completed, I was only at University two days a week. This gave me so much free time to socialise, work and even start this blog. As I had a lot of free time, I wanted to do something with it and I had always enjoyed writing and fashion so I thought I would give blogging a go. In order for you to have a lot of time on your hands, maybe even a little to much, make sure that you make your timetable as efficient as possible, so you don't end up having to go into University everyday of the week.

A lot of people I know struggled with making friends during their first year, however I was never faced with this problem. I study the unique degree of Bachelor of Nutrition/Bachelor of Media and Communication. There was only a handful of other people in the same course as me, and we ended up all finding each other and they were familiar faces throughout our lectures, tutorials and pracs. During your first year you are bound to do at least one group assignment as well, so again you have an opportunity to meet new people. My biggest piece of advice would be to put yourself out there and make the effort to make friends. Don't worry, everyone else is just as nervous and shy as you are, and I bet they will appreciate the effort you make.

A lot of people are extremely nervous for University, as it is such a different environment to school. I know it took me a while to get used to lecturers swearing and calling them by their first names. But it is seriously so much fun and one of the greatest experiences you will ever have. Don't stress about it and have a blast at this more relaxed studying environment.

Good bye University notes!

Study Tips.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything for a while, but this time of the year is always hectic as it is almost the end of the university year in Australia. So I have been frantically trying to finish all my assignments and study for exams. Now I know that these last few weeks of school or university can be extremely stressful, so I have devised some tips for you that will help you keep clam during this important time.

1. Eat balanced diet and be healthy
One of the greatest problems that I know a lot of people have, including myself, is the quality of their diet during exams. I am notorious for just snacking when I am studying, rarely eating proper meals. However when you do this your body gets a sugar rush for a while, but then it must come down from sugar high, you feel awful. Therefore eating foods such as bread, cereals and pasta contains carbohydrates, which slowly releases energy over a longer period of time. By eating this grain food group, it will make studying easier and you will find that you will be able to concentrate for longer periods of time and be productive.
Also remember to exercise and keep fit during this period. I know that you will be extremely busy but when you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which helps to reduce stress and will help you sleep better at night. However, make sure you exercise at appropriate times. I know that for myself, if I exercise to early I become lethargic for the remainder of the day.

2. Don't start a new television show
This is probably my worst study quality. Whenever exam times comes around, I always seem to pick up a new television show that I have been dying to watch. Now when I get hooked to a TV show I can't just just watch a few episodes. NO! I will literally sit down and watch an entire series over the period of a weekend. This semester the two shows I have done this for are Suits and I have just started Breaking Bad. Now this is a terrible idea, as it only leads to you being stressed for your exams and assignments. It is much better to have your episodes as a reward for a certain amount of study. So give yourself a set amount of time to study, then go and enjoy an episode, you've earned it!

3. Create a study plan
This is probably one of the greatest tips I can give you. Sit down for an hour one day and plan out your entire week. Include when you have time to study, exercise, work and of course socialise. This will show you how much time you have to prepare for an exam, which will either keep you calm for an exam or will force you to stop procrastinating and sit down and study. Students who have poor management skills, then I highly recommend doing this.

4. Get enough sleep
Sleep is one of the most essential things to being successful in your studies. If you pull continual "all-nighters", your body will be so exhausted that you will not retain your information. It is so much easier to study and you will be able to concentrate a lot longer, if you get a good night sleep.

Good luck for all of your assessment during this exam period!