Living in Halls

Before starting University, I had mixed emotions about going to University. One particular worry of mine was living in halls. Now, if you’re a second year reading this, you’re probably thinking “halls/being a fresher is probably the best experience of university”, and as a second year now, I totally agree!

I spent my freshers year in the “fancy halls” that is Chancellor, which is based on the City Campus. The reason I chose to live here was because it was literally steps away from where all of my lectures will take place. Also, there’s the pleasure of having an en-suite too!! Although this year was absolutely brilliant, I still can’t help but think what it’d be like living in St Johns campus, or Butlins as I like to call it!

In both halls, all people signed up to live in halls will be divided randomly into a flat. You will be sharing this flat with at least 4 other people, who you will not meet until that first awkward conversation you have with them asking “where are you from?” or “what course are studying”. Don’t worry; everyone is in this boat together, so although you’ll feel you’re fighting these worries on your own, you’re not. Eventually you and your newly met housemates will all agree there’s only one thing that will melt that awkward ice in conversations, alcohol! Your first night out in freshers is truly brilliant, and you’ll end the night thinking you want to be friends with these people for the rest of your life!

Well, sorry to burst your bubble reader, but this is unlikely. Throughout the course of the year, you will eventually grow tired of the behaviour of some of your flatmates. Yeah, they’re nice people, however little things such as taking the bins out, not washing up, not buying kitchen essentials will wear you down. Little arguments will occur, sides will be taken. However, you will meet lots more brilliant people in your halls! I now live in a house with people in the flat across from me, and also with one in the flat below.

All in all, the experience of halls is not one you want to miss! The late night talks, the spontaneous takeaways, the random conversations, the little arguments, it’s all worth it! You will learn so much more about yourself and it will make your Uni experience so much more worthwhile. 

Being a society member at University

Being a society member at University

Coming to University with no familiar faces can be a scary process. Although you’ll be independent for probably the first time in your life, that also brings apprehension and loneliness. However, you and your fellow freshers are all in the same boat, with these feelings slowly vanishing without you even realising!

One way I found to conquer these feelings quickly is joining a society! The University of Worcester have a whole range of different societies, ranging from different sports to random interests people may have! The sports societies are probably the most popular and recognisable. The University offer the usual sports such as Football, Rugby, Netball, Basketball, but also the miscellaneous ones like Canoeing, Pole fitness and Equestrian! These societies will give you an incentive for keeping fit (and for sweating off all the booze you might’ve drank during freshers week!!), while also providing a much needed break from your studies. You’ll quickly make friends with like-minded people, due to training sessions and the Wednesday night socials, where each society have a different dress up, so it’s like a prolonged night of freshers each week! In some cases, the sport you choose will also compete in the “BUC’s” leagues, where you face other Universities and represent Worcester.

Nonetheless, if sport is not your cup of tea, the University also offer societies such as Harry Potter, Anime, Investment Banking and even Disney!

In summary, there are plenty of opportunities to go out and make friends. Do not get scared about joining a society, because I guarantee it’ll be one of the best decisions you make during your university life! 

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask the team? If so, please e-mail

                                                                Worcesterstudentliving@outlook.com

Part Time Jobs

Monday, 16^th November 2015

Part Time Jobs

Having a part time job whilst studying at university can have many benefits and can impact your life in a positive manner. The most obvious reason is having that extra money. Earning extra money can allow you to live more comfortably and also whenever you decide to go out and have some fun. A very important impact having a part time job has, is that you would spend your money more carefully because you are earning it yourself and come to the realisation that money is hard-earned. This means that you would be more likely to spend money on necessities such as books and on rent/petrol. Another advantage that having a part time job is that you will learn to manage your time effectively. This is because you would have little free time and predisposes you to become more organised and also learn to prioritise in order to meet deadlines. Effective time management is very beneficial, not only for university, but also for life after. Having a part time job whilst studying can help you get an insight of the career or area of interest you hope to go into life beyond university. this experience immediately sets you apart from others when at interviews and also gives you the opportunity to start networking with others in your chosen field of work. Forming professional relationships at this early stage will help you gain employment after you have finished studying. Having a part time job can vastly improve your teamwork skills. As I have a part time job myself I 100% agree with this as it helps meeting new people and becoming comfortable when you have to work with these team members on a regular basis. This also helps with communication as you will feel more relaxed and accustomed to making new friends which can be used outside of work.

At the University of Worcester there are many ways in which they help you look for a part time job within the area if you are living in halls. You will often receive emails about any part time jobs that are available and also give you the opportunity to have a one-to-one session with a careers advisor where you are fortunate to tell them any queries you may have about working. In the second year there is also an optional module which is all to do with placements giving students the opportunity to have a year working in your chosen work place which can also mean working abroad if you are interested in working in another country. The student’s union can also help with employment on campus and can help with some work as they are often holding events.

Many students may be put off the idea of having a part time job as it could mean that they wouldn’t have enough time for a social life as they believe that their life would consist of either studying or going to work. As I have a part time job myself I can reassure you that this is not at all the case as I still have time for going out with friends and family. You can tell your employer about your availability and also explain to them you may not be able to do certain shifts due to deadlines. In my experience they are fully aware that I am studying and understand if I am unable to complete a shift due to this. As I am only in 3 days a week I usually work for 2 days and use the other days to relax and go out.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask the team? If so, please e-mail

                                                                Worcesterstudentliving@outlook.com

Commuting

Commuting to university can often be seen as too much effort by students who are considering going to university. This is because they are under false pretences that taking the option to live in halls is easier than living at home and having to commute. I myself commute to the University of Worcester from Birmingham which is around 40 minutes depending on traffic as the University of Worcester City Campus is located close to the town centre and there is also a school close by which means that it can quite busy during the mornings and also towards the late afternoon, so if you have a lecture that is early in the morning than it is best to take this into account and leave accordingly. In my experience travelling to university is beneficial towards me as it means I don’t have any extra worries such as problems within the student halls and also paying for any living expenses due to the fact that I live at home. Living at home also benefits me greatly as I am in a comfortable environment allowing me to fully focus on my studying. Another advantage of this is that more time can be spent on revision for exams and writing assignments instead of having to cook, clean and going shopping. Commuting to university can be seen as a negative as it can be costly in terms of either catching the train or driving. I myself drive to the City Campus for three days a week which results in petrol not costing me a fortune as this only consumes around half a tank throughout the week.

Living at home can also be good preparation for working life where you will be less likely to live in your place of work. The average cost of university halls can vary between £53 and £216 on a weekly basis and due to only attending three days a week living in halls would be much more expensive. An important part of living at home when going to university is the support you receive. When you have to start revision for either exams or start working on drafts for assignments ready to meet the deadlines university can result in becoming a stressful experience. Living at home enables you to have the support from parents, siblings and friends and this in turn may help you balance the work load.

Commuting to university can sometimes be difficult especially when working on group assignments which is the case for particular modules. The reason for this is the fact that some of your class mates may be living in halls and in order to receive the best grade you may be required to have regular meetings outside of lectures. In my experience this can be quite a task as trying to find a time which suits everyone can be a nuisance, but there are always ways round this as in my first year of studying I successfully completed a module which required this.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask the team? If so, please e-mail

                                                                Worcesterstudentliving@outlook.com

Student Discounts

Make Use of Student Discounts!

NUS Card

Weekly budgeting forms a huge part of a student’s life and as a result you should be making sure that you are fully utilising the available discounts!

A NUS card only costs £11 and once you have registered for a NUS Card you will be entitled to 25% off at the Odeon cinema and 10% off at the Co-Op along with many other available discounts!

Follow this link to see the full list of discounts that a NUS card will entitle you and register for a card so you can start saving valuable pennies!

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra/discounts/

Ask the Question

If the NUS website doesn’t list a particular shop or restaurant that you are in/visiting as a place where you can obtain discount with the card then do not be afraid to ask if you can receive student discount on what you are buying; after all what is the worst that can happen? And who knows; you may be pleasantly surprised.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask the team? If so please eMail worcesterstudentliving@outlook.com

Assignment Tips!

The Classic Student Mistake

I would advise any student to read through the Harvard referencing guide. It is often thought that an adequate reference can be produced by going to the ‘References’ tab on a Microsoft Word Document. Microsoft Word does NOT produce a reference or citation as to how the University of Worcester would like to see it. Please take time to read through the Harvard referencing guide and produce your references manually for safe keeping. Many students prefer to have a references document and an assignment document open at the same time rather than competing the referencing along with the wording in the same document.

When searching for references it is a good idea to search for Peer-Review articles as these articles will contain a lot of deep research into a certain matter. You will be able to locate these articles by refining the library search within your student login to Peer-Review articles only. Remember to read the module outline and check the submission requirements. You may be asked to submit the assignment to Turnitin and then to attach a print screen of the Turnitin page to the front of the assignment before submitting.

Please follow this link to examine the Harvard Referencing booklet - http://www.worcester.ac.uk/ils/documents/Harvard_referencing.pdf

The Mark Scheme

Every assignment will come with a grading matrix that needs to be attached to the front of an assignment before submission. (Do not submit the grading matrix in the Turnitin submission, only your assignment needs to be submitted to Turnitin). Read through the grading matrix and for every section of the particular grade that you are aiming for honestly ask yourself the question have I done what has been asked for so that my work is at that grade level. More often than not your honest judgement will not be far away from the examiners opinion.

You can always seek advice

If you have any concerns about an assignment then contact your tutor(s) as it is what they’re there for. Whilst the tutor will be unable to give you an exact answer he/she will make an effort to point you in the right direction. If you have any referencing queries then you can contact the Worcester library for guidance and please do remember that on top of that you have an academic tutor that you can meet with for guidance.

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask the team? If so please eMail worcesterstudentliving@outlook.com