The Graduates guide to surviving final year

1.    Whatever you do, don’t leave all your work to the last minute…learn from my mistakes, folks. Your final semester is stressful/emotional enough without having to pull all-nighters to finish your dissertation or important essays. Be organised and it will pay off. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE ALERT “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”

2.    Be in touch with your advisors and tutors…it’s literally their job to help you. They get paid to be available to you during this stressful time. Pick their brain, ask their advice, and send them drafts. They are such an important resource. (Your friends will thank you for not badgering them about obscure literature they literally have no clue about.)

3.    Take regular dance breaks…frequently dance around your kitchen pretending you’re Stevie Nicks (this one is secretly the most important)

4.   Organise your time…make a realistic schedule that includes all aspects of your life…classes, library time, research, writing up, reading, social time, relax time.

5.    Stick to it…this is a biggy. There’s literally no point in making a schedule you can’t live up to. You know yourself and your weaknesses, when you work best and how much you can fit into a week, so work your schedule around you and you’ll be way more likely to stick to it.

6.    Go outside…or you will go insane. Before my dissertation I didn’t know cabin fever was a real thing other than a creepy movie. It’s so easy to go from your house to the bus to class to the library every day. Try getting off the bus a stop early, or taking a 10 minute study break to walk around the block. You will feel like a human again.

7.    Exercise…not only does this keep you healthy, it reduces stress and is gives you some thinking time. TRIPLE THREAT.

8.    Ignore everyone else…not literally. But don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re doing a shitty job or you’re doing it wrong. Everyone works at their own pace and it doesn’t mean anyone is better than you or vice versa.

9.    Flowers…fill your house with flowers and plants and general reminders of the outside world.

10. Find your productivity music...when it came to writing the hell out of my dissertation, my kings were Biggy and Bob Marley. My brain often surprises me with gems like this.

Reclaim the Night MCR 2016

The reclaim the night movement dates back to 1970’s Yorkshire, when the Yorkshire ripper 

was on the loose and fear and uncertainty led to women being discouraged to venture out at night. Since then women around the world have marched in defiance of the culture of victim blaming and shame which is present in nearly all developed societies, and of the injustice of soaring sexual violence figures which are ignored again and again. The aim of the movement is simple- to reclaim the public space which fear and uncertainty has taken away from women.

Manchester’s march has always been a huge success, but this year marked the biggest turnout yet. I first went to the annual march as a student 3 years ago, so I was shocked to see how much the movement has grown and what it has become in such a short time. The speed at which the event has grown only hints at the level to which the community is affected by sexual violence. In the large student community incidents of rape are common, particularly during fresher’s week. I wouldn’t hesitate to bet that if you asked every student in Manchester, they would all know someone affected by sexual violence or harassment. In the city centre, the waiting list for rape crisis support treatment is 6 months.

In spite of these dire circumstances, the movement to reclaim the night is overwhelmingly positive and optimistic about the future. The movement is as diverse as it is powerful- led by women, men, and families. The march is such a sight to behold- and so it should be; thousands of women painted in glitter, singing chants, waving placards and shouting at the top of our lungs. The standout message was this: Sexual violence can no longer be passed off as a freak occurrence; it is an epidemic that we cannot continue to ignore.

Have a look at some of the amazing work Rape Crisis Manchester do with limited resources here!

The Graduate's guide #2: Freshers

Your first week at Uni can be really overwhelming and a bit of a sensory overload. Here’s a short do’s and don’ts list from someone who’s been through it and made it out the other side.

1.    Say Yes…to parties, breakfast, societies, pre-drinks, fancy dress, pizza.

2.    Be brave…Freshers only happens once and you don’t want to go into your first semester having missed out. Go crazy while you can. That being said, don’t feel pressured to do anything you know you don’t feel comfortable with or will have long term consequences. If it isn’t your thing Freshers doesn’t last forever- you will make it to the other side!

3.    Take photos of everything…you’re likely to have large chunks of freshers which you have no recollection of, so take photos at every opportunity. Laughing at them in the morning with your new friends is a great way of bonding!

4.    Fill your room with reminders of home…I suffered horrible home sickness out of the blue in freshers, and I think it’s because I didn’t make my room homely enough from the get go. I sort of half-heartedly finished it as the week went on. If I could do it all again, I would get my room looking cosy and perfect with help from the ‘rents before they leave. You don’t want to end up crying in what is ultimately a prison cell, trust me.

5.    Remember everyone really is in the same boat…everyone feels nervous and a bit overwhelmed at least once during their first few weeks at Uni (some are just better at hiding it) and everyone will ‘admit’ it weeks, months or years later. So no matter how long it takes you to settle, don’t suffer in silence!

6.    Find your flatmates before you arrive…most Uni’s by now will have facebook pages for each hall/accommodation so you can find your new flatmates. It’s so great to recognise people’s faces when you walk through the doors, and to know you’re not going into the complete unknown. You may even be bezzies before you meet.

7.    Have your wildest nights sooner rather than later…most people actually have stuff to do, places to be, and important people to meet in the first week after freshers. So at least give yourself Sunday to recover. You don’t want to be that person who throws up in the first lecture.

10 Post- graduation goals

I recently graduated from Uni a matter of weeks ago, and it’s really allowed me to reflect on the last three years as well as what I hope the next few years might bring. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make some goals for the next year or so; some Graduation resolutions if you will. One of my favourite proverbs is ‘You can’t score without a goal’. With that in mind, here they are!

 Catch up

Even though I stayed in the city I grew up in for University, let’s face it, Uni takes up so much time, it’s hard to fit people into your schedule who you don’t see every day. With this in mind, now is the time to re- connect with the people who I’ve known since I came out of the womb, and who still probably know me best despite not spending nearly enough time with them for the last 3 years. Cue plenty of 5 hour Starbucks catch ups…we have 3 years to get through…

 Get organised

Before I went to Uni I was an organisational goddess. I loved stationary, I even owned a Filofax; picture a Monica Gellar figure if you will. But 3 years of too much free time, procrastination and sometimes (always) dull lectures has rid me of any organisational skill I once possessed. I miss being on time and knowing what’s going on in my life! I can’t say I’ll ever pay £20 for a Filofax again any time soon, but watch this space…

Save

No matter how much you disagree with giving up to 6 months of your time and energy to an organisation for free- also known as SLAVE LABOUR- you can’t deny it is a big part of the graduate jobs market. While they may be brilliant for a privileged handful of graduates whose mummy or daddy can support them for a few months, the rest of us aren't so lucky. The next year will be SAVE CENTRAL.

Books glorious books

If, like me, you've spent 3 years pouring over dull textbooks, and in my case, a dissertation period reading what felt like ALL feminist literature, you will be as excited as I am at the prospect of reading NOVELS. Novels, it’s been such a long time. I can’t wait to binge read trashy rom- coms (Nicholas Sparks, I've got my eye on you), before dipping my toes into some classics. Already on my list are The Martian, by Andy Weir and a re- read of Amy Poehler’s epic, Yes Please

Travel

I’ve had the travel bug since I was 10 when I travelled with my friends to Sweden with school. I’ve since been to France a few times, Australia, Holland, and the list goes on…With the exception of a few European trips the last 3 years have been spent in England. If I don’t get on a plane soon, I’m afraid I might lose my mind. You can’t beat the feeling of excitement of stepping out of an airport and arriving somewhere you’ve never been. I love researching different places around the world, and I can’t wait to finally explore them. Top of my list are the East coast of America, and Scandinavia.

 Volunteer volunteer volunteer

I’ve volunteered a couple of times before and I love the feeling of having a positive effect on someone’s life. Someone once said to me there are no jobs in charities and I know that’s a lie. Charities are something I’d love to be involved in.

Cleanse

While I know for a fact I’m among the healthiest students, 3 years of free dominos for students in freshers, and the cheap alcohol of student bars has definitely taken its toll on my body. I genuinely love living a healthy lifestyle, and feel more myself when I do. I've been dwelling on the idea of giving up alcohol for a while now, but I keep putting off taking the plunge. When will there be a better time to get healthy for good? BEN & JERRY’S THOUGH.

Keep learning

While I couldn’t be happier that lectures, seminars and endless essays are over, I don’t ever want to forget why I went to Uni in the first place; I love learning. Whether it’s from books, documentaries or museums, I’m going to try and keep learning something new every day.

Health

I’ve been ill for the last 3 months. At one point I was bed bound for about 4 weeks, and even had to miss my final exam. Thankfully I’m on the mend and slowly noticing improvements. But it’s been one of those times in life which has made me feel extremely grateful for the smallest things; being able to walk, cook meals, bend down to pick up my niece, and most of all, having loving family and friends who can support me. I never want to take good health for granted again!

Treat yo self

In this period of change, stress and, in my case anxiety, it’s important to remember not to be too harsh on yourself. It’s so important to look after yourself, and especially in stressful times such as starting a new job, moving to another city, or just generally being busy. I’m someone who needs to keep myself busy to be productive. As much as I love this, I’m also a big fan of clearing plans for a day or an evening to spend some quality time with myself. ‘Me- time’ includes a hot bath, a face mask, chocolate and a film. In the spirit of Tom and Donna in Parks and Recreation make sure you give yourself a break and treat yo’ self.