Archive for 2016

Home Archive for 2016

I should start off this post by apologising for the lack of posts recently, it’s been a crazy few weeks but they are finally over. On Friday I submitted my dissertation, yep that’s right I finished it – WOO HOO. Mind you it took me 8 months to write it, 28,657 words later, including some breakdowns and it was complete!! Honestly it was one of the best feelings in the world after submitting it, I couldn’t wait to get home and throw all the papers relating to it in the bin.

Finally Finished!!

Although, I still have a supervised assessment tomorrow, yep that’s right another lovely Monday morning at uni. I also have my final coursework to submit on Friday, then my last ever exam on the 9^thMay. I can’t believe after 4 years at uni I’m so close to finishing, but I honestly can’t wait!! The past few months uni work has taken over my life, I haven’t seen my closest friends since the end of January, which is ridiculous but I just didn’t have the time to go out!! It’s a good job I have a great group of friends; they have all been through it so they understood why I was becoming a recluse.

On a serious note though, I actually can’t believe I managed to complete my dissertation, there was so many times I wanted to quit!! For the past few weeks I was only getting around 4 hours sleep a night, you can imagine how grumpy that made me. I haven’t had time to cook proper meals so resorted to eating junk food constantly, so now I’m probably a stone heavier but obviously I blame it on my dissertation!

My little kitten Ollie has kept me sane, honestly when I was feeling like I could explode with anger his little cute face made me smile. I haven’t had a pet since I lived with my mum and dad, which was a long time ago!! Although, when I’m at my desk trying to type he still feels the need to be on top of my laptop, so sometimes he’s a distraction (but obviously a cute one).

The dissertation can wait

Hopefully that’s me through the worst of honours year, I haven’t cried I just get mad and shout about how much I hate it LOL! Before I finish I will put up some posts with tips on how to get through it, although it definitely isn’t easy.

Ok, we have time for a selfie!!

Remember and check out all the previous posts, describing the dramas before I got to this stage!!

Until next time,

Karen

I got a kitten – Yes that’s right my very own little bundle of cuteness, his name is Ollie! Myself and Greg picked him up on Sunday afternoon, he is absolutely adorable. He’s only 8 weeks old, so as you can imagine he is pretty tiny! Since I have got him I haven’t done very much uni work at all, he’s so boisterous I end up sitting laughing at him for hours – he’s hilarious!

Perfection

Probably not the best time to get Ollie, 5 weeks before my dissertation is due but I don’t regret it for a second. I have tried to get some work done, but he is just so playful that I don’t get much done at all – he loves attention!!

Trying to study!!!

Today I was off work and uni so had my full day planned but Ollie wasn’t well, all plans up in the air and a trip to the vet instead. He is ok just a little upset tummy, so he got a little jag to make him feel better. Since we got back from the vet he has been so clingy and feels the need to be next to me and Greg constantly! While I’m typing this post Ollie felt the need to investigate what I was up to, then decided he wasn’t moving.

Nosey parker

As cute as little Ollie is I really need to get some work done, since his arrival I have been a tad lazy!! I have to hand in a draft submission of my dissertation in 8 days – IT IS NOWHERE NEAR READY!!! I did have a plan written out and set dates to complete stuff, to be honest I can’t remember the last time I looked at it! The days just kind of all merge into one, so I’m assuming the pressure is about to increase dramatically!!

I just don’t have the motivation to do uni work anymore, I know it needs done but I just don’t want to do it. It’s so unfair!! I suppose the word to describe my situation is procrastination, yep that pretty much sums me up!! So I’m blaming Ollie, obviously I can’t blame myself that would be just plain silly – AWESOME LOGIC. There’s always tomorrow, but if I stick with this logic then tomorrow will turn into submission date which would = MELTDOWN STAGE!!

Maybe not the best logic!!

Suppose I better get cracking, after Ollie finishes his investigating of course.

Ps. HAVING A KITTEN IS ACTUALLY THE BEST THING EVER!!!!

xx,

Karen

Today was just awful, not that I expected anything different on a Monday morning. Firstly, I had a 4-hour lecture which started at 9 am, what a way to start my day! Then, after my lecture I had a 40-minute break before my Dissertation presentation, I was absolutely terrified. The image below basically sums up how felt today when I left uni!

Forgot all my helpful notes - Wonderful!!

I had been preparing for my presentation since last week and at the weekend, trust me not the best way to spend your weekend off work!! This is the reason I haven’t posted for a few days; I honestly haven’t had a minute to myself – MAJOR PRESSURE!!

I created my presentation using PowerPoint, I thought about using Prezi but then decided against it as it was more time consuming! The purpose of the presentation was, to inform my Supervisor and Moderator of my progress, highlight any issues and work still to be completed for my honours project. I made little notes under each slide, to use as keywords in case I forgot what to say - well that didn’t work! I honestly can’t remember a single thing I said, I’m sure I even missed out key points that I wrote on the slides. Those cute little keywords may have well not existed, I completely forgot about them and made stuff up!

I didn’t think I would have been so nervous, especially since it was on my dissertation, a topic that I had chosen to study. Boy was I wrong! I was shaking, sweating profusely and went into panic mode during the presentation and started rambling on. I forgot to set my timer, the presentation was scheduled to last 15 minutes, with a further 5 minutes at the end for questions. I have no idea how long I rambled on for, I was just glad when I got to my last slide.

Then came the dreaded question time! This wasn’t actually as bad as I thought it would be, I was able to answer the questions which I took as a good sign. However, I was told that I was too honest in the presentation, I didn’t know this was possible!! When I asked why, I was told there is no need to tell the audience you have no idea what to do now!! HONESTLY I COULD HAVE CRIED WITH EMBARRASSMENT!! I don’t even remember saying that, I obviously didn’t plan on saying it, I was rambling and in no state to make logical sense.

When I left the presentation I badly needed to get home and shower, the joys of pressure, stress and sweat – LOVELY!! My friend Jasmen was waiting outside for me, I totally forgot she was outside watching through the window! She tried to calm me down (what a cutie) and told me I sounded really good and knew what I was talking about. She obviously didn’t hear my ‘I have no idea what to do now’ comment!! When I checked my twitter Jasmen had tweeted a funny little picture about listening to my presentation, it made me laugh so much. (perhaps not appropriate to show here, but feel free to check my twitter).

I am so glad this crazy Monday is over and my presentation is done. Who needs the 10% mark that it adds to their honours project? No, but seriously I do actually need it!!!

Overall, another fun Monday at uni – NOT!!!

xx,

Karen

Hi there,

Since I was off work today I stayed with my dad and his wife (Rona) last night, something I haven't done for a while!! I feel bad I don't spend enough time with them but, when you have a part time job and study full time it's hard to find time for everyone. I wish I could spend more time with my friends and family, but I just don't have the time!

My dad he’s just so cute (I don’t mean looking), he thinks of me as the baby of the family (I'm nearly 27) even though I have a younger brother who is 24. I actually like that fact he thinks I'm still a baby, I find it kind of cute! I suppose in a way it's my own fault, if ever I need help with something I call my dad. Even if it's something stupid like how long to boil an egg for or how to make mince, instead of using Google I call my dad. He's the type of guy who knows everything about everything, he always has the answer. Basically he’s a smarty pants!

When I stay over with dad and Rona I love it, they do everything for me honestly it's so cute! My dad's the best cook ever and he always makes massive portions, he loves cooking and I love his food; Win Win!! Although, last night he gave me boiled potatoes with dinner, even though I told him I didn’t like them anymore ha! He looks after me and Rona looks after him - PERFECT!!

They have a dog and a cat, it’s crazy really because the dog is massive and Jack the cat is so small! I wish I had a dog, but I just don’t have time for one, I’m hoping to get a cat soon though! Oh if my gran were still here she would be so mad, she hated cats. A few years ago, a cat ran inside our house and chased my grans poor budgie out the door. Safe to say, we never saw the poor budgie again!!

Look at how cute little Jack is though, seeing him has made me want one even more.

Jack the lad

I had such a relaxing night with my dad and Rona, honestly it was the best and I didn’t do any uni work at all. The simple things in life are the best, study free chilling with family!

If it wasn't for my dad and Rona I probably wouldn't even be at uni, they were the one who helped me get into college. I remember in my 1^st year at uni I was discussing group work with my friends, for my section I had mentioned my dad. Before I knew it I was crying, it was totally out of nowhere. I wouldn't say I'm an overly emotional person but my family mean everything to me. He’s a man of few words sometimes, but is always there to answer my daft questions and look after me.

Anyway time for bed, back at uni tomorrow for another 9am start, with a 2-hour lecture – oh the joys!!

xx,

Karen

I made it through the supervised assessment in class today – woohoo!! It wasn’t too bad I suppose, mind you it wasn’t exactly great either. Time wasn’t on my side, funny really since yesterday I was writing how ridiculous a 4-hour assessment was. Yet now I feel that it wasn’t enough time, I just can't win. Anyway, it’s over with now so onto the next drama, there’s always drama when it comes to student life!!

This is exactly how I feel right now …

Uni on a Monday is always the worst

I genuinely feel like this last trimester is taking over my life, but at the same time I feel like I haven’t done anything. I have my honours presentation a week today, joy another lovely Monday morning to look forward to!! I haven’t even started it yet because I have so much work to do for my other 2 modules and my dissertation!! I actually hate Monday’s, they make me so mad to the point where I want to quit and run away (obviously that’s ridiculous but hey, its #Mondayblues).

I’m even more mad today because, I have this cute little notebook that I call my ‘To Do Pad’ and I can’t find it anywhere!!! How am I supposed to know what I planned to work on tonight, if I don’t have my cute little pad?? Okay, that might sound bizarre since I’m a Business Technology student, so should probably have an electronic ‘To Do List’. But no, I love cute little note pads, actually I love all stationery in general; maybe it’s a girl thing! I really need to find it – ASAP!

Have I mentioned I hate Mondays? I think I had one of those moments today, where you sit and contemplate life and how awful it is!! My friends told me that my final year would be the most stressful and emotional of them all. One minute I feel like I’m on top of my game and got everything covered, then I go back and read some of my work and think what even is this rubbish?!!

Clearly I'm still at stage 2; nearly 3

I do love a good rant to my friends, they totally understand where I’m coming from since they have all been through the dreaded honours year. They all have super amazing jobs now, and can actually enjoy study free evenings and hang out together. Then there’s poor me, stuck at home with my head in a book or my laptop – honestly I’m not jealous (much)!! I’ve told my friend Lindsey that I’m pinning all my hopes on her getting me a job, that’s what best friends do right?

It’s time for some comfort food, tea and biscuits should hopefully cheer me up! Then, once I find my cute little pad I might just rip the page out and have a nap!! Its definitely been one of those I hate uni days!!

Until next time,

A very grumpy Karen

I can’t believe it’s almost Monday again, the weekends just aren’t long enough. For some reason or another the majority of people dread a Monday morning, I usually do because it means a 9am start at university. I’m dreading tomorrow, even more so because I have a 4 hour supervised work unit assessment. Yes, 4 hours of supervised assessment on a Monday morning – BRILLIANT!

During my time at university I have never done one of these before, it’s usually coursework and exams and those are bad enough. For my Requirements Analysis module there isn’t any coursework, but there is an exam and 2 of these supervised assessments (both 4 hours)!

Since I haven’t done one before I’m not sure what to expect, apart from it is a group assessment focusing on a case study. Then, from the case study we have to answer a series of questions and draw diagrams. Okay, so reading that doesn’t make it sound too bad, but I have no idea what the topic of the case study is. If this wasn’t bad enough, there is also the fact that I have to work within a group and agree on the answers within the 4-hour time frame – JUST GREAT! There is no way 4 hours is enough time for me to ask questions, I always have questions, what if I miss one out? What if no one can answer my question in the group? PANIC MODE!!

So tonight I’m practising different diagrams and how to draw them, it’s not actually that bad since my dissertation is related to diagram’s. I’ve definitely had worse nights studying for subjects that I hate (Databases), so this is a kind of chilled out study session. Fresh bedding, new pyjamas, my Yankee candle burning and drawing silly pictures – doesn’t really sound like studying does it?

Had worse study nights I suppose

Today has been a pretty relaxed day, I went for breakfast with my mum this morning, then visited my dad and chilled out. I even got a cute little teapot with my tea at breakfast (I love teapots they are so cute). I blame my friend Eilish for my teapot obsession, tea just tastes better from a teapot for some reason, maybe because it brews longer in it; who knows!!

Tiny teapot

I’m dreading tomorrow, but I will be sure to update you all with how it went. I’m off to make a list of potential questions I might need to ask (I’m sure my group will be thrilled).

xx,

Karen

So, in my first year at university there wasn't any exams - awesome! Well that all changed in my 2nd year. For anyone who is unsure how university learning works, the year is split into 2 trimesters learning 3 modules in each trimester. For each module you get a piece of coursework, sometimes they even give you 2 pieces of coursework - not so great!

Having coursework to complete is stressful enough but oh no that's not all you have to worry about, for most modules there is an exam after the 12 week teaching period!

Before university I hadn't sat an exam since I was 17 and I failed it the first time around, needless to say I was not looking forward to exams! If you fail an exam you do get to resit it again within a few months, this isn't ideal because you will be studying for another set of exams at the same time. STRESSFUL!!

Reasonable Thoughts!!

When my first set of exams came around I took the week off work to prepare, this meant using a week's holiday to study - needs must I guess! It was INFORMATION OVERLOAD, seriously trying to remember 12 week's worth of information for 3 different modules is a nightmare. The good thing is the university does provide previous past paper exams, so you can try them and work out any patterns (when you find one it's like the sun has come out from hiding).

In most of my modules the lecturers did give some key hints for the upcoming exams, to be honest the hints could have been better. As I am now in my final year I only have one exam left to sit in May, best news ever!! In all my time at university I have never failed an exam even though there have been times when I thought no way did I pass that!

IMPORTANT TIP: Stock up on highlighters, pads and pens! I have went through a crazy amount writing all my exam notes (I do like them to look pretty ha!).

I would advise if you work part time to book the week before exams of, as you don't have classes the week of exams this gives you more time to study! I would say try and stay calm but that's never going to happen, everyone gets nervous. If you put the time and effort in and study, then you will make it through :-)

xx,

Karen

So, now you are a little more up to date with some of my experiences, however a huge part of university work is focused on Group Work. Sure, I know this is important but I thought university would be more about what ME as an individual could academically achieve. I guess that's what the dreaded exams are for (I will talk more about them in another post).

For the majority of the group coursework issued I was able to pick my group members, others were decided upon by the module lecturers. Having to work in a group with people you don't know is super scary! You have to work alongside these people for 8-10 weeks, arrange meetings, discuss the coursework out with university along with completing other modules. You rely on these people to contribute ideas and complete their fair share of the workload, this does not always happen! I have worked in a group where I was left to complete the majority of the work, I should have said something at the time!. I guess in a way I didn't trust the other people to complete the work, if I wanted an A then I had to work extra hard!!

Too much if you ask me :-(

Luckily for me in 1st year I became friends with 2 fantastic girls, who I have done nearly all my group coursework with. We worked so well together communicating all the time, we got an A for all our group projects - WOOHOO! While working on assignments if, I don't agree with something or don't understand I will always ask questions! My group (friends) call me the inquisitive one ha, this doesn't bother me because if you don't ask questions then you won't learn!

Outside life can get in the way of group work, unwell kids or relatives, work, special occasions. These can all be overcome if every team member is willing to put the effort in, we all have these unavoidable situations in life. It's how you overcome them and communicate that counts, believe me there is no room or time for lazy group members! Some people go to university to pass the time or just scrape a pass, this is not me I want to achieve the best I can.

Sounds fun doesn't it :-)

xx,
Karen

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