Let’s ponder upon your life prospects for a minute. What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now? And I realise this sounds like one of those obnoxious interview questions, but the validity of such an exercise remains unaltered. Especially considering that if you ask yourself that, the answer might actually be honest, instead of some half baked tale about your career progression ambitions. This has just become a lot more interesting, has it not? Try it, on your own, before going to bed preferably (when you’re at your most honest and feel the safest).

I’ll be honest with you, considering that right now my life consists of spending 40 hours a week in a call centre filled with the most one dimensional, lifeless, hollow humans that call themselves managers and team leaders, my outlook is not at its most effervescent and bubbly. Being followed around all day by a dude that shares every sordid detail of his life (trying so hard to be interesting that it naturally results in ridicule) and being trained by people that can’t even spell their own name on processes and programs I couldn’t care less about will do that to even the most rosy eyed, pony riding, rainbow swallowing idiot out there. So you have been warned kids (and probably not for the first time either), if you don’t want to end up wearing a headset for a living, stay in school…wait wait wait, that can’t be right! Because it isn’t, this type of advice doesn’t actually work anymore. Considering the world as it is these days, don’t stay in school actually. Learn to read and write, do some maths, read some papers and then figure it out yourself, you’ll be a lot better off.

Like most of you I have spent roughly 16 years in formal education. So far this has gotten me a job that a 17 year old sitting next to me does just as well…maybe even better (but my ego can only take so much so I think I’ll stick with ‘just as well’) and frustration to last me 10 lifetimes. So, mum and dad, maybe I should have pursued a career in sheep herding after all…

Written by Andrei Marian | Grads Blog

The recent news ( according to Which and the Higher Education Policy Institute) that almost one in three students feel that their university offers poor value for money courses, probably comes as no shock to many.

My own course, at a top university, offers me, on average, a measly seven hours of contact time per week, with the occasional sprinkling of seemingly useless tutorials. The rest of the time I am expected to study independently. While that certainly gives me a valuable skill and develops my ability to time manage and self motivate, it is slightly irritating when I compare it to friends who study sciences and mathematics, and therefore get significantly more actual teaching for their money.

I dared to comment on this once, during a casual conversation regarding the rise in fees with fellow students and two lecturers. I believed I was polite (perhaps looking back it might have been interpreted as a personal attack), but I found I was treated with anger and frustration.

“You are not a child anymore!” one lecturer hissed at me. “You do not need spoon-feeding with all your information laid out for you! Learn to think for yourself!”

Our equal frustration concerning the lack of understanding of each other got us nowhere. I maintained that even as one of the last to pay the lower fees, I felt that I was essentially paying for a library card and the ‘permission’ to teach myself, that it was unfair that the same was not expected of science students, that had I known how little I would be taught perhaps I would have looked at a different course (with better employment prospects), maybe even a different university…

She argued that it was about quality not quantity, that the library membership I was paying for could not be replicated anywhere else, that I was paying for the privilege to speak to the best and brightest experts in my chosen field, that the name of the university would open so many doors for me that the price was worth it for the name alone…

I looked to my fellow students hoping for support, but I found that they began to talk about the excellent sports facilities and the university life and support systems that came with their experience, and the accusation that I was treating it like a business, rather than a centre of learning.

Perhaps they were right. The balance is probably somewhere in the middle. I find it difficult, coming from a low income background, to happily hand over so much money and put myself so far in debt when in reality the academic staff were often unapproachable and I found far more success in my research online rather than in the overcrowded and miserably stocked library. I do agree with them that at the time of the conversation I was certainly used to being ‘spoon-fed’ by my sixth form, and I have since grown an appreciation for independent study. At the same time, I do often think wryly about how, when it came to applying for a bus pass, the local bus company refused to acknowledge that I was a full time student, on the basis that I did not study for twelve hours a week.

I came to university with the intention of learning about a subject that I loved, and with the goal of becoming a valuable graduate and securing a career that I loved. I did not come to university purely to use the sports facilities, library and support systems; when choosing universities, they were taken as (and marketed as) perks, reinforcing why you should attend that institution. My fees certainly go towards making me a valuable graduate; the lecturer was right the name is important and the networking opportunities are fantastic. The skills I have developed will hopefully make me a good worker. Where the dissatisfaction comes from is the lack of dedication to institute of learning that a university is supposed to be. The other students were right; I was looking at it as a business. Probably because that is what my university increasingly feels like.

The solution? Play the game. Embrace it as a sad fact of life and ensure that your own passion is enough to keep you learning. If the university insists on spending your tuition money on things that are not related to your course, make sure you get your money’s worth. Times are changing and we have to make do with what we are given.

Written by Evie | Grads Blog

Deciding what to do with your future is a milestone that at some point everyone will face. It’s such a huge decision to make, with so many different possibilities at hand. Do I go to university? What about full time work? Could I take an internship? There are so many choices in front of you, but where do you start?

Nowadays with the rise in university fees, people are looking for other ways to start carving out their future. There are many other routes available to those that are perhaps not financially able to go to university, or would rather not fork out the money for something that they are not sure will guarantee them a job at the end of the road. How many times have I read, watched, heard students who have graduated and are still either unemployed or in a job that they are over qualified for.

According to the University of Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), applications by UK born students have fallen by 15%. Students are becoming deterred by the rise in tuition fees coupled with the possibility of unemployment at the end of three years of studying. It can be a hard pill to swallow when three years of dedication and debt has lead to nothing more than a menial job.

University isn’t what it once was. Nowadays the amount of people with first class and upper second class degrees are on the rise, and even worse than that it seems that those who have managed to attain a good classification in their degree are being told that they haven’t the experience to be in a job that they perhaps imagined they would be in.

It’s a sad story and one that I have lived myself. Following university I applied for what felt like a million jobs, only to be told that I lacked the experience needed. It seems that nowadays employers are looking for those with hands on experience in the industry, instead of just a degree. After university I quickly learned that I didn’t have the hands on experience needed, but rather only the theory. For this reason many graduates are still desperately looking for jobs, paid jobs. The problem with gaining experience first and foremost is that many employers will expect you to work for free.

Unpaid internships have gathered a lot of negativity in the media. Employers are hiring students who are already in debt and expecting them to work for months at a time without pay. Nowadays who can honestly afford to do that? With bills to pay and for some homes to run, a job without pay is a good way to downward spiral into even more debt than university has already caused.

Nevertheless many see an unpaid internship as the only way to get experience. A recent poll carried out by the Trades Union Congress has found that 78% of 18-34 year olds could not afford to take on an unpaid internship, especially where living away from home in concerned. The majority of the UK’s most sought after internships can be found in London where the cost of living can come in excess of £1000 a month.

Statistics have shown that:

• 61% do not have the means to live away from home and take up unpaid work, and a further 16% say they wouldn’t be able to afford it.
• 85% of older family members have said that they would be able to undertake unpaid work whilst living away in London.
• Only 15% of families thought that an unpaid internship was a viable option for the younger members of their family.

Co-Director of Intern Aware Gus Baker said: “These shocking statistics show that a generation is being let down by unpaid internships.

“With overwhelming majorities of young people not able to afford to work for free, the government needs to take real action now to enforce the national minimum wage law and make sure interns are paid.”

Whilst I understand the importance of gaining experience I feel like you should still be paid for the work being done. I myself have undertaken unpaid internships in the past for short periods of time, however I have never believed in working for nothing which is probably part of the reason I am yet to find a job in which I am willing to spend the rest of my life building upon. But like many I am not in a financial position that will allow me to work unpaid.

Those lucky enough to be in a financial position that will allow them to work unpaid are able to gain the hands on experience in their chosen industry. One of those few includes Sandhya, an 18 year old fashion intern from Basingstoke.

Although she considered going to university, she felt the experience that would be gained by undertaking an internship would be a lot more valuable than having a degree. Furthermore with university fees rising, it didn’t feel like a worthwhile investment to make knowing that she may not come out with the job at the end of studying.

“I thought that if I got an internship then I would have hands on experience, not only with sewing but also by learning how the business works. That way I can build up my experience and further myself. It would also be good to have on my CV. Furthermore I have able to meet and get to know the clients which is always good for future references.

“I still have the chance to go to university as my parents are always asking if I want to go! But for me I would rather get the experience than have a degree.”

Although she is happy to be working unpaid, she still feels that something needs to be done about this unfair practice. Sandhya said: “Yes we do get experience out of it at the end of the day, but we work so hard and we should at least get something in return!”

For some going on to do a Masters degree after graduating is an option. This was an option that I myself entertained for a short while. However ultimately I felt I would only be doing it thinking that at the end there would be more possibility of gaining a job in an industry I wanted; A piece of paper does not show you have the experience to do the job as I have found. Furthermore I also felt that pursuing a post graduate course was not a financially viable option.

Since 2008, statistics reported by the Higher Education Statistic Agency have shown an incline in the number of students enrolling on a post graduate course each year. However as of the 2011-2012 academic year the number of students has dropped by 3%.

One student who went on to further education is Ash. He is currently studying a masters degree in Film at the University of Winchester after completing an undergraduate degree in Performing Arts. Ash has said that he decided to go on to further education as he believes he was not yet ready to commit to a full time job, furthermore he also felt that an extra qualification would look good on his CV.

However looking back upon his experiences now, he has said that university may not have been the path he would have chosen. Ash said: “I probably would not have bothered going to university. I would have gained more by going straight into work. I feel that a career path in the film industry requires more experience than a reliance on a well graded degree. I felt that I could have learnt more through studying independently without the help of going to university.”

Ash holds the opinion that networking and experience is a lot more beneficial to building a career path than a qualification. Whilst he too believes that something should be done to combat unpaid internships, he would still consider undertaking one in order to gain the valuable experience needed for his chosen career path.

After finishing compulsory schooling many will find themselves going out into the working world, searching for what it is they want to achieve career wise. Starting at the bottom of the ladder and working their way up through a company is a good way to gain some proper experience, and it all comes with the added benefit of getting paid at the end of the month. This is the way many of my friends chose to begin their working lives, and now looking back I wish I had done the same thing. Many of them are in well paid jobs with a job title that right now I can only dream of. For them going to university is something they didn’t feel that wanted to do, however there have been many occasions where I have found them asking me for advice on whether university would be a good investment. Once upon a time I would have said yes, and vehemently fought the corner of a university education, however nowadays I’m not so sure.

Tom is a System Technician based at a small company in Bicester. Tom had originally begun studying a degree in Computer Animation at the University of Portsmouth, before dropping out and pursuing a career.

“I went to university to increase my skill and knowledge within computer animation as I knew that it is a very tough career to get into, I thought a degree would help. There are many reasons that I decided to not return to university, one in particular was due to being taught through tutorials as opposed to something more hands on. Placements were very limited, and I felt that I could have self taught myself without the debt that university fees bring.

“I have found many advantages to going into work rather than returning to complete my degree. I can now support myself financially, and feel that I have learnt a lot more in my chosen job than I would have had I stayed in education. I have learnt through trial and error whilst at my job, and been given the opportunity to learn new skills that would not have presented themselves otherwise.”

Tom began his career by undertaking an unpaid internship at a small IT company. He has said: “I feel very confident in unpaid internships; it was in fact the way I got where I am today. I was sending CVs to every job advertisement possible with little or no reply. I did have the odd interview, but the general response was that I didn’t have enough experience. This left me working at a retail position for quite some time.

“I was then very fortunate because I knew an IT manager in a small company, he offered for me to come in a few days a week to learn skills and helped me boost my knowledge. It was unpaid, however I learnt how strict deadlines are and the skills I took away allowed me to rewrite my CV and start the process of job hunting again.

“Shortly after this 3 month unpaid internship I had an interview at my current company and they hired me because they could see I was dedicated and that they could build upon the skills and knowledge I had obtained.”

Tom believes that there are flaws to the education system, one of which is the speed in which technology is growing, and the inability of universities to keep updated. He has said: “I think the problem we have is that a lot of the mainstream careers such as IT are changing and evolving too quickly for a three year long course to keep on top of. As a result of this I personally do not think it’s worth the time, stress and debt. In comparison there are a large amount of short courses available now which run for shorter lengths of time and are considerably cheaper than your standard university course. These courses provide the benefits of a university course, which makes a degree unessential for some jobs.

“Looking back I would have pursue an unpaid internship much sooner than I had. The choices I made gave me a strong skill set which I am constantly changing and improving to perform my role as required. I cannot imagine changing what I did and achieving the same position I am now in.”

There are pros and cons to all avenues here. A university degree does not automatically guarantee a job at the end of it, hands on experience has proved to be a fundamental part of gaining that dream job. We have been brought up believing that working hard at school, completing your homework, having that all important education will lead to a great career. From experience I can say that university was expected of me, that to my father in particular it would secure my future. It was easy for him to preach university, having been brought up in a generation very different to my own.

Having not been able to been able to afford university himself he was keen for his child to experience a better life, one that he didn’t have growing up. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for every chance I have been given, but the value of education isn’t what it once was.

I never thought of taking any other route other than university, I thought a university degree would set me apart from others, make me more employable. I never thought coming out of university I would be in a job that I was over qualified for. Statistics published in 2012 from the Graduate in the Labour Market showed that almost 36% of graduates are employed in a lower skilled job; in 2001 this statistic sat at 26%. Furthermore graduate unemployment is also on rise, in 2011 one in five new graduates were unemployed.

Whether you choose to go to university, do an internship, climb the job ladder, make sure you do it for you. Wherever you are along the line to gaining that all important career, whether you have been to university or not, whether you are in a job you love or not, it is never too late to do something different. I have always believed happiness is key to a career, no matter which avenue you may choose to pursue.

I loved my university experience and I wouldn’t take it back. I loved being able to achieve as much as I have this far, I’m glad to have a degree and be able to say ‘I did it’. Nonetheless looking back now, there is a part of me that wished that I had done more unpaid work whilst I had the chance, whilst I didn’t have so many obligations financially. Maybe now I would be in a better position, nevertheless I don’t regret going to university and I’m glad I took the opportunity to do a degree, instead of going straight into work and asking ‘what if’.

Written by Charlotte Sookun | Grads Blog

You know that saying, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon was spot on with that. It’s the final one of the year, and you would think after four years I would know what I was doing wouldn’t you? Yeah, me too.

At the beginning of the module I always mark the due date on the calendar, this time I put it a little earlier than the one given in the handbook. I wanted to avoid that last minute panic.

I penned down a few ideas for the assessment, places to start research ideas I could explore and promptly stored the handbook in my bag. I have over eight weeks to get the essay and accompanying work into a suitable order.

My attention promptly returned to the full time mum, all the time writer role I have.

I made use of the ‘student’ status and booked a place at the Newcastle Writing Conference. Then discovered it was cheaper to take the family for a week’s holiday than it would be to take the train. So I booked a week at a caravan park. It made perfect sense. It was close to the end of the module, but not completely.

Then there was Easter break. An email arrived informing me I managed to get a short story accepted at Alfiedog.com. http://alfiedog.com/products-page/beverley-argent That had to be celebrated with more than just a trip to Pizza Hut, we upgraded to Fish and Chips at the posh restaurant. I know, I was living it up, it would blow the budget!

As a part time student  I only have one class a week the rest of the work is my own doing. Things get re-scheduled to fit round holidays and such and mess up the simplicity of a timetable. Twice in that time I turned up for class only to find I was the only one there. Had I read my handbook I would have known there wasn’t a class.

The saying is, if the toddler is ill an assignment is due. Well, it is in our house. True to form a week prior to the date marked on the calendar the sleepless night clingy all day pattern began. Not to worry, thinks I, there’s lee-way this time. I marked it down early, and promptly carried on clearing the post holiday laundry.

You know what’s coming don’t you?

Amid the sleepless lurgy pattern I turn up for the final class of the term, happily believing there was another two weeks before deadline day.

Empty. Class. Room.  Then that horrible, heart sinking, panic rising second… I have twenty-four hours to hand in my essay.

That would be the essay containing nothing more than a few pencil scratch notes.

I needed Malteasers and wine. And ice cream… and lots and lots of coffee. Lidl was shut.

Could it get any worse?

Yes. I caught the toddler’s lurgy.

Did I consider asking for an extension? Yes, but I still finished for the deadline, though I think my husband is a little greyer for it. What the end grade will be I dread to think.

Now, I know there will be some people out there that are thinking on going to Uni when their A level results come out. Great. Do yourself a favour, plan a bit better than me. Avoid the hours of stress, panic and misery of having to sit indoors on one of those rare days when the sun is shining. Not even able to stare wistfully out of the window while you do all those words and research. You’re still there well into the silly hours of the morning when you could be doing stuff like partying, gaming, or I don’t even sleeping. It’s not fun!

Have a better influence on your grade and do some work ahead of deadline.

Don’t out smart yourself by marking your date too early on the calendar.

Written by Michelle Horst | Grads Blog

The end of the year is here. Much alcohol and partying will follow. I’d love to make Hull’s end of year ball, I suspect fuddy-duddy me would only sit in a corner and moan about the loud music though.

Still, no more assignments, no more looming stress for a few months. Well, that bit isn’t entirely true for me any more either. I’ve successfully managed get my writing to a point where people want more. It might only be a few people, but demand is demand. I have deadlines, but let’s not be distracted from the fact that in two more years I’ll be – hopefully- graduating from Uni. They are not even full years, these academic years, September to May. No wonder it’s taking me six years to complete what others can complete in half that.

I can’t help but wonder how the younger me would have felt if I had paid £9000 for my course. I could have submitted monkey at a typewriter level content had I believed at the time that the grades given didn’t count to the end result. I could’ve missed an opportunity there.

That’s a deposit on a house, a holiday and a car right there… depending on how big your house, holiday and car is of course. Or it’s a wedding…

£ 9000 for a step. Just one step to your career. Let’s assume that you don’t hate your chosen career now you have had a little insight to the knowledge needed to get there.

So there’s something to be said for going to a Uni that has a good reputation, not just with the academic results and progression from it, but what you get while you’re studying. Hull University’s done well for itself this year, scoring high in the Guardian’s tables: Top five in the North of England, our Union is award winning too. I know how good the food is on site, and you need good food to make sure your brain is working.  They even keep an eye on the student accommodation.

Alright, so I don’t use that accommodation, but I have experienced first hand what unregulated rented housing can do to your health. I don’t get much time to explore the current bars and nightlife, as getting a babysitter is a nightmare.

Were I a traditional (young) student, I would have had a sense of where I was going, what was expected of me, more secure in my abilities. New friends that shared similar aims and hopes as I did, and a huge sense of independence. The security of knowing that there was a whole bucket load of people there, able to offer help in some form if I needed it.

Would I pay that much to secure a step on my career ladder? Would I have the skills I have now, had I not paid? It’s possible to learn the things I have without University, but it would have taken a lot longer. Nor would it have given me the confidence and experience that working to an assignment deadline has.

I guess the answer is a personal one. I do not have that kind of money, so I would have to borrow it or hope for a grant to help with the costs. That in itself brings worries and pressures that belong on a different blog post.

Of course when I discovered that Hull University isn’t charging the full £9000 for most undergraduate courses, it’s closer to half that price, you realise that in fact you’re getting a bargain.

Written by Michelle Horst | Grads Blog

Being 21 when I started my degree, I was convinced I wouldn’t make friends. I was sure I’d be the ‘old one’ in my seminar group and decided to just make my peace with it. Obviously, I was wrong. On my first day, nervous and lost, I met two girls outside of the lecture theatre. In time, I found out that one was 18 and the other 39. As soon as we began talking, I realised their ages didn’t matter because we had so much in common.

In our first few weeks, one of the girls from our seminar group set up a Facebook group for us all. It was a great way to communicate and discuss deadlines. Over the weeks, people began posting module questions or discussing what they were going to write for their essays. The group really took off. Over the three years, the group has covered pretty much everything. From announcing poetry readings at the Lit and Phil, to asking for spare copies Frankenstein, I’d venture to say that everyone in our seminar group has benefited from the Facebook page. Without the constant support of my fellow students, I don’t know how I’d have survived three years of an English degree!

Although Uni is now coming to an end, I’m pleased to say the Facebook group is still very much active. Rather than discussing exams and essay deadlines, these days we plan our next trip to the pub! The group is a great way for us to collectively stay in touch as we venture out into the world and follow our individual paths. Social networking is often ridiculed, but for us, it made our degrees all the more special. And I’m still great friends with those girls I met that first day!

Written by Samantha Wright | Grads Blog

Recently I found a gig freelancing my time and my services to a transcribing company. Freelancing is fabulous. You get to work wherever the wi-fi is—I could displace myself to anywhere in the world (as long as it has Internet).

It’s a romantic idea of work. There’s a certain whimsy in having the ability to fly off at any given moment with your work in tow, not needing to ask for personal days off. It’s a charming notion really.

But the thing is I don’t often fly around the world, much less across the country. How does anybody even have the funds to do that? And I don’t often leave the comfort (or the confines) of my bedroom.

So what’s the point in this perk? I’m not sure. I’m beginning to think it’s something I just say to convince myself that this job is okay. Which it is. For now. However, the pay doesn’t seem like it’s quite worth the amount of time it takes to do the job. But any money coming into my bank account is better than no money at all.

Well, once I realized this job wasn’t paying out that well, I decided to go hunting for a part-time position. In retail. Something every young teenager has experience in.

Except that when I was a teenager I never had to work retail. Nope. I have always worked in some type of office job oddly enough because I never saw myself as the type to be an office employee.

But there I was. In my pencil skirts and buttoned downs.

So, when I went to interview at this retailer, my nerves were taking over. One look at my resume and whoever was reading it would know that I am over qualified and yet not qualified at all. Drat.

Even though I’m 24 and a few years older than all the other applicants that were at the group interview that day, can I say that I was slightly intimidated? Let me just share that this store sells things that I would never be able to purchase. I could maybe afford a pair of socks. But with the money I spent on the socks, I could have bought a week’s worth of groceries.

It’s not even couture or anything. Insane, no? Well, despite my poverty, I adore everything they offer—the environment is cozy and unique. It’s a dream.

I dressed my casual best to try to look as if I wasn’t trying too hard, but that I wasn’t being nonchalant about the position either. I wanted it. I wanted it more than the other girls. (Maybe not). But I needed it more. Some of these girls were still students for heaven’s sake. I haven’t been a student for two years now.

Prior to the interview I Googled all I could about the company. I Googled what to wear, what kind of questions might be asked, what type of personality they look for—everything and anything. I asked my magic genie, Google.

I did so much research on this company that it made me fall even more in love with it. But it also desperately made me want to fit the mold of their employees. This is probably basic knowledge of “how to get a job.”

Even though I was prepared for the questions I’d have to answer. I found myself mentally slapping my forehead. These other girls seemed to have amazing answers, and all I could do was try turning up my smile and my charm factor. In all honesty, these girls really knew their retail. And what do I know? I only know how to write.

Hey, but something must have worked. I got the job after all. Sure, it’s just part-time but that allows me to keep working on my writing as well as feeding my hungry, hungry bank account. It’s a win-win situation, the way I see it.

Written by Lisa M | Grads Blog

I came into south east of France with a humble dream to make the best use of International exposure and equally take advantage of one of the best Grand Ecole Training out there (Currently Ranked 13^th best master of management program by the financial times). Nine months into that remarkable dream, I am left with nothing but memories, appraisal and stock of my time here in Grenoble.  Definitely, a lot has changed since I made that long journey across the Atlantic and said the longest goodbye of my life to family and friends. I am not the same man that left West Africa, Nigeria 286 days ago.  Curious about was has changed? Join me!

You can’t put a price on the value of intercultural integration. It is an experience of a life time. Who better to know than me having been privileged to study in a class of 27 varying nationalities? Each nationality with a different song, joke, experience and perspective to bring to the table. Getting along with all these variations at times can be hard but the ensuing benefits outweigh the burden. Every night had a story to tell. Every drink shared had a crazy class experience and a nervy personal outburst on work load and assignments we had to cover. I have to admit, I came to France with the “wine and cheese stereotype” and a crazy expectation of a dynamic night life. Truth be told, I didn’t get a feel of the bursting night life and charismatic atmosphere I envisioned. Nevertheless, I will cherish the few good moments spent in the company of friends. Where Grenoble Failed, my short visit to Paris offered a more cheering and spontaneous atmosphere. France is not only about the wine and cheese; Mondays are also sacred days where banks and a few other shops don’t open for service. And by the way, you have a compulsory two hours lunch break daily, a period when offices are closed for services.

Three seasons down and having experienced the extreme winter and snow out-pour in Grenoble, all roads definitely leads to summer. I have heard a lot about the sun, burning heat, ladies in bikinis, gents and beauties, but now is the time to experience the magic and share in another experience of a life time.  What has been a very demanding year is taking a whole new turn to the very next level. The pressure of schooling might be over but job hustle, project completion and search for livelihood lives on. Personally, I am looking forward to enjoying the magic of the summer but at the same time gazed on every lucrative job employment out there. Life just never stops. There seems to never be a finish line. My instrumental goal of gaining international exposure has been on full swing but now is the time to apply the net worth I have acquired over the past months and years. There is no stopping for me. I will still be writing, discovering more about myself, exploring territories and chasing my dreams of putting my generation on the map while I continue this remarkable international journey. Despite the fact that I am eager to achieve all these targets, I might as well put on a short, get a sun shade and roll out some drinks with fiends and new acquaintances when the sun finally comes out this summer.

Written by Jaycrown | Grads Blog

It’s two days after my final exam and I’m still finding it strange that I’m finally done with university (unless I decide to do a postgraduate, of course!). Three years have come and gone and now I’m not quite sure what to do. So I’m sitting at home, after two days of lazing about, thinking about all of the things I’m going to miss.

I’m nostalgic for the lecture rooms and being fascinated with what I learnt in them, the long days and late nights in the library studying with classmates pushing each other to get the work done and all of the amazing student nights with the close friends I’ve made. At the time the work seemed stressful and I looked forward to finishing but now I just want to go back and experience it all again. It already feels strange that I haven’t got any revising to do or essays to research and write. These past few weeks have been so hectic, I keep thinking that there must be something else I need to do or something I’ve forgotten about. But no, I’m done and the next chapter awaits me.

I am looking forward to the new journey ahead, whatever that might be but for now I’m just going to take a month or two off and enjoy my freedom.

While I relax and take some time before I find work, I’m going to make a list of things I’d like to do now before I step into the real world of the full time job. The top three on the list so far are travelling, reading and writing for pleasure (although I’m sure I’ll never read a book or write the same again – my studies have made me so analytical!).

However, I’m not completely done yet, there’s still the wait for results day and graduation (which for me is a long wait until October).

For those who have also finished, well done! It’s hard to believe it but we’ve done it!

Written by Sian R | Grads Blog

No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks. It’s the last time that you will ever step foot inside a class room, write an essay on mundane literature or even take another dreaded statistics class. That being said, the day we have been dreading is finally upon us: entering the real world.

Post-graduate life can be unbelievably stressful, especially when it comes to finding a job. When applying to work a job in the real world there are some important things to remember.

Set a schedule. It’s important to wake up early every day and attack the job market. Sleeping in until 2 o’clock in the afternoon wastes the majority of the day. Applying for jobs before lunch gives companies the time to respond in a timely manner. The more places you apply, the more job opportunities come available.

Network at any and every opportunity. Networking is essential to finding a job. Anyone, anywhere can be looking for a job at any moment. Ask your neighbors, parent’s friends, alumni from your university or distant relatives if they know anyone hiring. They might just know someone who is in dire need of a person with your skill set.

Patience, patience, patience. Most companies will take a few days, if not weeks, to respond to a job application. There is no reason to panic if the perfect job does not immediately present itself. Finding a job is about finding the right job for you, not about finding the first job available.

Dress for the job you hope to get. There were plenty of days in college when we rolled out of bed in a pair of sweatpants and a grimy t-shirt before heading to class. It is time to start dressing like a professional. If the job you are applying for requires you to wear a suit and tie, make sure you have one at a moment’s notice.

Even if you don’t want the job, take an interview. Getting experience in interviews offers invaluable experience. Interviewing is a lot like playing a sport; the more you practice, the better you get. If you land an interview with your dream job, it’s important to know what you are going to say. By having a few “practice interviews” you will have a better idea of what to say, how to say it, and good strategies for showing off your skills.

Don’t be afraid to brag about yourself in an interview. Ignore what your mother told you, being humble is overrated! Interviewers want to hear about your achievements that you have racked up over time. Make sure they know the awards you received, clubs you were involved in, or any extracurricular activities that you participated in. The more that you tell them, the more the interviewer can tell if you are a good fit for the company.

Finally, and most importantly, don’t quit if the job search doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes it can take weeks, even months to find the right job. Getting discouraged and having a pity party for yourself achieves nothing. Keep a positive attitude and keep plugging away at any job you can. Who knows, your dream job could be right around the corner.

Written by Jack McCallion | Grads Blog

With two days to go before my final ever exam (!) I’m planning all the lovely things I’m going to do once I’m no longer a student. As an English student the top of my graduate bucket list is to read a book that isn’t a set text for my course. I’ve had Justin Cronin’s ‘The Twelve’ and Sebastian Faulks ‘A Possible Life’ burning a hole on my shelf since last October. Finally I can blow the dust off them and get stuck in without feeling guilty about it.
For most students the top of their list is to find a job, preferably one that involves their degree subject and not a supermarket checkout, but I think it’s important to take time out and actually enjoy not being a student for a little while.
If you’re stumped for ideas about what to put on your own graduate bucket list, here are a few of the best I’ve found whilst surfing the net (and avoiding revision).

Road trip!

Or plane, or train, or bike, or any other kind of transportation that takes your fancy. Whatever you do just get out and see the world, even if you can only afford a weekend in Wales. With all the stress that is involved in our final year of university (we won’t mention the D word) taking a break is usually the first thing on people’s lists. So make the most of it!

Get a new hobby

If you’ve had an activity that you’ve been desperate to do but didn’t have time for, now is the time to do it. Whether it’s swimming, dancing, amateur dramatics or simply becoming obsessed with a new TV show you’ve now got all the time in the world and it’s up to you what you do with it.

Set some goals

This might seem a bit serious but I know a lot of graduates that have felt a bit lost at sea after finishing uni. With no one there telling you to write essays, read books and do research your days can seem like they lack purpose. Setting goals, such as applying for X amount of jobs or updating your social networks to make you seem more professional, can help you structure your day.

Do nothing!

Well we wouldn’t want you to work too hard now would we? I plan on taking the first weekend after I finish my degree to do absolutely nothing. No planning, no preparation, no job hunting, nothing. You’ve worked hard, you’ve completed your degree, now sit back, relax and enjoy.

Written by Alice Brown | Grads Blog

Summer’s here and university’s ended (or nearly ended)- you’ve spent the past few months passing exams, handing in essays, and, perhaps, puzzling your way through what exact size you need for a gown and mortarboard. Because yes! It’s that time! Graduation is here at last and nobody’s quite sure what that means but you’ll be damned if you’re going to pass up the chance to dress like Harry Potter’s swanky cousin and get your picture taken shaking hands with some local dignitary/old guy who apparently runs the place. Luckily, as a postgrad, I’ve been through all this before, so let me give you some handy tips to guide you through graduation day.

1. Order robes a size smaller than you think you’ll need. Those things are absolutely huge, and very heavy. You’re going to feel like you’re walking around in a tent all day anyway, it might as well be a tent that bears some relation to your actual size.
2. Get photographs asap. This takes forever and going sooner will minimise the wait.
3. Comfy shoes. I know. Those heels look fab. But you’re going to be walking across a stage in front of everyone you know, plus a couple of hundred strangers. Not the time to experiment in the footwear department.
4. Expect to be bored. This is going to drag on for a while- longer than usual, in my case, as I was a Cardiff graduate, so I also had to have everything repeated to me in Welsh in a last-ditch attempt to acquaint us all with the language.
5. Those guidelines your uni put out on the dress code? Ignore them. Everyone else will.
6. Safety pins are your friend. In light of 1 I hopefully shouldn’t have to explain this too much except to add that hoods were sent by the devil to torment you. Make sure no-one puts anything in there.
7. You might end up sitting next to someone you don’t know! Ignore them. You’re never going to see them again.
8. The free drinks offered are always slightly disappointing, but hey, they’re free.
9. Your university will be tidier than you’ve seen it since open day. Don’t freak out! Everything is still there.
10. Most importantly: This is not about you. This is about the university celebrating its achievement in pushing another lot of students through the process. It’s about your family or your friends or whoever you’re getting to cheer at you. You yourself are a little bit incidental to this. It’s the ceremony that’s the important part.

Of course, you can just not go (an option I plumped for after my Master’s degree). There’s many benefits to this: not having to wear a silly hat, no accommodation to sort out, not having to remember anyone’s names, etc. However, you do feel as if you’re missing something. So bear my handy tips in mind, go forth, and happy graduation day! Congratulations. The best part is making your family fight to the death over the extra ticket.

Written by Olivia Cottrell | Grads Blog

Something you’ll regularly hear from third years is “ah if only I’d done this in my second year…”. This usually comes at 3am on dissertation hand-in date, then later on mid-job hunt as they realise the “experience” section of their C.V is frighteningly bare. I urge you not to become the person complaining about the fact that a couple of months at McDonalds and the work experience they force you to do at sixteen aren’t considered marketable qualities.

So, as a third year student, what would I do again? Realistically, I would still be in the pub complaining the questions on the quiz are unreasonably difficult. However, I didn’t have any advice given to me as a second year, so perhaps I can turn my unfulfilled wishes into a few helpful hints for somebody else.

Firstly, I’d get as much work experience as I could. Unpaid work experience can really suck, and in some cases it’s simple exploitation. However, it’s easier to find and if you’re lucky could possibly lead to a proper job when you’re finished. Most third year students simply do not have the time to work for free, and when you’re desperately hunting for a job for after you’ve graduated it can be frustrating to constantly read “this position is unpaid”.

Secondly, I’d start a blog and commit to it. Obviously, for people who want to be writing as part of their career, keeping a blog is obvious. However it can be very helpful for people studying in any field. It shows employers you can commit to something, and shows off your knowledge of your field. For example, a chemistry student could write their thoughts and reactions to chemistry-related news. Most importantly, regularly update! It looks pretty bad if you only have three posts from months and months ago, so make sure you set time aside to update it.

Thirdly, I’d think more about my dissertation. Some people even manage to finish their dissertations over the summer, which is fantastic if you can do it. However, for many it’s easier said than done. I remember having the same idea. Cut to me, two days before hand in, freaking out, convinced it’s not good enough. Personally, I’d just set myself the task of having read most of the important materials on my topic, and maybe have an initial plan.

I could go on and on, offering such gems as “spend less money” and “don’t fall out with your housemates”, but, alas, I don’t have that much space. The point is, the “third year breakdown” doesn’t have to be so awful, and even if I only convince one person to do some forward thinking, I’d consider it worth it.

Written by Khia Reynolds | Grads Blog

Noun: A person, place, thing, or idea

It can be a person. Or a place. A thing–or even an idea. A [noun]. And maybe you like that [noun] a lot. But how do you know if you’ve fallen in love with said [noun]? Maybe it’s a paramour, a country, like England, or even a new job you can’t believe you had the amazing luck to land. Maybe some or all of the above.

1. To suggest an alternative would be like saying the sky would be green.

You can’t picture another route, another life, another existence. Or another job, duty, or anything else. Sometimes you wonder where this has been all your life, and why you hadn’t arrived far sooner. But maybe–all those speed bumps were there for a reason.

Perhaps all those broken promises were there for you to appreciate the [noun] that followed. You learned to listen to others–to show more compassion–to be trustworthy and dependable–after you were on the receiving end of the opposite. Perchance your past life was something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

And maybe you just needed to live life a little bit longer, see things in a new light, and find everything just a tad crazier and more delightful than what you originally had imagined.

and

2. You break your own rules.

Maybe you were told you couldn’t go a certain path, or be a type of person, or apply for a job because it seemed too intimidating, too scary, and too hard. Maybe you were typecast all your life–people thought you were the ‘shy’ one, the ‘studious’ and the ‘drama nerd.’

But suddenly, you find yourself travelling to those distant lands–you find every excuse to. Maybe you never thought you’d leave England, but you suddenly find yourself wandering the streets of a small Hungarian town one cold, blustery morning, and venturing out to Austria again, three years later, and in good company to top it all. Maybe you came for a reason, buried under another (better-intentioned) reason, and somehow those rationales became muddled one fine Christmas evening in December, and shifted yet stayed the same.

…and

3. You can’t (for whatever reason) fall in love with said [noun].

But you do anyways. You fall in love with England–a place, or a person, or a thing, or an idea–and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. So you surrender, for once in your life; you give way, acknowledging in your heart of hearts that the sky is indeed blue (with charming, silver-lined clouds), and that rules were occasionally meant to be broken.

“This terrifying world is not devoid of charms, of the mornings that make waking up worthwhile.” – Wislawa Szymborska

Written by Laura Pang | Grads Blog

As I am writing this, it is Monday 13^th May 2013, and I am taking a short break from revising for my final ever exam as a university student on the 15^th May, my final act as a student of English with Media and Cultural Studies. The end to life at university is finally drawing near, and while Wednesday will mark the end of one of the most stressful years ever, it also marks the beginning of being unemployed.

Despite having started looking for internships and graduate schemes in October last year, and applying to numerous places for anything that I would be interested in doing after my degree was finished, I have had no luck in finding any opportunity that will lead on from my studies and help me get my foot in the door of my dream to be a music journalist. In all honesty, it’s a miserable feeling. Listening to people’s conversations in lectures and seeing numerous status updates on Facebook and Twitter of how so many people at my university have got jobs or an internship doesn’t help your self-esteem in trying to desperately carry on applying for graduate schemes until something comes up. Unfortunately, it’s a common feeling, with the majority of friends of mine also finishing up their studies being in exactly the same position.

Ever since starting at primary school, there has been an immediate follow on. You go from primary school to secondary, after that you can stay on at sixth form or go to college, and then if you choose to do so, university comes next. Now though, the line of education has come to an end, and instead of knowing exactly where we are going to be in the next few months, the majority of students graduating this year will find themselves at a dead end, with no idea what they’re going to do next. For me personally, I hate not knowing where I’m going to be in a few months from now. Although I as of yet have not heard back from all internships and graduate schemes that I have applied for, the waiting game is making me on edge, but with a lot of the opportunities I have applied for not closing until the end of this month or even until the end of June, it looks like I will be twiddling my thumbs for a bit longer yet.

It really is not the nicest of feelings having no idea what life is going to bring you next in terms of your career, but I guess the only comfort we have is that we are not the only ones. But, as hard as it sounds, the best thing you can do is just to keep trying. Motivation may be running at a low at the moment as success is not coming your way, but as long as you keep trying over and over again, no matter how low you feel about it, eventually you will get to where you want to be. If you give up now, then you definitely won’t get your foot in the door of your chosen career path. So, keep that motivation up, apply for as many different opportunities as you can, and one day it will all pay off, and you will finally get to where you have always dreamed of being.

Written by Emily Peachey | Grads Blog

Last year, I received a place to study at Columbia Journalism School, which I accepted and then deferred. For the longest time, and what I guess would be the case for many Britons, the idea of moving to New York to train for the job I wanted was a message sent from God that I could achieve what I wanted to do. Everything was set, and the wheels had to be put into motion. Simple, right?

Its now 3 months before the start of the new year, and for the first time in a year and a half, I am having real question marks sitting above my head. Not just about whether I want to move thousands of miles away from my family and friends, but also if I want to do journalism as a graduate degree and vocation, or even if I did the right degree. It seems like getting what you spent money applying to, writing admissions essays and exams for and was successful in achieving does not guarantee that you will always be 100% sure of what you want to be doing for the rest of your natural life. {I wont lie, watching The Devil Wears Prada and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days helps remind me why I became curious to dabble in journalism when I was 17, but 2 movies shouldn’t really dictate things…should they?}

So what to do? Do I carry on fundraising and arranging travel and accommodation, do I decide to go to Lancaster to take up that place and carry on with a subject area I am not even sure I should have done in the first place? Shall I launch myself into a 9-5? People say they go to university to find out and train for what they want to do in the future, but is that true for everyone? And if it isn’t, is that ok? Something tells me that, even if I don’t end up going to journo school, I will find myself taking a bite out of the Big Apple some day.

Written by Cheryl | Grads Blog

I think most of us are reaching that point where we’re beginning to realise that graduate work is a rare and elusive gift and not, in fact, a given. But what else can we do but keep applying, right?

It turns out there are several things we can do to improve our near-future prospects, even if we’re still jobless for now. As I approach graduation I’ve been turning my attention to what comes next, and I think basically there are two harsh realities which we’ll all have to meet head-on if we’re to beat this terrible economic climate.

Harsh Reality #1: A Degree Isn’t Actually All That Impressive Any More

You’ve heard it time and time again: a degree used to set you apart from the crowd, but nowadays the crowd is full of graduates waving their diplomas around and still getting nowhere. In this day and age, if you want to be outstanding it helps to have studied abroad, been president of a society, or won an on-campus award of some kind; however, if you missed the boat on all of these things, don’t panic, because there’s still time to get ahead. Read on.

Harsh Reality #2: A Degree Doesn’t Always Prepare You For The Workplace

Mostly theoretical studies such as History or Mathematics don’t always set you up to be good at an actual job. Languages and translation, for example, seem like a logical pairing, but as any translator worth his or her salt will tell you, not just anyone with a second language can translate: in fact, a flawless command of your mother tongue is often even more essential. You might know your bonjour from your au revoir, but unless you’ve got your there, their and they’re straight and can circumvent comma splices, dangling participles and present perfect constructions like a ninja, your chances of succeeding as a translator are slim indeed. If I want to prove to prospective employers that I’ll actually be able to transfigure a well-written French text into a well-written English one, this is exactly the gap in my C.V. that I need to fill – hence the extensive online repertoire of English-language publications.

In short, my advice for conquering these barriers is: work out what else you need to prove you can do, and how to prove it; and get to work on both short- and medium-term plans. Short-term plans are basically seeking and applying for jobs; medium-term plans involve steadily adding to your C.V. in case you don’t get any of them, so it won’t be the same story six months down the line. You’re joining networks on LinkedIn, you’re blogging about what you know, you’re ordering business cards (even if you feel like a fraud at first) and you’re getting your name out there.

As for me, I’ve been doing volunteer translations, documenting every job so that I’ll be able to confidently specify in future interviews exactly how many words’ practical experience I have. I haven’t given up looking for translation work in the short term, but on the off-chance that my degree ends up not impressing anyone, I’m taking steps to ensure that in a few months time there’ll be plenty else on my C.V. that will.

Written by Megan Currie | Grads Blog

If you ask ten people, nine of them will admit to you that they have left their exam revision until the last minute, and the tenth will be telling porkies! We have all done it at one point, after riding out the avalanche of coursework over the year, we feel we deserve a bit of a rest before we crack on with the revision again, right? Well, yes, we probably do – but probably not so much so that we’re frantically reading through our notes on the night before the exam! And we have all learned the hard way that being unprepared leads to exam results that we’re not overly proud of.

At the end of the day a rest is good, but as Alexander Pope suggests – ‘Strength of mind is exercise, not rest’, and this guy is the third most quoted writer of all time, so I guess what he’s saying is important! As students, we all know that diligence is the key to getting through our degrees, but it’s all well and good someone else saying work hard and you’ll be fine when they’re not the ones with exams and results and job applications to think about! They aren’t the ones having the melt down! Though, Mr. Pope is quite correct, resting on your laurels for too long really won’t help your revision – but constantly working might give you a complete block, too. Personally, the best option for me is having an organised chart as to what, when and even where I can do some revision in a day, even if it’s just an hour or two. It has been said that the best way to finish an unpleasant task is to get started, and in this case, with revision it is absolutely true.

In May the weather starts to get a little bit more positive, but all the while you’re looking out of the window at the blue sky with resentment whilst you read your notes. Just think! Exams mean that the academic year is nearly over, you’re nearly finished! You have until September until you need to think about writing any more essays if you are continuing at university! You are going to GRADUATE if you’re in your final year, you’re there! You’ve only got this last stretch of work, a few exams and then you are free to walk down your career path. If you’ve done all of your coursework, you’ve definitely not got too far to go now, so you might as well make the most of the time you have until your exams to do that little bit more revision, and make this year worth going through!

Good luck everybody!

Written by Laura Adair | Grads Blog

It’s inevitable isn’t it? Almost three years of your University life and the campus computers have never caused you a problem. Then, like magic, with two essays and your dissertation due within days of each other, the systems go down.  Firstly, the U-Drive decides not to save the 100 words you struggled for three hours to write. You contact the IT department, and whilst they’re very helpful, they can’t resurrect your work from the literary grave. Secondly, TurnitIn decides it will take 24 hours to upload your dissertation. Thirdly, and the thing that almost gave me a hernia, the research website decides to present you with the words FATAL ERROR one week before deadline.

This is the position I recently found myself in. Our Uni Facebook group was inundated with notifications from irate students (myself included!) I mean, you can just do without that sort of stress when you’re already drowning in a sea of Nineteenth-Century women and the daunting prospect of what you’re actually going to do with your life. Now don’t get me wrong, I sat at my desk and considering throwing my much needed cup of coffee through the window, but as good as it might have momentarily felt, it wouldn’t have resolved my issue. My advice? Simple and obvious: keep calm. Contact the Uni, library, tutors, whoever you think might be able to help. I had to contact five people through email, one via telephone and one via instant chat before my seminar group was granted a one week extension via email. Within minutes, the Facebook group was once again pinging with notifications, but this time they were of relief and gratitude.

The important thing to remember is, whilst technology may not always be on your side, your lecturers are.

Written by Samantha Wright | Grads Blog

Having spent the last three years working pretty much non stop at uni, and especially this year having to construct a dissertation, my stress levels have fluctuated. I wouldn’t say that I get stressed easily, but when you are faced with the prospect of writing five thousand words on a topic that you are interested in, but don’t really know much about, it’s enough to cause anyone to have an increased heart rate.

When I was told to rewrite the dissertation with just five weeks to go, I got to the point where I was ready to break, and something had to be done!

I rang my friends and we agreed that we needed a focus to get us through the last few weeks, and there was only one thing that could be that focus, Thorpe Park.

So two days after we handed it all in we got in the car and set off for London. Despite the fact we were all shattered from weeks and months of constant work, we were very excited about the day ahead.

May is a good time to go as the kids are still at school and a lot of parents are still working, so the park was quite quiet. This meant we could go on everything we wanted, some more than once, and the longest queue was just half an hour.

On the way home all three of my passengers fell asleep so the day had definitely taken it out of them. But it also served the purpose that we went there for, we all came back a lot calmer than when we had left a few hours before.

I don’t know whether it was the adrenaline rush or just the fact we had escaped the world of work for a day but it definitely helped us all to relax, and was a great way to celebrate the end of our degrees.

Obviously we still have the small task of finding a job, but at the moment we are enjoying the freedom and looking forward to, hopefully, a warm summer with friends.

So if you’re suffering from too much work or revision, book a day out and have something to look forward to when it’s all over.

Written by Lianne Carpenter | Grads Blog

We’ve all been there, ‘That’s £x please!’ You rummage through every nook and cranny to find the right money but its just not there. So now you need to tell the cashier your predicament and make a tough decision what to put back, all the while avoiding eye contact. To avoid these mishaps, here are some basic money-saving tips:

1. Make packed lunches! – As tempting as it is to go buy something hot, quick and easy to eat, this turns into a surprisingly expensive habit, think about it, buying a £3 meal deal five days a week turns into £15 a week on just lunch! This is money that can be much better spent!
2. Use websites like Student Beans, Groupon and last minute hotel sites– These websites are amazing. In April, myself and some friends went down to Alton Towers for around £45. We got the park tickets for about £25 and a hotel room in Stoke for £20. Rained the full time we were there but it was still a good weekend!
3. Buy textbooks second hand – Textbooks are insanely expensive, £45 for a book you are going to use maybe once or twice for referencing!? Look on Amazon for cheaper books, or if you know an older student on your course ask them if you can buy their old books for a cheaper rate, they will only be too happy to get rid of them.
4. Milk the student card for all its worth – Ask EVERYWHERE if they do student discounts, just because they don’t advertise it in the shop doesn’t mean they don’t do it!
5. Nights out on a budget – When having a night out on a budget, be sure to find places that advertise £1 drinks/free entry. Girls, swap clothes with friends instead of buying new ones, saves so much money and hassle because you already know how they look on. For those skint weekends, why not just have a movie night in with friends? The Friday night slob is so under-rated!

I hope this has been helpful! Happy saving!

Written by Carey-Louise Howie | Grads Blog

On Wednesday I finally handed in my undergraduate dissertation of 12,000 words. I’ve gone through most of the usual experiences in writing this paper; from feeling it is going to be a ground breaking piece that people would feel privileged to read by the fire in the evening, to realising that it is actually the most sinfully boring topic that I could have possibly chosen, before finally accepting that I am never going to be happy with the final piece but know that I needed to just hand it in and get it out of the way.

But finally handing it in felt a little like an anti-climax. I’m not really sure what I was expecting it to be like (was there going to a welcome party of all my tutors cheering me in like the end of a triathlon, or maybe just a cash prize), but in the end a couple of elastic bands were unceremoniously wacked around it and it was dumped in a draw along with countless others. I didn’t feel a huge weight lifted from my shoulders, or the sudden urge to drink my body-weight in rum. All I could think of doing was cracking on with revision for my exams that start next week. The trouble is I can’t make myself start it.

It’s like a hole has been left where my dissertation used to be and I’m not really sure how to plug it. Revision for my finals seems like the only thing I can do and the last thing I want to do. All my friends are revising now so there isn’t even a way for me to blow off a little steam (not being particularly partial to the whole drinking alone culture). A class mate of mine who I went to hand in my paper with had no problem getting back to work, revising for our language exams moments after getting back through the door. People tell me there is only three weeks left of uni; just work and hold off until the exams are over. The problem is there doesn’t seem to be anything for me to ‘hold off’ from. I don’t feel the urge to go out. It’s weird but it’s almost like the only thing I can think of doing is reading my dissertation! I’m reading absolutely anything on the internet, in books or in papers just to stop myself leafing through my paper again. I can’t seem to let it go but I know I have to. Hopefully this gap left by my dissertation won’t be long lived, and if it is I need to find a good way of plugging it with something productive.

Written by Thomas van Mourik | Grads Blog

Almost everyone reminisces about school. I do. I think about the lessons, the teachers, the other students and the year group assemblies. I can’t remember every year group assembly, just as I can’t remember every lesson or break-time occurrence, but two in particular stand out. During one assembly a teacher spoke the words of an Eminem song – Loose Yourself – to inspire us to do great things. ‘You had better lose yourself, in the moment, you want it, you had better never let it go’ and so on and so forth. Unsurprisingly we found it brilliant, but not for the reasons he intended; oh had YouTube or Facebook been around then how many hits and likes that video would have got. That same teacher also delivered a much more serious assembly concerning further and higher education.

‘If you do A-levels’ he said ‘You will earn ‘X’ amount of money a year. However if you go to University you will earn even more.’

Throughout school I experienced such rhetoric; going to university guarantees you more money and a better job. And I wonder how many more students and post-graduates heard similar suggestions, certainly the vast majority. The problem for me is that a high number of students go to university and expect that when it is over they are set for life, yet this is not always the case. Part of the problem is that some students slack, that is inevitable. But for me, what is most damaging is that many people are advised to do a degree as this more or less guarantees you a better job, salary and life. Until the advice given to prospective-students is better I feel this problem will continue; is university right for you, is the course going to increase your employability, and what work experience should you acquire to ensure you get ‘that job’ at the end are all questions that must be answered. Whilst there are other factors at play here, limited number of graduate jobs being just one example, I am adamant that when the guidance provided improves so too will the prospects of a post-graduate.

Written by Ashley Andrew | Grads Blog

That dreaded D word, which makes students shudder, and graduates sigh. Now, let’s say it together: Dissertation. Turn back the clock two years and I’d probably be sitting in the library, praying in front of my computer screen, while my friend tried to stop the printer from going into panic mode…’10,990 words, 83 pages, three times, ARGH’. Yep, that’s right; I was preparing to hand in the mighty dissertation students spend months worrying about.

Dissertation writing is tough, but we all have ways of getting through them – a friend of mine started hers the summer before our final year and another one spent most of her waking hours trying to contact her tutor. I however, did neither of these things. I enjoyed a two month trip volunteering in sunny Costa Rica the summer before my final year, and scheduled just one day a week to meet my tutor, which definitely suited me and had no negative effects on my final grade (the trip actually inspired the subject I chose!)

The greatest tip I was given though, that I would recommend to all students with a dissertation to write, is to cut the word count down, into something more manageable and much more appealing. 10 thousand words is a mean feat by anyone’s standard, but nobody expects you to do it one sitting. After all, it is split into sections: intro, lit review, methodology, chapter 1, chapter 2, etc, so why not treat them like separate essays? Five 2000 word essays, eight 1250 word essays or even ten 1000 word essays is a lot easier to manage and a lot less daunting than say, “462 words, only 9538 to go, yay :/”. It worked for me, giving me time to organise my work and fit other deadlines into my schedule too, as well as the added comfort of not having a five figure number looming large over my head.

Whatever your methods though, however much you stress or cry or think you will never get it finished, you will. All graduates have been there, me included. All I can say is, you will get there. And for anyone in the library printing off their dissertation this week or next, just remember, the moment you hand it in, it is gone! Savour the moment, take a picture – you will be free. Summer is waiting, and so is that drink in the pub with your name on it .

Written by Rachel Dalton | Grads Blog

When you first get your graduate job, the biggest relief for most of us is that finally you will have money in your pocket. As we all know, being a student is costly, and when you are one, financial worries are a daily occurrence. Lack of money defines the student lifestyle, from supermarket value noodles to £1 shots at the student union. One of the greatest appeals of leaving student life is the attraction of having an income.

I was in that position some months ago (and still am really). Thus, I am going to give my advice to every student out there, whether at university now or aspiring to go:

1)    Do not go on a spending spree. When you move into the real world, financial shocks become all the more prevalent (I was just hit with a £400 dentist bill).

2)    Make your money last. You are no longer receiving a lump sum from the government and your reliance on your parents is dwindling. YOU and you alone are now in charge of your finances.

3)    Save. I have spent the last 6 months of my working life saving. Boring, you may say so, but those people who go from skint student to all you can spend businessman will face problems further down the line, trust me!

4)    Pay off debt. Not student debt, but credit card debt, your overdraft etc. In the long run, this will be a VERY beneficial thing to do. I saved and saved and now no longer have an overdraft which means my money is now truly MY money.

5)    Get involved in your company pension as soon as possible. I say this because if you get used to a certain amount of income, the further down the line you get, the more you shall rely on the income you receive and won’t want to see this reduced. If you start putting some of that money into a pension fund right away, you won’t miss that money further down the line.

6)    Improve your lifestyle. With your extra money, buy a little healthier, enjoy those activities you have always wanted to do but never had the money to achieve. Enjoying your money doesn’t mean wasting your money.

It is very easy for people to leave university, get a job and waste their first pay packet. It honestly is, and I know people who have done it. I would advise you to make the sensible choice and hold back. Treat your finances as the first step in your transition from student to working adult.

Written by Robert | Grads Blog

There are many companies preying on desperate graduates, misleading them into working long hours for nothing. Let me quickly tell you my experience applying for one of these jobs.

I applied for a load of jobs all within one day, those advertising “immediate start” and “marketing roles” in particular attracted me. Within a few days I received an invitation for an interview, three companies, on the same day, in the space of two hours, all asking for an interview immediately. Two out of the three said they had limited spaces for interview times so I had to ring up as soon as possible.

I soon felt the job was suspicious, but felt I needed the interview practice. However, the interview was merely a ten minute affair where he told me about the job (very vaguely) and welcomed my questions. I knew there was no chance of me accepting it, so I brought him up on something I’d spotted about being “self-employed”. I knew that it would be so they don’t have to pay minimum wage and other sleazy reasons. However, I wanted to hear their reasoning, which was to do with “self-protection”. He defensively asked me why I had asked. “Just curious” I replied, both of us knowing I’d cottoned on to their scheme. We bid farewell, he said he’d be in touch. Unsurprisingly he wasn’t.

I immediately cancelled the other two interviews after I saw that they were both associated with The Cobra Group, a door-to-door sales and marketing company. Do the research, there is plenty of press about them. They rope people in with vague advertisements and promises of big money. In actuality, it is nothing more than door-to-door sales, and you’ll work long hours for a tiny wage.

I am glad that I learnt from this experience, about how important decent research is; not just what the company is and what it’s about, but what other people say about it. A good way of finding this out is to search “company name” with “review” added to it. My advice is to not waste your time with these companies, the “experience” gained is not valuable and the time is better spent searching for a better job better fitted to your needs.

Written by Khia Reynolds | Grads Blog

With exams and deadlines looming most students want as little distraction as possible to get on with the dreaded revision and countless essays. But it’s easier said than done normally due to the distraction of smartphones and the internet.

Social networking has become such a big part of our lives that it’s the most common form of procrastination and some are in fact addicted to it. There are numerous platforms for students to connect with others over the internet; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbr are to name a few. And the most annoying thing is that during assessment period they all seem so much more interesting than they really are! A new app that’s gone wildfire recently is Snapchat, an instant photo-messaging application, and I can vouch to say that it is highly addictive and the best way to avoid doing any work. It is endless fun.

So what makes social networking such a distraction? I often find that if I’m stuck during an essay I’ll go onto twitter, as if it’ll have the answers! It obviously doesn’t  you just end up scrolling through your timeline for what seems like a few minutes but ends up being a good half an hour. Others might be familiar with the reward system. You’ve done something like 200 words or 20 minutes revision, and then you decide that you should reward yourself with an hour of pure procrastination. It’s as if you deserve it. Don’t even get me started on YouTube; once you watch one video you’re stuck there forever until you find yourself questioning why on earth you’re entertained by cats.

It’s a truly bad habit that lots of us have got into and often a tough habit to crack too. For some of you it’s easier to focus for long periods of time so fair play to you. For the rest of us, what I suggest is putting your smartphone at the other side of the room, on silent, and get a solid chunk of work done before going anywhere near it. Similar to the reward system but you’ve actually got to get a substantial bit of work done first! If you’re having troubles with staying off the internet on your laptop perhaps turn the internet off for a little while whilst you get stuck into those books. Whatever it takes just to ensure you actually get some concrete work done. It all sounds like a silly concept but we all do it. Procrastination is a part of the student life; it kind of keeps us going slowly but surely. Just make sure you don’t lose sight too much of what you’re actually supposed to be doing.

Written by Shana Dhillon | Grads Blog

So you’ve finally graduated. You worked (and played) hard for the last three years and now you’re ready to go out into the world and make your mark on it. You’ve got a good degree and it’s going to be your ticket to success in your career of choice. You want to be a journalist or a writer or something equally exciting and creative – it’s what you’ve been working towards for years now. Sadly, it’s not as easy to get that dream job as you had hoped it would be. It turns out having a degree isn’t as helpful as you’d thought, and you find yourself with a dilemma: do I keep chasing my dream or do I go down a different career path and start earning?

It’s not an easy decision to make. Obviously you need an income, and there are lots of jobs out there that you might not particularly want to do, but that you probably have a better chance of getting than the elusive dream career you’ve had no luck in pursuing so far. The pay might not be great, but at least you would be getting paid something, and it would give you something to put on your CV and stop you from having to take the walk of shame to the Jobcentre every other week.

The vision of that dream career is always there at the back of your mind, though, and you can’t ignore the little voice in your head telling you that if you just keep going for a little bit longer, you will get the break that you need eventually. You’re worried that getting some other job will be giving up. That dream career is the career you’re serious about and you don’t want anyone to question your dedication to that industry or your sincerity when you told everyone you know that you wanted to have that job.

The solution is to do both. Don’t be ashamed to do a job purely for the money and definitely don’t be unemployed if you don’t have to be. Get a generic job that you don’t really want to keep you going until you get the job that you do want. There’s nothing stopping you from applying for jobs in the industry you want to work in while you are working elsewhere. Find the balance between earning the money you need to live and still being serious about the career you’ve always said was your goal. You might have had to accept second best for the time being, but you don’t have to stay there forever. So take what you can get and start earning, but don’t give up on what you’re passionate about. Chances are that if you keep trying long enough you really will get to start that dream career eventually. Remember, determination pays off more often than not, but there’s nothing wrong with making some money and getting some other experiences in the mean time.

Written by Josie | Grads Blog

Most young fresher’s go to university with the idea that at the end of three years hard work there will be a job with a £25k+ salary waiting for them to jump straight in to. Unfortunately, this is the exception – only the people in the prospectus which you read persuading you to go to your chosen university have had this happen to them. Most students hit their finale year with the anticipation of the end, a dissertation and the realisation that their dream job is not as easy to snatch up as they were once led to believe.

Coming up to the first anniversary of my graduation I find myself juggling a full time job during the week followed by a part time job at the weekend – tired is an understatement, but this is what it is taking to fuel my living and travelling costs. Yes I choose to commute to work, but I’m not going to find a ‘graduate’ job in my home town in the middle of nowhere. Reality has well and truly hit- life is expensive. Sadly I’ve had to come to terms with the fact it’s very rare to walk straight into a job; although the stats show that a high percentage of graduates are employed in their first few months out of university, are those jobs really what they thought they would be doing?

I’m not really giving advice here mainly words of experience. The cost of university is on the rise so although your teachers may push you in the direction of degrees, you may want to consider the reality of where you will be four years down the line. Serving coffee was not in my post-university plan but here I am.

Written by Kathleen | Grads Blog

June 2013 will be the official end of my time at university. If all goes to plan I look to be leaving with a safe 2:1 degree. I have spent the past 4 years doing countless essays on business and law, and by the end of it all I hated it. Law is dull and complicated, and when you get to 4^th year it is so much worse. I studied for hours and researched endlessly, yet there was always something I would miss and be absolutely decimated for it. It is safe to say it wasn’t a fun experience towards the end.

It wasn’t until the very end of this semester that I realised I wanted something different. I have always been relatively creative but I saw that as a past time, not a profession. To me, law seemed like the degree that would get me a great job and more money than I could possibly spend. Only it isn’t really like that. Everyone has a degree these days, and a lot of them have fantastic grades on very difficult courses. But now I am graduated and unemployed, so if I am going to be in this position I may as well struggle for something I am passionate about. That’s why 5 years after I should have; I am looking to get into the TV industry.

It is a few weeks before my formal graduation ceremony and I have just plucked up the courage to seek a career in what I have a passion for. But that shouldn’t have been the case. No matter how redundant it may seem, if you have a great interest in something then you have a right to yourself to at least try it. The industry you enjoy as a hobby might not be great as a profession, but if the interest is so strong why not try it out? That may be in the form of an undergraduate degree, or postgraduate, it doesn’t matter as long as you have a desire.

This may seem all very tacky and cheesy, but you can be as cheesy as you want when you are doing something you have an actual appetite for.

Written by David McGregor | Grads Blog

Whilst it’s definitely true that a glowing reference could not just gloss up an application, but could also be the difference between employment and unemployment, or be the path to a higher wage, it’s also true that misconceptions about references could lead to dire costs.

For example, it is widely believed that an employer is obliged to give you a reference at the end of your tenure: this is not the case.  Your employer can choose how much or how little they can put in your reference, and even give no reference at all.

More worryingly, a reference can contain whatever your employer wants it to.  If they don’t like you, it will be reflected in their reference; they don’t need to say you’re good or reliable, and in extreme instances they may even be underhandedly facetious.  Whilst this may seem like something that happens rarely, employers are merely obliged by law to tell the truth: if your employer has facts that will cast you in a bad light, and the motivation to refer to them, then think twice before using them.  That said, in rare instances where lies are written, you have legal grounds sufficient to consider a lawsuit, on the grounds of a ‘negligent misstatement’.  Whilst you may be reluctant to act in this way towards someone who previously provided you with a job opportunity, this underlying risk may motivate employers to write a positive reference regardless.

It is also important to understand what the standard reference consists of.  As Philip Landau notes on The Guardian’s Work Blog “Most references are now factual only (dates of employment, job title etc [sic])”.  As such, it’s important not to hinge your application on the chance of getting a rosy reference, but the best tool that can be used to ensure this is a positive, genuine relationship with your employer and others in the office.

A final warning: receiving no reference is not a sign of neutrality.  In fact, the lack of a reference could say a plethora of other things.  Your employee doesn’t care about you because you form poor personal relationships.  You can’t assert yourself in the workplace.  You are an inconsequential employee.  Considering such aspects is key to maximising your potential.

Reference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/work-blog/2013/apr/30/redundancy-rights-uk-busting-myths

Written by Amar | Grads Blog

Where next after graduation? Why not go through the entire experience again? That’s been my thinking for the past two years- after achieving my BA in English Literature from Cardiff University I decided to go on to study for an MA (same subject, same uni) and, a year later, developed some great vocational skills on Kingston University’s MA Magazine Journalism course.

If you can afford it, a prostgrad program is a fantastic way to refine your education and really stand out in the jobs market. No matter what subject it’s in, it shows your commitment to improving yourself, as well as offering a way of giving your already-existing qualifications a bit more focus. Sure, a lot of people might not know what to do with an English Literature student (beyond that old faithful, teaching), and my skills look a bit nebulous on a CV- but thanks to my Journalism course, I can point to training in very specific, very employable areas.

Life as a mature student is well worth pursuing too. It’s a bit odd to think of myself as mature, of course (I’m only 24 and I collect comic books, I’m not an adult by anyone’s estimation) but it does mean that you’re a bit separated from the mad rush of undergrad student life. You can take things at your own pace. Nobody expects you to be out on the lash all night and, consequently, your lecturers and tutors treat you with a little more responsibility- plus, the higher level of education and more self-guided learning can be really stimulating.

So, as your course ends and the graduate world beckons, why not consider applying for funding and looking into the world of postgraduate education? It could provide you with just the right competitive edge you need.

Written by Olivia Cottrell | Grads Blog

According to major businesses such as HSBC, Santander, KPMG and Procter & Gamble graduates are not ‘fit’ to be recruited because they are lacking the skills needed. In terms of the skills needed one researcher said that there were “too many to list”. Some of us may feel as though we have been let down by our University because we have achieved a degree but have obtained close to nothing regarding the skills needed to get a job.

Recruiters fail to see that students who have graduated from University have transferrable skills. We have learnt how to apply our knowledge and our life experience to most roles. However we are not given the opportunity to prove that we are good enough. Recruiters say that they give graduates opportunities to join their business, however in actual fact businesses rather go with the safe option. They would rather hire someone that has previous experience and pay them more than take a risk with a recent graduate.

As graduates, we apply for roles although we know we are over qualified, to prove that we have the skills needed also to have the opportunity to work our way up in the business. Again this so called opportunity is not given to us because we are over qualified. We then apply for a higher role and get told we are under qualified. We find ourselves in this catch 22 situation over and over again. Like a revolving door we keep going around and around. So how do we get out of this situation? How many graduates have been to interviews, been unsuccessful and asked for feedback? A few? And how many got feedback? Why do we graduates not demand for an explanation? Constructive criticism will help us improve our interview skills. We spend hours researching, filling out the application form and practicing in front of a mirror to get a one line rejection letter. I am starting to truly believe that the problem is not with us but with the recruiters. In short after an unsuccessful interview, ask for feedback. Do not let the rejection letter put you off.

Finally do not let these studies get to you. Most of us are already volunteering in positions of responsibility. Voluntary positions also include an interview stage. If we were successful in obtaining a voluntary position we are also competent to get a job. A great example of this can be the Metropolitan Police. Most graduates with a Criminology or policing degree end up volunteering as a special constable. The duty, responsibility and powers of a special constable are the same as a regular police officer. The only difference is one is paid and the other is not. When positions become available for special constables to apply for the paid position most of them are denied of the opportunity. Yet they are seen fit to continue as a special constable, doing the same thing as a regular police officer, for free. The problem is not with graduates. The problem is with recruiters. Graduates are so eager to work for free, recruiters take advantage. ‘Why pay for something when you can get it done for free?’

Written by Ayten | Grads Blog

I am coming to the end of my second year, so you would think I’d have learned by now. It is moving week. Yes, week. I have brought so much stuff this year that I cannot simply get home in just one trip.

In my first year I arrived with the non-important stuff, scrapbook, knitting, and every pair of shoes I own and forgot the more important things such as coat hangers, a TV and storage.

So when I moved back here for my second year, I left half of my shoes at home, brought all my coat hangers and my little pink TV, thinking sensible.

However, since my timetable this year has allowed me a two hour gap on Mondays, I have bought more stuff to fill my room with. Fairy lights, book ends, and so much storage you wouldn’t believe it.

My bedroom holds so much stationary I could give WHSmith a run for its money, and now I face the dilemma of back and forth, Sheffield to Nottingham to bring every last item home so I don’t have to pay the £500 summer stay charge.

In September, I will then be coming back again. To this exact room. To poster and fill all over again

It’s a stressful job. As stressful and tiring as any assignment, so be smart and don’t make my mistake.

Bring necessities, you will need a computer, maybe a printer, a TV helps to keep me company on those late night writing sessions, an alarm clock is the only thing that will be able to wake you for those early morning lectures and if your room doesn’t come with one, invest in a notice board.

I have missed deadlines for not writing them down, and it’s not a mistake you want to make.

My final tip would be start out with minimum. If you can live with it, that’s great. If not, just bring more back with you after your next visit home. I’m going to try my best next year to get everything in one car.

Written by Chelsea | Grads Blog

Practise

Once you’ve finished congratulating yourself that you managed to get into university and that epic summer between A Levels and the beginning of your degree is over, you may feel a little rusty when it comes to writing. A blog is a brilliant way to keep your mind working with words every day. It keeps you in the habit of writing, and more importantly writing to a standard that is fit for publication.

Publication

Yes, what you are writing is available to the world. If you keep a blog, you keep your own part of the Internet. It’s got your name on it and it’s in the public domain. That doesn’t mean that you have to drop the colloquialisms, but it does mean you need to remember you’re writing for an audience. Scary and kind of exciting, right?

Networking

We’re not all spending our evenings working a room with business cards in hand. Luckily, blogging has found a way to make up for this. Keeping a blog instantly connects you to people all over the world. Not only does the blogging world have a huge, friendly community it also has people looking for talent. If you’re out there, you could be headhunted. You never know, the Times might be brimful with blog addicts. They might just love your blog.

Credentials

With the growth of the blogging world, there is also growth in the recognition of blogs. Blog awards are out there just waiting to be won. You’re already writing your blog, so there is no real extra effort here. Another award for the cabinet, hey.

Enjoyment

Perhaps most importantly, this blog is for you. It’s to kick back with when you can’t stand to look at your course reading anymore. You can write a blog on whatever you want. Food, lifestyle, fashion, puppies… Whatever floats your boat. A blog isn’t something you’re graded on, it is for your own entertainment so you can really enjoy writing it.

And the best bit about blogging? You can do it all from the comfort of your own room. May it be in bed, in your pants or in whatever situation you find yourself to be inspired.

Head over to Blogger or WordPress to get started!

Written by Charlotte Huckle | Grads Blog

Jobs aren’t easy to come by these days. It’s no surprise that graduates are looking for alternative options. Here are a few ideas when you find yourself asking: “Where do I go from here?”

Travel: There is nothing you can’t gain from traveling. The best part is you will not only learn so much more about yourself, but you’ll also learn more about the world around you. You’ll step out of your comfort zone, you’ll have grand adventures, and you’ll be scared as shit sometimes. But you know what? You’ll come back having a new respect for this world and the people in it. You’ll have conquered fears and discovered a whole new side of yourself.

Intern: One of the best ways to get a job at a company you really love is to intern first. While some are unpaid, there are a lot of paid internships out there so do some research. Being a great intern will show the company that you’re serious about them and most companies prefer to hire people they’ve already worked with in some capacity. Interning is a great way to get your in!

Volunteer: Volunteering is very popular these days for many reasons. Not only will it be something positive to add to your resume, but you’ll have the opportunity to help a good cause whether that is domestic violence, the environment, underprivileged children, or something equally great. There are lots of options out there so don’t limit yourself to just one!

Start your own business: Can’t find the perfect job for you? Why not create it! Starting your own business can be daunting but it isn’t impossible. Find what your passion is and start small but remember to dream big! You create your own success, you make your own hours and you’ll be doing something you love.

Freelance: This is a great one for writers but also other “service” professions. Find some freelance jobs and take on as many as you can until you find a full time job. There are lots of websites out there that people post freelance jobs to. Check some out and keep looking in the mean time.

Written by Katie H | Grads Blog

Sometimes, as a graduate, it isn’t having no direction that is the problem: it is having too many. When I graduated from university in the summer of last year, I was convinced I wanted to be a journalist; I had my place at graduate school, I had experience and I was nosy as anything to boot. Everything was perfect.

Fast forward to nearly a year after graduating, I still haven’t figured out what it is I want to do exactly. Five months ago, it was working in the world of publishing, getting excited at discovering the next big thing. Two months ago, it was certain in my mind that I was going to swan off to New York to learn how to write the perfect story and what the laws of journalism actually are. Two days ago, I was back to the plan I had in my first year about being one of those people you read about on Wikipedia who have their fingers in so many pies that their job list is longer than the actual article. Next week, I will probably be back to watching videos of Jamie Foxx and Anne Hathaway accepting their Oscars and wishing I could be the screenwriter behind someone’s speech in ten years’ time. Let’s not even mention trying to be the next Meg Cabot.

Some people might say it is great to have so many ideas of what one wants to do in life and it keeps life interesting. For me, however, it’s just frustrating. Are we really asking too much of ourselves at 21/22 to know exactly what we want to do for the foreseeable future? Should we have it all figured out or do we wake up blindly each day, look back at the end of each week and hope that we got it right? Whichever one it is, it would be mighty helpful to know either way, because I am running out of Bones episodes to watch.

Written by Cheryl | Grads Blog

As an international student coming to the UK, I have a tier 4 visa—but if I am to find employment, I require a tier 2 visa.

To obtain a tier 2 visa according to Penningtons Solicitors LLP (a top 100 law firm), one needs completion of a UK degree, a minimum employer payment of £20,000 threshold, £800 proof of personal funding (graduating employees appear exempt from Resident Labour Market Test); if meeting these, and (possibly other) UKBA requirements: 1. The company can assign an unrestricted Certificate of Sponsorship, 2. The applicant then submits a leave to remain application to the UKBA, and 3. On approval, the applicant can commence full time work. (*Disclaimer: I cite their website, rules are subject to change and I am not advising nor am I an expert in immigration matters whatsoever).

It’s easier said than done, having filled out seven hundred applications.

Of those, 250 receive replies, 100 reject automatically due to lack of European Union/European Economic Area citizenship, leaving 150. Of those 150, you receive one Skype interview from Switzerland, another international Skype interview, an in-person interview in England, and LinkedIn network requests and phone correspondence from various agencies.

Others tentatively express hesitant interest in this foreign newcomer—who is she, what does she want, and from whence did she emerge?

One automatically assumes—if you have an Ivy League degree, a three-year Juris Doctor degree, are conversationally fluent in three languages, and have interned at world-famous regulatory agencies, life would be easy upon receipt of an LL.M at a highly-renowned British institution. Not so, not so. You need more. You must be extraordinary.

Do you have what it takes—what it really takes—to succeed in this unknown territory?

1.       Exceptionality

Achieve high marks, be well-acquainted with your professors, and be the best at everything you do. Everyone is a potential competitor, and you must realise you are competing with others who already have an easier time as they have EU citizenship or EEA citizenship and can accept a job far more readily with much less paperwork. You must demonstrate to employers you are an exceptional, loyal, diligent candidate many times over.

2.       Opportunism

Take advantage of every opportunity. Whilst in England, I have been a student government representative, an unofficial photographer, a photography blogger, and have attended many meet-and-greet events. Do more than schoolwork—go out and take action, and make a difference in other people’s lives, no matter how large or small the task.

3.       Networking

Network with potential employers in person, through professors, fellow students (their parents may know someone who corresponds with an executive in your field, true story!), LinkedIn, Twitter (or Monster.com or Xing for those based in Austria or other Germanic countries). Send applications in English, French, or whatever language you have at your disposal. Apply to the positions matching your skillset, yet be ever-flexible in the career path you choose. Anything can happen.

4.       Serenity

Meditate. Stay calm. Keep exercising, eat healthy, maintain personal relationships, and know that this too shall pass. Write a journal (or if pressed for time, a photography journal of one photo a day). Think about your personal goals and bucket list for the next five, ten, fifteen, and twenty years.

Take note of all you have accomplished thus far, and keep your friends close. You are amazing, you are determined, and with luck, ambition, and heaps of optimism, you will do excellently in life.

Written by Laura Pang | Grads Blog

So you’re in your last year. You’ve handed in your dissertation. You’ve finished all of the coursework you’ll ever have to do as an undergraduate. Why don’t you feel any better? Why is there still a huge weight on your shoulders?

Exams. Of course. When I handed in my dissertation, I had no time to feel relieved; with an important essay in for a couple of days after and exams waiting just around the corner, I couldn’t lose focus. But I found it so difficult to revise when all I wanted to do was rest. I wanted to play golf and read for pleasure again, I wanted to enjoy myself. I knew I couldn’t just yet and that I would need some help. So here are some weird and not so weird tips that I have unearthed while traversing the Internet to help you with your final push…

• Revising in an environment that you feel comfortable in is very important. I know it is easy for a lot of people to think that they need to go to the library to revise, but what about reivsing at home? A little bit of a weird discovery but I found that listening to classical music really helped me to concentrate and I started producing good work while doing so. I don’t know the first thing about classical music but it’s about finding what’s best for you!
• This is a real weird one, ‘The Zeigarnik Effect’. The idea is that you finish revising before you have actually finished. Studies have shown that finishing a task before it is completed or interrupting yourself regularly causes the brain to become anxious and you can’t help but constantly remind yourself of what you are doing. I’ve tried it and it has worked for me but it is important to note that it’s not about doing this last minute and frantically panicking. Look it up and give it a try!
• There are other, more traditional methods of revision too… Keeping positive, being realistic, talking to others about your subject, and planning in advance about how you’re going to go about revising are all important and successful techniques for revision. Cramming might work for some people but leaving yourself plenty of time, going over past exam papers and answering questions, and relaxing the day before/morning of your exam will make you far more confident and more likely to do well.

So, find what works best for you and good luck!

Written by Billy | Grads Blog

You go to university, you get a degree, but what next? Job? Travel? Marriage and babies? 

Nobody knows how their life will pan out or where their ‘calling’ truly lies. I for one don’t know where I will be in five years. When going to university in 2008, I wasn’t sure what the future held for me (I’m still not), I chose Journalism because it combined my passions – writing, stories, the arts and people, with key skills I believe I have – communication, organisation and again, people. What I knew about university I’d learnt from movies and TV shows… “Elle Woods, future lawyer, Class of 2004”. Perfect.

Except, the reality is much different. Yes, the experience of university is fantastic – your social life is at its peak, you are opening your mind to great skills and knowledge and at the end of it, you have a degree, sounds great right? But what’s next? No one can prepare you for the day after graduation, the day you realise you have been released from the safety net of university, and education as a whole. A stage of your life has come to an end, your education bubble has burst and reality hits you square in the face… you are free.

In a perfect world, a job would be sitting there, waiting for you. But unfortunately, life isn’t that easy and jobs are not handed to you on a plate. So what are you going to do? Sit around waiting for your ideal job to come knocking… well, you might be waiting a long time. In this economic climate, where jobs are scarce and competition is massively high, you must fight for every opportunity you can. I have asked myself numerous questions: What job is right for me? Do I have enough experience? Shall I go travelling? Is this the right thing to do?

Whatever it is you want to do, you just have to go for it, and be confident in your decisions. As long as you’re learning, as long as you’re developing as a person, who cares what other people think? Whether you have the “right” experience for a job or not, whether you want to go traveling, or dip your feet into various career pools – push forward with self-assurance, enthusiasm and drive. You will eventually get to where you want to go!

Opportunities and experiences are there to be seized, so make the most of them! Travelling and volunteering opens your mind; the best education I could wish for, is in life, and living – discovering the world and people, and learning as I go. Work experience, whether unpaid or not, gives you invaluable skills and knowledge into industries that you spend days dreaming about, and don’t underestimate people on every level – these are contacts and in this day and age, they are vital to career development. Part-time or “lower skilled” work has put me in a position where I interact with, and learn from, people every day, as well as having drilled into me the importance of detail, presentation and professionalism in all situations. Relevant work experience and having hobbies ignites your passions, and makes everyday a pleasure, not a chore.

Whatever you do, remember to be happy. When I am an old woman, I hope to look back on my life with a smile, knowing that I really lived. What do they say? No regrets. Yes, that sounds good to me.

Written by Rachel Dalton | Grads Blog

I have just sent a polite email to a HR manager requesting that they stop emailing me about hiring me as an intern.

This action is so unexpected that I feel as if I have told myself to stop breathing or blinking. Have I not been urgently trying to find an internship for months? Am I not willing to do anything to ensure I get a job that I love by the end of my degree? Now is certainly not the time to be picky.

The problem is, that is exactly how thousands of undergrads and recent graduates feel, and there are people out there willing to capitalise on that. Hence the rise in pay-to-work internship programs. There is certainly some argument for them; in this economic climate many companies may need an extra incentive to take on a young, inexperienced intern. It can also be argued that paying a small fee in order to reap the benefits of valuable experience, the chance to network and getting your foot in the door is more than justified. For some of us, paying might be our only chance if we’re unable to get internships with large corporations – getting an internship in some areas can be more difficult than getting a job.

Unpaid internships are one thing – I can see, unfortunately, that these are necessary. Let’s face it, being paid would be nice, but you are not going to be as efficient, productive or useful as a ‘real’ employee; that’s why you’re an intern! But you don’t have to be a genius to realise that there’s something not quite right about a company persuading you that you should be so grateful to work for them that they deserve payment. The very idea of paying a company suggests that you are a burden to them, or at the very least that you are not benefiting them in any way. You’re worth more than that! A good internship should be beneficial to both parties, and if you are not benefiting the company, I doubt it’s very good experience you’re getting.

You are not looking for experience in looking around and seeing how things work. You are not looking for experience in networking. Those are things that should be perks of a good quality internship. Good experience should be you actually working for the company, not being a guest. No company should expect any of their staff to pay for the privilege of working there, and just because you’re inexperienced doesn’t mean that should change.

In my case, the internship was abroad – the chance to learn a new language and gain some really useful experience? Great! Things became a little bit more suspicious when I realised that the person emailing me dodged my questions about covering expenses, and that the website they linked me too seemed to be a long list of internships than all sounded just a little too good to be true. Also, she seemed overly eager to contact me; asking to see my CV, trying to arrange almost daily telephone interviews… From my experience, you have to virtually bully companies into hiring you, not the other way around. By the time I’d finally got an almost answer (“Yes, there may be a program fee…”), I was convinced that they were simply trying to make money out of me. I don’t doubt that going on one of the programs would have been an amazing experience, but I doubt it would have been a useful one.

Dodgy internships help no one. I haven’t even gone into the ethics of social mobility and free labour, because quite simply I shouldn’t have to. Be a benefit to whoever you work for, not a burden – that is surely the best way to start your career?

Written by Evie | Grads Blog

I have spent the last three years studying Creative Writing with a combination of English Language and Literature. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring every aspect of writing, and exploring different period novellas in an attempt to further my own creative skills. Ultimately, my dream, like so many others, is to go into writing when I’m done with University. I want to write fiction and write screenplays and everything in between.

There is, however, one aspect of writing that has never appealed to me throughout the years – and that’s Poetry.

Do not get me wrong, I fully appreciate how difficult writing Poetry can be. I have never received any marks in Poetry to sing about, but that has never really put me off, as I don’t feel my life lies within the Poetry industry. However, I do know some people who really enjoy it, and would love to pursue it later in life.

I asked my lecturer what I should (hypothetically) do if I wanted to become a Poet. My lecturer, who has released several Poetry books and does several readings of her work a year and is considered an accomplished Poet. What was her advice to me?

“Get a real job.”

We all had a good laugh when she said this. Why wouldn’t we? It was funny. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt uneasy. If Poetry didn’t sell as much any more, why were we wasting our time learning about the differences between Conceptual Modern Poetry and Traditional Poetry? Couldn’t we be spending that time focusing on aspects of writing that actually stands a chance?

In our final weeks heading towards Graduation, I just thought this was quite an odd thing to say to us. Does Poetry actually have any room for writers in today’s world, or is Poetry best left for Period pieces by writer’s such as Shakespeare? If Poetry is considered a subject that is practically impossible to peruse as a full time graduate career, is it something that should be encouraged to practice in the hope of a Poetic Comeback, or is it only worth studying poetry/poets past?

Written by Dan | Grads Blog

Here’s a statistic constantly in the news: Youth unemployment almost hits one million. Sound familiar? How about this: Graduates face stiff competition as they fight for jobs.

There are thousands of young graduates across the UK struggling to land a job despite working hard to get a degree. The BBC is looking for young people who are currently unemployed to potentially take part in a major new BBC3 series that aims to tackle youth unemployment in the UK.

We would love to talk to aspirational Undergraduates and Postgraduates aged between 17-27 who are unemployed and seeking a career. It might be that you are fed up of searching for a job that doesn’t seem to exist, or that you would like the chance to try something different or find a new career path. Either way, it’s important to stand out from the crowd and this might offer you the opportunity to do just that.

The series is still in its ‘ideas’ stage at the moment, and we’re looking for people who might want to be involved. If you’d like to find out more, please do get in touch with Lauren on 0208 008 4984 or email lauren.vanderkar@bbc.co.uk

Written by Grads.co.uk | Grads Blog

New research has revealed that unemployment for males is decreasing whilst unemployment for females could reach a 25-year high. Produced by equality campaigners, the Fawcett Society, the survey suggests that of all the new private sector jobs, two out of three have been given to men.

The Fawcett Society campaign for women’s equality on politics, pensions, pay and justice and their latest research warns that there could be ‘persistent and rising levels’ of unemployment for women, lowered pay levels and a continued widening of the pay gap between males and females.

In the last two and a half years, three times the number of women (103,000) are now classed as long-term unemployed compared to men (37,000).

The study also goes on to suggest that within the public-sector cuts women have come out worse which could assist in the predicted record high of 1.48million of women unemployed by 2018. Since 2010 the private sector has seen 1,254,000 new job posts with women filling 40% of these roles and men 60%.

With 75% of cuts within the public sector still predicted to come, by 2018 929,000 jobs could potentially be lost, with 230,000 having already been lost. Of these 230,000 lost roles women made up 57.5% of these, which suggests that if the trend continues 400,000 more women could be losing their jobs during the next four years.

At the end of 2010 when the initial recession was officially at an end, the number of men in unemployment was 1,525,000. Since then it has fallen to 1,413,000 (7.33%). However, during this same time scale women’s unemployment levels have grown from 962,000 to 1,076,000 (11.88%).

Speaking about the report, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, Ceri Goddard commented: “While unemployment has fallen overall, our research shows that the situation for women is bleak. Female unemployment has started to rise – and this will continue unless the government does more than tinker around the edges of this issue.

“The government’s various plans for growth continue to leave many women behind, with the majority of new jobs being created in the private sector going to men. At the same time, those women who do find work in this sector are likely to face lower wages and a wider gender pay gap.

“This ‘head-in-the-sand’ approach ignores the fact that women are now nearly half the workforce – and has serious consequences.

“If the government doesn’t address this growing problem, we risk returning to a much more male-dominated labour market, with record numbers of women unemployed, those in work typically earning less, and the gap in pay between women and men beginning to grow instead of shrink. Not only is this bad for women, it’s hugely damaging for our economy. We are calling on the government to take immediate action.”

Written by Rebecca | Grads Blog

So you find yourself on the final stretch of writing ye olde dissertation and for some reason you decide to do everything you can think of which doesn’t involve finishing it. Luckily for you everyone else will be attempting to complete theirs at the same time so if you are finding yourself straying away from it to the point that you have started organising your sock drawer, it might be time to call in the dissertation Calvary for assistance!

Step one; get the housemates involved. Tell them that if they catch you doing something that doesn’t look relevant to the dissertation they have permission to tell you off as if they were your parents. (This also works if you live at home with your parents!)

Step two; print out your work. Now this could be seen as a costly endeavour but it is a lot easier to read through and edit a paper version than the one on your screen. Why? Well for starters your paper wont “accidently” log onto social networking sites or suddenly decide to write a blog article! It’s also handy to have that big red pen and scratch through unnecessary sentences as it feels a lot less like you’re condemning it to the sentence graveyard than when you hit the delete button!

Step three; involve others in a read through of your work.  I did this with my housemates, read through and edited a print out and then swap it to the next person. It took us about five hours but it was probably one of the best ideas we had, spell check is amazing but if you’ve done something spelled correctly but wrong (such as calling your protagonist Andrew Smith on one page and Andrew Jones on the other) there’s a few marks down the drain!

Step four; relax. Now I know this article is all about not procrastinating but you still do need relaxation time! I did this by spending two hours in the library working with my friend and then going for a cup of tea for half an hour before returning back to work. Not everyone can work in this way granted, but even just having that sort of structure to your day can make a big impact on the outcome of your work!

All in all it’s easy to see how taking a little bit of help and a little bit of structure can help beat the dissertation procrastination.

Written by Michaela | Grads Blog

At a recent careers appointment – one of many; I’m a regular there – the adviser emphasised one particular thing that employers are increasingly looking for: global perspective.

Global perspective. On the surface it sounds like one of those almost meaningless buzzwords, the kind of jargon that litters job listings and covering letters. But there is definitely more to it, and British students need to become aware of it.

So what is it, and how do you go about getting it?

Essentially it means that in our increasingly globalised world it’s vital to have an understanding of, and exposure to, how things work outside your own personal sphere of experience. Whether you gap-yeared in Guyana, spent a summer working in Sierra Leone, or learned Portuguese at night classes, you’re giving yourself an edge.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the funds or time to do unpaid internships in New York or Beijing; as with most things, it’s less about exactly what you did, and more about what you gained. Living in Rio de Janeiro for a year and spending the whole time partying and nursing hangovers on the beach doesn’t sound nearly as good to employers as two weeks here and there working with a charity in Madrid, or learning Arabic at weekends, or working a minimum wage job in an office in Berlin.

Brits, take advantage of your freedom to move and work around the EU. We’re already behind our international competitors as we tend to be monolingual – do your best to learn a language. Most universities have options to study languages at evening classes; grab opportunities to spend a semester abroad; consider working as an au pair for a summer. If you’re lucky enough to have the financial flexibility to go further afield, do it. Everyone else is, and if you want to be the best candidate you can be then you need to as well.

Even if your career path isn’t specifically international, global perspective makes your CV stand out. You can show how you overcame challenges, how you worked in a multicultural team, how you took the initiative, how you can bring diverse experiences and points of view to the job.

We live in an age of cheap and fast travel. Take every opportunity and run with it. Not only will you have a great time, but you’ll give yourself an advantage that could very well get you that job of your dreams.

Written by Hannah | Grads Blog

I’ve spent the better part of my semester looking for a job.  There are a number of approaches that you can take when you begin the job hunt but I personally took the route of quantity over quality.  That is, I sent in as many applications, resumes, and cover letters as I possibly could, without much concern for their quality.  I’m not promoting that anyone do this necessarily but it can help, especially if you have no idea what kind of job you’re looking for.

I cannot tell you how many job websites I visited.  I was on the school job board, LinkedIn, and craigslist every day, multiple times a day.  It became an obsession.  I would try different searches.  Jobs for new grads.  Jobs in social media.  Jobs in LA.  Jobs in San Francisco.  Anything that seemed interesting to me, I would apply for, especially if I could just send in a resume over some third party website.  I hate writing cover letters, so I made a template that I could easily change, switch up, and move around, adding little details to make it look like I had written it just for this particular application.  I tried to apply to a job every day.  I figured the chances were that someone would have to respond to me.

And I did get several responses.  However, I started to realize that I had created a huge problem for myself.  I was starting to get emails that said:

“Hello Adriana, that’s for your interest in this position.  I would like to set up a time to talk.”

That sounds great, right?  Yeah, it’s sounds really great except that I had no idea what position I had applied for.  I didn’t even really know that much about the company.  I desperately searched through my records to see if I could find anything that would tell me what the position was.  If I was lucky, I had a confirmation email that told me the position I applied for.  If I wasn’t, I’d have to go searching on the company’s job board to see if there was a position that I would have applied for.

Of course, over time, trying to find a job becomes easier.  You start to realize a little more what you’re interested in doing, or even better what you absolutely won’t do (for me, it’s cold calling and sales).  You learn how to paste your cover letter together so it seems more coherent and applicable to the job.  At some point, you learn how to turn in both quality and quantity in your applications.  And if you really can’t remember what position you applied for, just ask “I was just hoping you could tell me more about the position”.  They can’t expect you to know all the day to day responsibilities.  I mean, they haven’t hired you yet.

Written by Adriana | Grads Blog

You’re a recent graduate, it’s Saturday night and you’re getting ready for a night out in London to bid farewell to your oldest school friend who is moving abroad. The excitement you feel whilst sipping on that crisp white wine whilst listening to those weekend radio beats is suddenly quashed at the thought of coming face to face with your other graduate ex school peers who are so blatantly going to ask the dreaded question, “so what are you doing now?” This is what I like to call, “career peer pressure”.

If you hadn’t guessed already the persona hinted at above was myself. Okay so I’m a nanny, not your typical graduate career but it’s one that suits me for the path I am on at the moment. It’s a highly responsible role, it relates to my degree and is comparable in salary to other graduate roles. The thing is though, is that being a nanny doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as being an investment banker, a lawyer, an accountant, a consultant…. see where I’m going with this? Yes, so these were some of the careers that were spoken, no – bellowed down my ear to compete with the blaring bar music on this night out, to which I swallowed each one down with a sip of wine, an unconvincing smile and a nod. One side of my brain was telling me to stand tall and feel pride in what I do whereas the other was telling me to rethink my life and possibly start a law degree (career peer pressure).

That was almost a year ago now, and I’m pleased to say I listened to the side of my brain that told me to stand tall and feel pride in myself and my choices and therefore did not embark on a new career in law. I know I won’t be a nanny forever but for now I am, and distanced from my ex school peers I am quite happy with that at the moment. I think career peer pressure will always rear its ugly head when around others who are likeminded individuals in “better” jobs than ours, but on the bright side I suppose it reveals a competitive streak that can fuel us on our journey.

My advice to anyone who has experienced career peer pressure whilst in an interim career would be not to let it divert you from the path you have chosen. It’s natural to have doubts sometimes and to question your choices, but as long you are being true to yourself then just slow down, swallow down that career peer pressure, believe in yourself and believe that something better is just around the corner.

Written by Amy | Grads Blog

So you’ve graduated, worked really hard for a good degree, completed hours of extra-curricular activities…you’re so going to get that job you’ve always wanted…right? Well I hate to the harbinger of bad news but your dreams may not come to fruition as easily as you may have thought. Before long you may find yourself unemployed, caught in the vortex of the never ending job hunt and filling out online jobseekers applications.

It becomes difficult to envision yourself in a legitimate career and the motivation to keep searching for work quickly ebbs away! The post graduation unemployment blues can bite us all pretty hard! Unfortunately, for every graduate who meets the requirements for a job, there’s hundreds out there who meet the requirements just as well. So, what do we do to while away the hours? How do we continue to remain current and employable? What can we do to stand out? Here are three simple steps that I’ve used personally to help me strive towards career-dom:

1)     Work out a useful routine. Being unemployed can mean lots of days are left empty. Rather than staying snuggled up in bed, set your alarm in the morning, get up and find a fun way to job hunt. You could go to your local library and use the computers there. Try and travel to a new area to hand out CVs and combine your job hunt with the exploration of a new town or city. Finally, make sure you do one fun thing a day! Being out of work can dull your fun-ness, but don’t give in!

2)     Find ways to build your CV. If you want to get into a certain career sector but do not have the desired experience for it, do not be disheartened. Email local companies, newspapers, magazines or organisations and ask them if they are willing to take on interns or people looking for work experience. Use social media to bulk up your online profile: blog sites, LinkedIn, twitter and even Facebook are great ways to do this! The more experience you have the better!

3)     Start a new hobby. While you are searching for work it’s important to find passions outside of your job search. A new hobby not only gives you something interesting to do with your time but can also open up new networking opportunities.

While searching for work after graduation, don’t assume your degree will automatically open doors for you but on the same token don’t be disheartened when things don’t go your way. The road to a successful and enjoyable career can be long, arduous and full of rejections. So, keep focused and keep going! You will get there eventually.

Written by Charlotte Ulett | Grads Blog

So like many people at the moment post-grad study is looking particularly appealing to me at the moment. For some of us, our forever meddling parents may actually be keen to see us realise this, citing the old down-turned economy as fate slamming a door in our faces but cracking open a window for us unlucky contemporary graduates to scramble through the best we can. For me personally, it is more the overwhelming fear of joining the work force that has been the tipping point, and any way in which I can prolong this inevitability gets my immediate attention.

Yet possibly the single most daunting and frustrating step in any post-grad application form has to be the personal statement. Websites with advice on how to write these often say that you will either consider this document to be one of the hardest things you will ever write. Or, miraculously, you will suddenly be inspired in front of your laptop at 2am and find it the most enjoyable writing exercises you have every experienced and you will somehow produce a Shakespearean masterpiece.

I have yet to find a single person who found the latter.

Personal statements are hard; there is no question about that. It is near impossible for you to write about yourself, trying to sell your skills and knowledge to an academic selector, without sounding a little cocky and self-involved. But this is what they need to hear, and so jumping through their hoops is what we must do.

Here are some things I have found that make the whole thing a little easier to handle.

• Question Time – Knowing what they want to hear can be very hard to judge. A lot of sites give you a big list of questions to ask yourself, most of which are repeated; so I found that keeping it to a minimum was better. A short intro on where you are and what you study followed by: Why do you like the course on offer? What have you studied so far that got you interested in this post-grad course? What academic experience could you bring to it? Why do you like this particular uni? Why do you want to study in that area/country/city?
• Don’t do it alone – the worst judge of your own downfalls is you. As much as it will make you want to tear your hair to shreds, sit down with your mum, dad or smartest housemate and make a list of exactly what you want to say. Keep talking and writing, constantly getting your helper to keep you answering the questions you have prepared.
• Start strong – make your first sentence count. Tell them you’re keen, ready and perfect for their course. Maybe it won’t rub off on the selector straight away but at least you let them know you’ve sent your application to the right uni.
• Keep it concise – If you’re on the uni football team committee at the moment, you love the idea of living in London and you want to let them know you’re up for joining some student societies, put as much of it as you can in one concise point. You can’t wait to live so close to the Emirates stadium, the source of a passion for football which you enjoyed through uni and wish to continue enjoying during your masters course (or something a little less flowery).

Trying to keep it to one page is important as a way to keep it concise. Get as many people afterwards to read it, preferably someone in a business or uni who has read a million of them in their time. Hopefully by following this pattern and accepting you have to talk about yourself for a short while you can write something that is essentially your academic life in less than 1000 words.

If I fail to get accepted into my Masters course, ignore all above advice…

Written by Thomas van Mourik | Grads Blog

A recent study conducted by the New Economics Foundation, commissioned by the National Union of Students (NUS), that claims that many Graduates are forced to work in jobs they are technically over-qualified for, with underemployment figures soaring from 2.3 million in 2008, to 3.3 million today.

So it’s not just me then. Good.

However, far more troubling statistics follow, which shows that 25% of underemployed Graduates are still in the same position a whole three and a half years later.

At least another 2 years and 9 months to go then. Or potentially, the rest of my life until I’m dead. Brilliant!

The thing is, despite the employment climate for ambitious, talented, confident Graduates being so painfully bleak, what happens to all of those qualities in a Graduate when they have to compromise who they are in order to financially support themselves? Maybe you can hold on to that passion and energy for a few weeks, months if you are lucky.

Not me, I hated my life almost instantly. My Mom and Dad definitely thought I was being dramatic at first. But even they began to see how I was losing my sparkle. I wasn’t passionate about theatre and drama anymore. As persistent job rejections or ‘no responses’ gathered in my email inbox, my confidence plummeted so much, that I stopped bothering to look for any more. I became more reliant on drunken nights out for pleasure, and lived for Saturday nights. I would rarely want to see my friends sober because as much as I tried to be happy for them, hearing their insta-success stories made me jealous. In the week I worked, came home, watched TV, and went to bed, to repeat the whole sorry process the next day. At my lowest point I woke most mornings dreading the day ahead.

One day after a work, feeling particularly self-pitying and angry that the world was so against me, my mom said something like, “You have two choices here. You either accept your position or make the best of it, or you carry on being unhappy. Yes, you will still be stuck in that job, but you can choose your attitude.” I’m sure I argued that accepting it was like admitting defeat. Looking back I realise that I, bizarrely, thought that hating on every single aspect of the job was actually being proactive. Being miserable assured me I wasn’t getting comfortable or complacent I thought. In reality, it just drained me.

I remember it being New Years Eve in a couple of days. I was feeling positive, eager for a fresh outlook, as the one I had clearly wasn’t doing me any favours. So, I chose the acceptance/happiness. I realised that I was the only one to blame for being miserable. For a start I had completely neglected who I was. I was always an over-achiever since childhood; always looking for another string to add to my bow, or experience to have. Yet I’d just let that drive, and zest for life evaporate when the effort I put in didn’t return the reward I desperately wanted.

Two things I was certain of though, I wasn’t a quitter, and I had worked too hard to give it all up just like that. So I did something really cheesy. Starting from January 1st 2013, I wrote down all of the good things that I could make happen, or that just happen for a whole year and look back on what I’ve done on the same date in 2014. So far, I’ve joined Musical Theatre classes, booked a holiday to Las Vegas, I’m training for a charity marathon, and rekindled my love of reading, and do way more of that than my old bad habit of watching rubbish TV.

It’s still true that I hate my job; I don’t think that will change until I leave and get one that challenges and excites me, so there is all the more reason to make your life outside of work hours rich and full. The first step on the career ladder may be out of reach for now, but that’s just one bit of who we are right now. The rest of our lives, for most young Graduates, are within our control and there for the making.

Written by Sophie Bicknell | Grads Blog

Your work colleagues are more like friends. You admire your bosses; they’re where you hope to be one day. You’re in an industry you have passion for, and what’s more, have talent in (your Uni degree proves it!). You’re even excited to work like mad for the next, how ever many years, to make your mark. You’re respected, valued, with opportunity aplenty for promotion and pay rises. You make good money, enough to live well (student living is well and truly over, thank God!), and save for your future (because you’re a grown up now, after all!). This is the ideal outcome for, I presume, all graduates searching for a job after university, and is what I hoped for myself.

You think, I’ve worked hard for this (in fact, if I had my time again, I wish I would have partied harder). I’ve opted to put myself in thousands of pounds worth of debt. I moved to a new city, made new friends, and moved away from my childhood home and parents (which was tough for a doted-upon, only child I can tell you!), and lived for the first time completely independently. It was a life-changing experience. Yes, I had fun and it was exciting, but also it was challenging; there were bad times (being heavily fined for nicking 15 library toilet rolls to save on the weekly grocery shop), and mistakes (accidentally deleting a whole finished assignment 24 hours before the deadline), and there were sacrifices made (living with disgusting, rowdy boys who, whilst I try and sleep with a pillow over my head, had loud, drunken post-club sex with random girls. One of which, helped herself to all my makeup and perfume that I had left in the bathroom, before she embarked on her ‘walk of shame’).

I don’t regret it, and it was great, but there’s no denying that it is a means to an end. THAT job, THAT career. Post-graduation, you want to take your BA (hons), or whatever you got, and sail off into the sunset. You want the world and its top employers to snap you up because you’re special and you deserve it. I am capable, qualified and someone WILL give me a chance. This is when the competition really hots up between friends, the time to make your parents proud, which is why it is so important to be a success as soon as possible. Then reality hits you and rains all over your imaginary parade and you find it impossible to get out of a supermarket job! It was just meant to be easy vodka/clothes/holidays Ibiza money to earn in the Christmas holidays. What is this full-time shelf-stacker nonsense all about? Whereby I go through the five stages of grief every single day as the place becomes, regrettably, a big part of my life.

A study conducted by The New Economics Foundations on Graduate underemployment figures suggests that “Study leavers face a rude awakening. Some will see low returns, at least in the short to medium term, to the personal and financial investment they have made in their education. Intense competition in the labour market has created a bumping-down effect where graduates are working in lower-skilled jobs.”… Well, it all makes sense now doesn’t it?

I have been working full-time for about nine months, and I am only just beginning to come to terms with this, pathetic as it sounds. Call me naïve, but I genuinely didn’t believe I would still be where I am now. If I did, I didn’t believe how difficult I would find it. Not only to work out what I wanted my dream job to be, but how to go about getting it in today’s employment climate. However, I will not be lamenting how tough and miserable it is for graduates, nor how lost and intimidated I am by the prospect of having no career plan mapped out. I will be writing about how I stop myself going crazy with frustration, and look on the bright side, as I accept the position I am in, for now…

Written by Sophie Bicknell | Grads Blog

Many students, including myself once upon a time, always question what makes the perfect university essay. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve had to write one, you have done them at sixth form or college, but a university essay is another kettle of fish. From experience, I was not prepared for the expectations needed for the standard university essay. But now as a graduate I can pass on this advice to you.

Research is your first move, obvious, but it’s not just your simple search on Google! You will be expected to use books, journals, articles and much more. If you use at least three books per essay, then you’ll be onto a winner. Obviously you’re not expected to read the books in full, but if you can show that you have taken the time to look at those books for the essential quotes, then your tutor will be impressed.

Journals can be found in a paper version or an electronic version, which can provide some interesting quotes for an essay. Most universities have an advanced search engine on their system to find the most relevant journals and other materials from the subject you search for, including the most relevant extract.

Once you’ve researched, you have the main chunk of your essay. You will then need to add arguments and your viewpoints that will be backed up with the relevant quotes from your research.

Your essay is looking good, but you hit an obstacle, referencing. This is one thing that was something new for me as well as many other students. The key tip I would give would be to reference as you go along. Each quote, book, author, article, website, journal etc will need to reference.  Universities have brilliant reference guides, which show you how you should reference each bit of material used, normally found within your student portal areas. This is very important as anything that isn’t referenced will be seen as your work.

Written by Katie Stanworth | Grads Blog

I never wanted to continue with schooling after I completed my bachelor’s degree. I loved being at school and I never regretted my choice of university, but I always viewed postgraduates as some sort of academic trap. For those who have yet to decide on a career, it can be very tempting to put off ‘real life’ by staying a student for as long as possible.

Despite my indecision, when I finished school I immediately started looking for a full time job. I tried to determine the similarities in the different positions I applied to. I wanted to know why one job interested me more than another, mostly so I could narrow down my search and tailor my resumes to a specific job. Also, it is a lot more difficult to job shadow or network if you are not certain what industry you would like to get involved in.

I eventually came to the realization that several companies would rather hire someone with more than just a bachelor’s degree (this is, of course, a generalization based on positions I applied to). Not that it would be impossible for me to get a job – but I might not be able to get the jobs I really wanted. After I spent more time researching various postgraduates I found programs that lasted a year, with an emphasis on gaining internships and professional contacts. I even discovered two programs that seemed to be made to fit my exact interests. But I hesitated. Maybe the programs were not appealing; maybe the thought of giving up my job search was what actually made me want to apply. Would applying to these programs really be in my best interests or were they just a guilt-free way to put off this exasperating job search for another year?

It took a long time to actually make the decision to apply. I worried that I’d be less likely to get a position in a program than someone who applied right after school, who did not have a year gap in their records. One of my professors reassured me that in her opinion, people who took more time to decide to apply were preferable, since they had (hopefully) used their time to really consider what they wanted before they applied.

So, in conclusion to that long ramble, I’ve already received one acceptance and thus will definitely be back at school in September. It was not exactly what I originally planned, but after months of researching, and asking opinions, and determining whether a postgraduate will help me reach my goals, I made my decision. And I am glad I wasn’t rushed into it. It is a little frustrating to know I am not yet done with school and occasionally I feel like I am ‘backsliding’ by becoming a student again, but the amount of time I spent determining my options has allowed me to fully embrace this new chapter of my education.

Written by Michelle Di Cintio | Grads Blog

According to a new employment survey conducted by the Institute of Education the amount of jobs that now require a degree has overtaken the number of jobs that don’t require any form of qualification. This means that 25% of jobs that are available are only available to graduates.

The survey reveals how roles for those without qualifications are disappearing and an increased emphasis has been placed on those with skills and qualifications. Using the latest figures from 2012, the Skills and Employment Survey showed a new record low for unskilled jobs and an all-time high for graduate jobs.

During the mid-1980s around 10% of jobs available were for graduates, with over three times more unskilled roles being available for those leaving school without qualifications.

Since then, this has completely reversed with an increasing number of roles requiring degrees and less unskilled jobs. The reduction in the number of unskilled jobs available has increased significantly since 2006, with this latest survey finding it at an all-time low of 23% of the labour market, in comparison to the 26% of graduate jobs.

The survey suggested: “At no time in the 1986-2012 period have falls and rises of these magnitudes been recorded.”

This latest study, which was funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and the Economic and Social Research Council, is just more evidence of the struggle young people with no qualifications are facing when they attempt to enter into employment.

It also emphasises the issue surrounding employers who can’t find sufficiently qualified staff while there are many young people who are unemployed and keen to learn.

The survey also revealed that 74% of graduates are in a graduate job, compared to 2006’s 69%.

Speaking about these statistics, the Institute of Education’s Prof Francis Green said that graduates are being used better in the workforce.

“Although mismatches remain quite high, this turnaround may signal more effective use of qualifications at work by employers.

“Employers have been slow to take up the swathes of better-qualified workers, but now they are starting to wake up to the use of graduate labour.”

CBI’s director of education and skills, Neil Carberry, also added: “The vast majority of young people in future are going to need a route to higher skills if the UK is going to compete globally.

“The changing face of the economy means that we have to expand alternative routes to higher skills alongside traditional residential university courses.

“Even below degree level, addressing the shortage of skilled technicians we face will require better-quality courses, with a strong role for businesses working with universities, colleges and providers to design the curriculum.”

Written by Rebecca | Grads Blog

It’s coming to the end of your final year of study and you’ve been applying franticly for jobs, internships, graduate schemes, anything! You haven’t received anything in reply. Not even a ‘thank you for your application’ email and you’re beginning to think it will never happen. Then unexpectedly one day you get invited to an interview.

“Thank you for your application for the job opening. We would like to offer you the chance to interview for the position. Please bring a portfolio.”

A wave of joy comes over you. Finally, something. Then it dawns on you, portfolio? I don’t have a portfolio.

Here is your interview portfolio prep list. Everything you need to know to compile an employer impresser.

1. Use a computer. Even if you have the neatest writing in the world it will not look as tidy or as professional as if it is typed.
2. Display in a ring binder or folder. A plain coloured one maybe black or grey. No pretty patterned files, keep it professional.
3. Keep it clear and concise. An interviewer will not read everything in your portfolio but flick through the pages so make any important information bold and easy to read.
4. Put your name at the front. This may sound obvious but it may be a necessity. An interviewer may be seeing multiple people in one day, make sure they know who you are.
5. Include an up to date copy of your CV.
6. Include samples of your latest work. If you’re a journalist display a recent article. An architect, a blueprint or design. You get the idea.
7. Testimonials or letters or recommendation.
8. Professional certificates.
9. Reference list.
10. Personal strengths. Are you a good team leader? An effective communicator?
11. A brief list of ways you can benefit the employer.
12. Keep it positive. You’re selling your self; trying to convince the company to employ you therefore you need to present the best image of you possible. An image that is better than any other person applying for the position.

Written by Stephanie | Grads Blog

For all those preparing to go to university this autumn, these tips will help you be ready for the big change.

1. Buy yourself an external hard drive or good USB. Losing essays and important documents is never fun and it’s a vital piece of equipment that every student should have, just in case our laptops and computers let us down! Back up your assignments and save the stress!
2. Learn the trick of budgeting! Be a smart shopper and tag along with family members to do the weekly shop, get a realistic idea of prices and how much you will need to spend per week.
3. Get a rail card or travel card – though you don’t save tons, it all adds up!
4. Nectar cards and Clubcards are another easy way to collect points and get discounts on your food bill, sign up to get a supermarket card before you go to uni so that you can start saving straight away!
5. Learn how to cook some basic meals, pasta and rice dishes are super easy and offer tons of variety and healthy meals too. Everyone loves the housemates who cook good meals!
6. Be an efficient packer – remember you’re not leaving home for life. You arrive to uni in the autumn, so it’s ok to leave behind the maxi dresses and flip flops! Once the Easter holidays arrive, you can do a wardrobe swap, taking home the winter clothes for the summer clothes – this avoids unpacking hell and doesn’t clutter your room up!
7. Update your C.V. before you go off to uni, print out as many copies as you can so you are one step ahead of all the other students looking for jobs in your new uni town.
8. Search for local job vacancies nearby to where you will be living at uni, print out applications and fill them in, once you’ve got your timetable you know what jobs work for you and you can apply asap!
9. A campus map is a must – make sure you know where all your department’s offices are and where your course is based, if you have any problems, you know where to go right away.
10. Reading lists! Be that overly prepared student who contacts their uni over the summer holiday to get a book list and start some of the reading that the tutors will pile on in September!

Written by Sophie Morgan | Grads Blog

“Look around your world…Is it everything you hoped it’d be…Is there something wrong and you can’t put your finger on it/Right then, roll to me” –Del Amitri

Everything’s going swimmingly, as I have made new friends, adjusted to life in a brand-new country, learned idiomatic Yorkshire expressions, and eagerly attended elegant meet-and-greet career events; yet, from time to time, there is something I miss, and sometimes I can’t put my finger on it for the life of me.

Do I miss my family based in Hawaii and California?

Do I miss extended relatives living in New York, Korea, and London?

Do I miss my law school friends back in New Orleans and Austria?

I suppose, all of the above. Fortunately, social networking (think: Facebook) has made keeping in contact with distant relatives increasingly easier, and messages that would have taken two weeks to arrive by post now take a mere second to deliver. Skype has allowed me to converse with the parentals every Sunday and keep tabs on what’s happening back at home.

Perhaps, then, it isn’t the who I miss, but rather—the where.

Picture this:

You awaken, breathing in the sweet scent of plumeria, and the ripened, orb-like mangoes hanging on slender-yet-sturdy branches of your family’s fruit tree in the backyard. It is six o’clock in the morning, a perfect time for a morning jog, before the blistering sun arrives with a seductively-sweltering passion.

Hawaii.

You dress quickly, and tip-toe out of the stucco-roofed house, filled to the brim with cousins, aunts, uncles, and cousins-in-law. The neighbours are fellow students you’ve attended university with. Here, everyone you know, be they old or young, is ohana. Family.

You arrive outdoors to an enchanting symphony of stars, sparkling in the dwindling darkness. Beginning with muscle stretches, you gingerly rotate each ankle, and set your stopwatch for timekeeping purposes. Your run begins at a slow, steady speed, but gradually quickens as you fly past each street, labelled with the names of Hawaiian princes and princesses of centuries past…you cut across the lawn of local elementary schools, a barely-lit gas station, and a shopping centre surrounded by thirty or so long, lean palm trees rustling in the gentle, nautical wind. You spot neighbours’ russet-coloured coconut trees, golden plantain bushels, and perhaps a sprouted pineapple plant or two. The usual.

Bird of paradise flowers with their faux purple-and-orange plumage decorate centre streets, surrounded by the delicate petals of magenta hibiscus…A quarter of a mile, half a mile, three-quarters…one mile turns into a long and steady second—and (in a very short period of time) you arrive at the ocean. You stop to catch your breath, and revel in this magnificent wonder, extending toward a seemingly infinite eternity….

Miles upon miles of ocean, for as far as the eye can see…and you’re the first jogger here, to witness the day’s luminous awakening into the steady-yet-charming humdrum of everyday island life. You wish you had a canvas and acrylic paints to capture this scene, but settle for a quick camera-shot, via your cherry-red mobile phone…

Still standing, you suddenly notice that the stars have quietly retreated, and the soleil has begun to rise in a hazy, iridescent margarita pink. It’s time to return home, and so you run a rather hot, frenzied uphill pace, and arrive perspiring and utterly exhausted, from whence you came. You click your stopwatch off and take note of the time. The household has finally awoken, and the strong aroma of authentic Kona hazelnut coffee permeates the tropical surroundings, only to be rivaled by the intoxicatingly sun-ripened scent of papaya.

…

I’ve reminisced of my past life, here in England—exchanging tales with travel friends, sharing the Honolulu City Lights song (ubiquitous with island culture), and listening to new international music (French, and Austrian).

So maybe, even if I don’t know where in the world ‘home’ is (maison, zuhause, call it what you will),

In this awe-inspiring wonderland of a radiant, audacious world,

Maybe, just maybe—the world is everything I hoped it’d be,

And perhaps it’s every bit as magical—

Even with those teeny-tiny moments of pining—

For something you can’t quite put your finger on,

Once in a while, in a very rare blue moon.

Written by Laura Pang | Grads Blog

I’ll be honest, I am still a student and likely to remain a student until graduation. However, having passed the halfway point of my time as an undergrad, I know many people who feel that university, for whatever reason, no longer suits them. This includes a very close friend.

University can be stressful, especially if you feel that you have chosen the wrong course, the wrong university, the wrong city or you simply feel that you just don’t suit the lifestyle. If it comes to the point where you do feel you want to leave, I hardly think an internet article will dissuade you, but, after living with my friend who is now working, I feel there are some things that should be taken into consideration.

• Is it the course, or university itself? The option of studying somewhere else, or reapplying for another course is always there. There is no need to think that if you drop out your university time is over forever. Student finance can fund you for four years in total, so if you simply made the wrong course choice – which is very common – there is no need to suffer for three years doing something which does not interest you or has a negative effect on your happiness. On the other hand, if you feel that maybe you are not suited to an academic lifestyle and would prefer to go into work – why not? Plenty of careers do not require a degree, and there is always the option to return to education in the future if you feel you made the wrong choice. There is no age cap on learning!
• Do you have commitments that require you to stay in the area? For example, if you have already signed for a house, or you are already living in a house, and you cannot find another student to replace you, you may be required to continuing paying rent – or leave your roommates with a larger bill! Contracts vary, but my friend has found that he has had to stay in the local area and find a job to continue paying his rent. Sometimes, it is worth trying to stick it out until the end of the year before deciding to drop out – you never know, as time passes you may change your mind!
• Money. Nobody likes to talk about student debt, but the money that the student loans company gives you does have to be paid back at some point – not to mention any large overdrafts you may have acquired! If you took out an overdraft of, say £1000 to cover accommodation fees and later drop out, your student account will continue to have an overdraft whether you are a student or not – if you reapply to university, that student account will start at -£1000. Any money that goes into the account by the SLC may be swallowed up. Talk these matters through with your bank and your parents to make sure this is manageable. Do not let money stop you from doing what you want to do, but be aware of the costs and how these will affect you.
• Your happiness. Your mental health and happiness is by far the most important factor. Do not be afraid to admit when you’ve made mistakes. There is no sense in allowing yourself to become seriously unhappy for the sake of your pride. If you feel you’ve chosen the wrong course – change. You’ll be a far more valuable graduate because of it. But if you feel that you may regret your decision or it may cause you unnecessary stress, try sticking it out until the end of the year – set yourself future goals to get you. Enjoyment of your course will naturally fluctuate, but things may improve. What truly matters is whether you are a well-adjusted, happy individual with a good work ethic – a degree is a fantastic achievement, but don’t sink under pressure!

Most importantly, I would strongly recommend talking to your university about your feelings. There is no need to struggle with such a weighty decision alone, and there are support networks to help you come to the right decision for you. Seek advice from the university, friends and family, as all will be able to offer different perspectives and opinions. Whatever you choose, your decision can improve you as a person, provided you use it as an opportunity.

Written by Evie | Grads Blog

Admit it, you’ve had one or two classes where your professor puts you into groups. You don’t get to choose who you are with, and you suddenly realize the people you have to work with aren’t going to put in work at all. Take heed, for there are plenty of tips and suggestions to make your group project bearable.

First, establish ground rules within the group. If you aren’t the leading type, suggest that you all take the time to talk about rules. What is the protocol if a group member never e-mails anyone back? How will you divide the work? Having a set of guidelines before you guys begin your group work will set the bar high and leave less room for miscommunication.

Second, communication is key. Exchange e-mails or phone numbers to allow direct contact with all members. Make sure to e-mail any questions, possible absences, or issues you would like to discuss. The more you talk throughout the project, the less confusing bringing it all together at the end will be. Some of the best groups I was a part of sent e-mails frequently, and I never felt out of the loop.

Third, when it comes to grades you need to be honest. A lot of projects only allow group grades, instead of individual. In this case, talk to your professor if there is someone in your group who is not pulling their weight. You’d be surprise how willing professors are to compromise grades when they see that you care.

Lastly, have fun! Group work can be as miserable or as interesting as you make it. Get to know the people in your group and try to build up your rapport with them.  The better the camaraderie is between you and your group members, the easier it is to address issues when they arise.

Written by Charyse | Grads Blog

The first thing we’re told when saving money is to cut out the luxuries; but it’s not always quite clear exactly what counts as a luxury. By looking at what, where and when you buy at the supermarket, you might be able to find cheaper alternatives to those ‘essentials’, allowing you extra cash for the luxuries you actually want, like beers with mates, or a manicure!

What would you consider to be a ‘luxury’ product? Fancy chocolates, a bottle of wine, or that ridiculously expensive quilted toilet paper for people who have more money than they know what to do with, right? But some of the ‘basic essentials’ you’re buying might actually be cleverly-disguised luxuries: such as toothpaste and deodorant. Of course, I’m not suggesting that you just do without these products; but did you know that they cost respectively 25p and 30p in Tesco’s Everyday Value range? Contrary to what you might think, Tesco’s roll-on is every bit as good as the Sure I used to swear by (and pay nearly six times as much for), and the toothpaste has been approved by the International Dental Health Foundation; so it’s cheap but perfectly functional. With the ‘basic’ product being so cheap, perhaps Sure at £1.70 or Colgate Total at £1.99 really are ‘luxury’ options after all: next time you’re out of toothpaste, consider ditching Boots for your local supermarket instead.

So this means that where you shop is also going to affect the bargains you can find. Heading to the nearest place, rather than scouting out big supermarkets with big bargains, is a luxury you might not realise you’re indulging in. Even with the big chains, their smaller outlets usually only stock name brands you’ll pay dearly for: if you want the most basic off-brand products, the ones that will save you real cash, you need a bigger store, with no ‘Local’ or ‘Express’ after it. Example: last time I visited my local superstore I paid £5.85 for six products (orange juice, oats, honey, yoghurt, sultanas and food wrap) which would have cost me an extra £4.05 if I’d gone to my nearest branch. I traded in the luxury of laziness for a pint and chips – not a bad deal.

So in order to improve the value of what you’re buying, change where you’re buying it – but also when. You’ll spend much more on an 8pm shop than a 2pm one: the one time I shopped in the evening, the value options were already sold out, leaving only the pricey name brands. It’s also important to visit the supermarket as infrequently as possible: aim for scheduled visits only, every two weeks at most. I like to shop monthly: I plan meals and make a full list, grab my biggest backpack, and make the 20-minute trek. Faced with a month’s supply of food and the prospect of carrying it all home, spontaneously adding luxury items is the last thing I want to do. Plus, being stocked up for the month means fewer visits later, and fewer impulse buys. Nowadays I have no problem bringing home a month’s worth of food for under £40.

So there you go. What to buy, where to buy it and when, if you want to keep your food shopping costs to a minimum. And just remember that the things you think of as basics could actually be cleverly-disguised luxuries you could trade in for much better ones if you wanted to.

Written by Megan Currie | Grads Blog

According to new figures, 40% of students may be unable to repay their student loans back due to increased tuition fees leaving them with the prospect of having a £36,000 debt, all before they’ve even taken living costs into consideration.

Students are now borrowing up to £9,000 a year to pay for their tuition fees, which has become a cause for concern for the Treasury. Under this new system many are concerned that costs will not be recuperated, with new estimates believing 4 in 10 students won’t be able to pay their loans back. This amount was previously anticipated to be 28%.

Last September tuition fees trebled at many universities to £9,000 from £3,290, leaving those doing a four-year course with a potential £36,000 before living costs. Combined with a reduction in graduate salaries, many graduates won’t be able to begin paying their loans back once they start working.

Speaking about these fresh concerns, a senior source said: “The Treasury are all over this and are extremely worried about the viability of the system. They are taking a very long-term view but their estimate for non-repayment keeps going up.

“It is not helped by the recession, which means graduate incomes are going to be lower than they hoped.”

Other concerns lie in the amount of information that is given to students and their parents when they’re deciding about whether or not they should go to university. Some suggest that not enough information is being provided which shows them how much debt can be built up whilst they’re at university.

Chairman of the Independent Schools Council, Barnaby Lenon, said that a whopping £80,000 debt could be accumulated by those students who undertake four-year courses. “If you were an adult taking on this size mortgage you would go through a rigorous process which guarantees you understand what you are taking on. That is not happening with 17 and 18-year-olds.”

Former Universities UK president, Sir Steve Smith, who is also vice-chancellor of Exeter University, commented that it would be ‘inconceivable’ for the Government to address the issues surrounding tuition fees before the next election. “The only way you can save money is to cut student numbers going to university or alter payment terms. Either is a political no-go area before an election.”

With the current system, UK and EU students can apply for a loan of £9,000, which will be paid to their college/university for their tuition fees. They can also apply for loans to cover their living expenses, which are around £5,500, rising to £7,675 for those who reside in London.

These loans will then be paid back once they are earning £16,365 or more.

Those graduating in the year 2015-16 will have to pay back their loans at a rate of 9% of their earnings a year, with the threshold being £21,000.

Written by Rebecca | Grads Blog

With English being so widely spoken, and global ‘English as a Second Language’ industries being a prominent feature in the world economy, it was of no surprise for me to read that compared to our international peers, English teenagers have earned the place of the poorest in Europe at learning a second language, and I mean more than being able to order a sangria in magaluf. No doubt the statistics speak volumes, however, I believe meeting likeminded peers at university fluent in a second, and sometimes third, language and being in awe of their capabilities, packs a much greater punch.

My pursuit in learning a second language reached its peak on achieving a B grade in GCSE French; thereafter I was only too happy to eliminate endless grammar tables, verb conjugations and pronouns to the back of my mind, and concentrate on pursuing science based interests. Meeting so many new people on moving from my small Cotswold town to the colder climes of the north evoked a huge passion for languages that I had never know to be present, at least not enough to inspire me to start learning one!

I am sure Durham is not alone in offering a range of language classes for students, whatever their ability; from beginner to a friendly chit chat between two accomplished linguists, yet how much are these services being used? Geoffrey Williams once said, “You can never understand one language until you understand at lease two”, but with the excitement, hype and frivolity of the freshers year, is it really feasible for non language students to take up an additional commitment to their already stretched academic schedule?

Every activity we pursue at university seems to be geared towards CV building and improving our employability potential; no doubt that skills in a second language would help in that field! It seems universities provide us with the facilities to do this, but should this be in place of pursuing our passions, loves and hobbies? “Do not let your degree get in the way of your education.” is a statement I find very relevant in this case; of course the ability to speak a second language is amazing, but so is developing yourself as a person, a journey which university is so important for, and should not be neglected in place of a further credential.

Written by Lizzie Thomas | Grads Blog

It’s been hammered into us since secondary school that gaining work experience is the key factor to getting your foot in the door of your dream career. As you reach university, it becomes even more of an important part of everyday life to endlessly search for anywhere that offers a work experience opportunity to get the life changing chance to one day get to where you want to be. In recent years though, it has become ever more difficult to get a place on this kind of opportunity, and what used to be an easy application in trying to find experience has now become a desperate struggle to get someone to reply to you. Welcome to the desperate hunt for work experience, everyone.

I am sure you’ve all been there. You’ve spent hours looking on the internet for anything that is related to the career sector you one day wish to join, applying for opportunities that will give you a helping hand onto the career ladder, and will look great on your CV for all future perspective employers to see. It sounds easy enough, right? But of course, nothing in life is ever that easy, particuarly when it comes to trying to get a career. It would all seem so simple, if it wasn’t for the fact that nowadays it is becoming rare for people you’ve applied to, to actually get back in contact with you.

The hypocrisy of it all is the fact that when it comes round to applying for internships and jobs from the same people you have applied to for work experience, they make it quite clear that they need you to have had as much experience as possible, yet they are the same people who have rejected you from such opportunities in the past. It really does make absolutely no sense that they ask for specific requirements, yet they will not accept applications for work experience to help you get to the point where you stand out amongst the crowd in order to get a job.

As more and more applications are sent off to various places, the days go by and no one ever gets back to you, it becomes ever more infuriating and the future starts to look bleak. My advice would be not to give up hope though. Yes it is down hearting, and it can even sometimes be upsetting, but if you keep on applying for places over and over again, then eventually something will come up. Even if you apply to the same places a number of times, who cares? There is no limit for how many times you apply for the same position at the same company, just keep going until you get somewhere. All of your hard work will pay off in the end.

So, now it is time for me to go back to scrawling the internet in search of anything that will help me gain more experience, and here’s hoping that maybe this time round someone will get back to me. Fingers crossed…

Written by Emily Peachey | Grads Blog

Your thesis has been handed in, you’ve aced your exams, and you’ve let loose with the rest of your classmates after weeks of living under a studious rock. Alas, graduation is the final part to being a student.

Graduation is a moment in your life which shows everyone how much you’ve matured from that naïve 18 year old of past, and all of your new skills and abilities have been rolled up into a sheet of paper. It’s the thought of what happens after graduation that could seem quite daunting.

As all of your classmates congregate on graduation day and chat about their amazing ventures into the real world, don’t feel like you have to play catch up. If you want to take your time planning the next step of your life, then do. After all, there are so many options for you to choose from; going back to college to complete a master’s degree; competing with other graduates for that much sought-after internship; or going abroad and getting your cultural fix. It’s not just limited to these options though; the world is your oyster. Travel if you wish to see the world, or get a job in retail if that’s what your passion is; just don’t forget that you have a degree that can get you places if you work hard enough.

Many students are led to believe that their undergraduate degree is not worth much once they graduate, and that they are forced to complete a master’s or a post-graduate. Although this may be the case with some degrees, depending on what you want to pursue, it doesn’t always have to be your only option. There are evening or weekend courses which are only a fraction of the price of a full-time master’s course and could potentially have exactly what you are looking for. You could secure an unpaid internship (or paid if you’re lucky) where you can experience what it’s like to work in your chosen field of work, while also making money at another part-time job. Or travel; it is almost always a great option for those who are undecided about their future – explore who you are and return with a clearer picture of what you’d like to pursue.

College life is great; it’s like being in a protective bubble. Coming to the end of college can be a major shock if you’re not prepared, but having some sort of idea of what direction you would like to go after graduation can be a major benefit. However, if you are like many other future graduates and are dreading graduation, fear not, you have options. And options are fantastic.

Written by Eoghan | Grads Blog

Oh the value of hindsight! They do say it’s 20-20. So knowing what I know now, would I have applied for the same degree course? Possibly. I would’ve at least researched my career options a little better beforehand. Should I have joined more societies (and actually gone to the socials and meetings)? Yes. Should I have made more use of my summers doing internships and work experience? Definitely.

Well knowing all this now does not change the fact that I was naïve to it when it mattered. However, there are still many opportunities left for me and so naturally, for all of us. The important thing is to know where and how to access them.

I know that none of us planned to take on unpaid internships, having spent thousands on our university education. And yet, after months of no real job success I did exactly this.

Yes, I wanted to be earning money, but what did I have to lose? I worked evenings in a restaurant and wasn’t gaining any more industry experience by being at home and miserable during the day. Following on from a stint as a PR Assistant to a musician friend at the beginning of 2012, I started looking for more opportunities. I’d enjoyed this position and figured that work experience with a noted company would give me better insight into the industry and other roles. Hoping also to add to my creative writing skills, PR seemed like a good starting point regarding editorial and copywriting experience.

After 3 months as an intern for a Design and Architectural think tank, I decided that particular company wasn’t for me. Still, it definitely helped me focus in on the aspects that I enjoy and would like to have in a permanent role. I learnt the lingo as it were and understood more about future roles I applied for. Weighing up the glamour of what is written in the job spec and the reality of what happens in the office, which also helped me to better word my experiences according to the company’s needs.

Additionally, my internship exposed me to different recruiters and eventually helped to land me another Business Marketing role. This was more up my street and they were looking for someone to fill the role as soon as possible.

I was building my admin and business experience and given quite a lot of responsibility and variety from the word go. Working here gave me back some of the confidence I had lost and a true understanding of the skills I have to offer and how to better market myself.

Doing internships definitely helped me to evaluate my career goals, (re)discover my skills and provide a more realistic approach to my job search. If you can find a paid opportunity, great! If you’re like me then remember, how you get the experience and skills isn’t the most important thing, but where it leads you after. If you prove yourself valuable, you may even be offered a permanent role sooner than you think.

Written by Nykhil | Grads Blog

For me and many of my friends, graduation is fast approaching.  While it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the work you should be doing but aren’t, as well as the impending doom that is the real world, I think it’s important to stay positive and enjoy your last few weeks in college.  My advice is to make a list of all the things that you’ve always wanted to do throughout college and try to get them all done before you make that final walk to pomp and circumstance.

My list has included eating at a mac and cheese restaurant that I’ve always wanted to go to, participating in the campus dance marathon, and stripping down for the senior undie run.

I recently got to check the dance marathon off of my list.  I had wanted to participate in it since I was a freshman but I never got around to it, thinking “there will always be next year”.  Of course, I could not tell myself that anymore.  If there was ever a year to do it, it was now.  On our campus, there’s a group of students who organize the dance marathon in order to raise money to stop juvenile AIDS.  It goes from 8pm to 8am, with free food, energy drinks, and other activities to keep you awake and active throughout the night.  I assembled a team of friends to join me with the intention of staying all night.  Unfortunately, we didn’t actually make it all 12 hours.  We only managed to stay awake until about 4:30 but I would say that 8 hours is a pretty big accomplishment.  Plus, I got to scratch this off my list of completed college activities.

So, if you’re fighting those senior year blues, jot down a few things that you’ve always intended to do, assemble a good team of friends to help you out, and make some time for those things you’ve always meant to do.  You’re only in college once.

Written by Adriana | Grads Blog

So it’s April, and A Level students across the country will be gearing up to do their exams with the hope of getting the grades they need to go to their university of choice. With more university applications than ever competition is fierce, and as a former college student I know only too well how much pressure you put on yourself to get the marks you need.

Except I didn’t really need those grades, because I wasn’t interested in going to university. The deadline for UCAS applications rolled around and I applied to four universities that best fitted my criteria: they had to offer an English degree and they couldn’t be more than two hours from home. Simples! You see, I wasn’t really interested in university, I only filled out the forms because that was what you did in my college. University applications were ‘the done thing’ and I was fully expected to apply unless I had a valid alternative, which I didn’t.

“Why didn’t you want to go?” you may ask. Well, in my A Level revision induced fever it just didn’t make sense to me. People said to go for ‘the experience’ but it seemed like an awful lot of money just for an experience. Also it didn’t guarantee me a job, and I wasn’t sure university life was for me. Plus, I was fed up with doing homework and being an impoverished student, I wanted money!

I also wasn’t the ideal university applicant. I had a range of mediocre grades, no real passion for any subject and there was a shocking lack of humanitarian work on my personal statement. Compared to my friends with straight A’s, obsessions with Victorian women’s literature and a list of volunteer work as long as their arm I was a thoroughly substandard candidate.

Luckily for me, my university of choice thought I was up to scratch and thanks to the last three years with them, I do too. I had the support to get more than average grades and I love my subject, although the volunteer work is still a bit lacking. Ok I never really got into the party lifestyle, and I’ve still got a burning desire to get out there and earn some money, but I loved my time at university.

And you will too! If you’ve been asking yourself the same questions that I did, throw caution to the wind my friend. Now is the time to take the bull by the horns and go with the flow. Enough of the similes just fill out those UCAS forms and pack your bags. University is calling you, and trust me, you’ll love it!

Written by Alice Brown | Grads Blog

Hello! My name is Varun Kumar and I am a graduate. I completed my Bachelors in Electronics and Instrumentation followed with a Masters in Advanced Control and System Engineering. I am no genius but I am definitely smart. I had been searching for a job ever since I started my master’s degree. I didn’t pass through enough cracks to be shortlisted for a graduate job with the companies that could afford to sponsor me (as I am not a British National). For the next many months, I couldn’t even secure a placement with small and medium enterprises because they couldn’t sponsor me or anyone else really. I eventually returned back home to Dubai and took some time to soak the sun. Thankfully, after a few months of searching, enquiring, driving, interviewing and negotiating, I found a job as a Trainee Graduate Engineer with a British plc. that was ready to welcome me to the corporate world.

The work, so far, has been quite demanding. Even though I lack the core expertise to be immediately productive to the company, I am being put through a track that’s allowing me to learn about the on-going projects by building the necessary documentation. Documentation, as such, is the most boring work one could possibly do. I could compare it to writing an instruction manual on how to operate a kettle. Unfortunately, in the engineering world, it’s the Holy Bible that’s quintessentially important simply because Commissioning Engineers, Project Engineers and Operators who actually build, install and control huge complex processes, depend on such documentation during installation, on-going operations and debugging. Having realized the importance of building documentation, I actually got a better understanding of the entire system that our company builds for our clients. Plus I am now effectively reducing the workload of my colleagues by preparing the document, instead allowing them to review it to fine tune the minor mistakes that I have made. Now, Let’s be honest with each other. I didn’t picture myself doing this job or the type of work when I embarked on the road to employment. Of course, I was positive I wouldn’t get the keys to the secret recipe or a machine that would download knowledge into your brain (how cool would that be!). But what I would like to focus here is that I took this job because I was ready to explore alternative paths/companies that I hadn’t considered. I admit that I too have said the most ridiculous sentence while being desperately unemployed. That sentence would be, I am only interested in this line of my career and I am not too open to that profile or that function of the job.

Limiting your options early on in your search might be one of the biggest mistakes that you can do in your life. That said, when you have been shortlisted for a job role that you may not like, its all about exploring that role and finding out if you can learn and build a niche while doing your very best. Legally speaking, when you begin your life into the corporate world, you undertake three to six months of probation. This period of time is to allow both your employer and yourself to understand the nature of the job and the way you eeffectively function at the job. If within this time period, you are truly unhappy or have found the dream job, then you have the right to politely decline that you will no longer be continuing with them.

My final thought here is simple. Whether as a graduate, intern or a trainee, don’t ever say no to any job that’s broadly within your line of chosen expertise. Receiving an offer letter is like waiting for Halleys comet to swing by earth. For some, finding a job might take hardly any time while for others, it’s going to feel like eternity. Whatever you do, get out there and make your mark in the corporate world. The power to do is only within you.

Written by Varun | Grads Blog

The year abroad for language students is widely accepted as being one of the best years of your life, and serves as one of the main incentives for studying modern languages at university. With generous EU grants for students completing a year abroad in Europe, and the choice to study at another university or find a job and get some much needed work experience, it is a welcome break from British monotony. Unfortunately that best year of my life is long gone and I’m now looking out of the library window at Sheffield’s typically cloudy sky wishing I could go back to Madrid’s sunny parks for one more week.

When confronted with our workload and reading list at the start of our final year, life back at university could not compare to Spain for me and my friends; instead of going to the beach at weekends and clubbing until 7am, we were reading at weekends and getting up at 7am.

It’s not all rain and depression in final year though. Having been on a year abroad enables you to bond well with all the other final year students who have had a similar experience, although it is necessary to get past the typical “How was your year abroad? Where did you go?” chat. You will also find that you’ve learned a lot whilst abroad – mostly things you won’t notice straight away – and you will approach university studies with much more maturity.

As long as you weren’t too shy to get out there and make the most of your time abroad, you should also have friends and contacts wherever it was you went, and that means whenever you have time off, a substantial proportion of your loan will be spent on flights to go back– an option most other students don’t get.

Obviously, if you have used the time abroad well, your language skills will have significantly improved, meaning orals are a lot more comfortable and enjoyable now (once you get past the first class where everyone is scared of bombing).

Finally, remember to strike a healthy balance between working hard and enjoying yourself; it’s  your last year at university (probably) so don’t let yourself be sat at a desk in two years’ time full of regrets!

Written by Eliot Keirl | Grads Blog

The culmination of one’s academic career is oft marked by a lengthy research paper, colloquially known as ‘the dissertation.’ Depending on your module department, a standard dissertation length could easily run anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 words (or even higher, as teachers may be desirous of further encouraging the enlightening edification of graduate pupils). This entails long hours at the library or at home, depending on your desired educational abode. Pages upon pages of online Wiley and Oxford University Press literature are perused, until words blur together and everything becomes a dizzying haze of lexicographical vocabulary swimming all around one’s panic-stricken, sleep-deprived head. (Which could also be the effect of far too many all-nighter espressos consumed at the library, but I digress).

Murphy’s Law is the belief that anything that could go wrong in a particular situation will inevitably go wrong. It is times like these in which I recall a piece of dissertation-savvy, Murphy’s Law advice a professor once told me. It wasn’t ‘review your data with a fine toothcomb,’ ‘explore every nuance of the thesis topic,’ or even ‘add footnotes to everything.’

Nope. It was (and I quote) “back everything up.”

During these past few weeks, I was sure I had everything up-to-date and in full adherence of said mantra. I saved everything to the desktop, and when said desktop began sending warning signals of freezing and being too full, I transferred my data to a flash drive and e-mailed everything to my school account to be on the safe side, so to speak.

An (albeit iffy) hard drive, a 4 GB flash drive, and all documents copied and sent via e-mail—I’d taken care of everything, right?

Wrong. So very, very wrong.

One Wednesday evening, I found myself editing my dissertation, laptop perched on my lap, as I curled up in my twin-sized bed. It was close to midnight, and I was growing more and more tired by the minute; suddenly, I heard a huge ‘THUD.’ This jolted me awake from my slumber, and I felt around in the dark to see exactly where in my room my laptop was. Apparently, the laptop was still working; everything seemed alright, so I groggily closed its screen and dozed off…

The next morning, I stepped out of bed, and looked down at where my laptop had fallen. It had miraculously survived its inches-long fall, but the flash drive, alas, had not…My tiny 4 MB red flash drive had bent in half at a forty-five degree angle, where the plastic meets the metal piece. I inwardly cringed. My dissertation had been saved and sent periodically to my inbox, but the edits I’d made were so recent I hadn’t thought to send them via e-mail just yet. I was terrified to even hold this broken object—one false move and the memory stick would fall apart completely. The tiny circuit board was completely exposed, and I was terrified.

I rummaged through my bookshelves, but was unable to find a flash drive with sufficient memory. This was not good. Not good at all—which is why I found myself at the Student Union Shop at 8:30 am, frantically searching for a USB drive. Luckily, I found such a device, sent up a quick thanks to the powers that be, and ran to the library to find an unused computer. Once there, I logged in to my account, plugged in both flash drives (the broken and the new), copied documents, pasted, and my worries were abated for the time being.

Readers, always remember—back up your work, one time, twice, and even three times—and in three different mediums. You never know when a hard drive might go defunct, internet awry, or a USB bent in two, or…all of the above. What good is a top-notch, 1^st class dissertation if you haven’t got the means to save it?

Written by Laura Pang | Grads Blog

In my state of hopelessness, I’ve decided to change gears. I’ve decided to actually treat this time as though it is really the beginning of my life, and in doing so, I’m going to do the things I would like to do. I don’t come from a middle-class family who will fund my travel cravings and only recently did my account come out of debt [thanks student loans company], but I really, really want to travel.

A part of me is terrified of it all because it’ll all be new and different but the other part of me is very excited because it’ll all be new and different. However, the issue always comes back to finances and funding. But a friend of mine recently brought my attention to i-to-i, a company that provides TEFL courses and jobs teaching English as a foreign language abroad.

By jobs, I don’t mean just voluntary or unpaid internships [they have those too] but PAID jobs! In fact most of the work advertised is paid, and they have vacancies all over the world, for different lengths of time. So you can go away for between a few weeks and a year gaining all this international teaching experience as well as learning about new cultures and maybe even pick up another language.

You have to complete a course but they have various teaching styles & the option to do everything online is available – which is what I’ll be doing. The opportunities they have available look amazing and this is definitely going to look good on CVs and job applications for the future. So I say, if you have an unquenchable urge to travel but don’t have the money, or want to gain some teaching experience, this is definitely for you.

Written by Damilola | Grads Blog

Staying positive as a part-time working or unemployed graduate. How to make the most of your student life.

Sometimes it had can be hard to stay positive during a job search in the present climate. Applications are often a long process, you can find yourself getting attached to each one as you write about your relevant skills and experience, and you think “Hey, I’ve got as good a shot as anyone else!” And then you get no reply…

My advice here is for myself and for you guys. I haven’t quite cracked it yet, I’ll be honest, because it can be difficult. But for every ignored letter or application…don’t dwell. Write another! Use the, perhaps frustrating, amount of spare time you have to improve your skills and knowledge.

Don’t let what you learnt on your course become a distant memory. Media students read any paper you can get your hands on. Write, write, write. Business graduates keep reading financial or business supplements and assessing the climate you’ll soon be working in. Keep designing, creatives. Keep reading and questioning journals, science grads. Prepare for an interview that may not even be on the cards. Yet.

And for those of you in University, please listen up! After the boyfriend secured a place in University last month, I’ve been really thinking about the advice I’d give to any current or prospective students; advice I wish I’d received…Take the opportunities you get handed, it won’t be so easy once you’re a graduate.

You’ll have course admin staff sending you work experience links, relevant jobs and useful websites to look at on a regular basis. Don’t ignore them, even though it’s easy to do.

My biggest regret, as I have to work to sell myself to local media groups? Not writing for local papers at the time. Why didn’t I? Honestly, I didn’t find the right balance between focusing on getting the best degree I could, my social life and planning ahead. I put the opportunities my University gave me on the back burner. Of course, having an adventure is an important part of University, but keeping one afternoon free every week to build on your CV could be the difference in finding a job. Find the right balance now and you’ll be so glad you did.

Written by Charlotte Taylor | Grads Blog

My emotions over the past two months of unemployment have been summed up by Greg James and his cover of Taylor Swift’s rose-tinted version of life at 22. If you haven’t already, give it a listen. However, I am sat here writing to you during a more positive day, having just finished a successful week of work experience with a local newspaper.

In 7 days, I was able to receive such invaluable advice about getting into journalism from the lovely people working around me. For anyone currently organising some work experience, my advice to you is to get as excited as you can about whatever it is you are doing – have ideas and questions bouncing around your head before you get in the door.

It was tempting to start the week with a neutral mindset after Facebook had informed of the long-term internships my successful peers had been finding with local media groups. My week seemed miniscule in comparison…But people do enjoy talking about their work and how they got to where they are, regardless of the fact that you may only be their neighbour for a week or two. You can make contacts, make work for yourself and let people know how much you appreciated the opportunity, in only a few days.

After plucking up the courage to ask for more and more work every day, I found myself with ten articles in the local paper that week and four bylines. Positive thinking, good manners and realising that your points of contact really do want to help you, will put you off to a great start in your work experience. If you take the initiative you won’t be another tea girl or boy. Every bit of experience matters, whether it be a week long or an internship.

Written by Charlotte Taylor | Grads Blog

I grew up in a small town in Michigan, quaint and pretty with lots of lakes and friendly people.  Although my older siblings and I love this town and my parents have encouraged us to stay nearby, I have watched my brother and sisters flock to big cities over the past few years.  Now, with my graduation from college less than a month away, I am facing the same big transition and the prospect of moving.

My three sisters all moved to New York after they graduated, and I have always wanted to move there, too.  The merging of innumerable cultures, the amazing art and food, and the fast pace of the city has always lured us.  Although we are all pursuing different career paths, there are opportunities suited to all of us in New York.  In an effort to move there, I have entered into a course on publishing at Columbia University that will let me spend the summer.  Then, hopefully, I will find a job so I can move permanently.

At least, that was the plan, until I visited New York last weekend.  I have visited many times, but always as a guest, not as a soon-to-be resident.  Unlike past visits, last weekend, I found the city completely overwhelming.  The streets were too crowded, the cars were too noisy, the buildings were too tall!  I wanted to flee back to my college town in Michigan.  Or, better yet, back to my parent’s house in my tiny town.

When I told my sisters how I was feeling, they were not surprised.  The city is overwhelming, they said, but only at first.  They may still have moments when the noise and the crowds are too much, but for the most part, they have gotten used to it.  They have found much more to love about New York than not to love.  I realized then that it was not so much the city that was overwhelming me as the concept of change.  I am in a transitory state.  Half of me is still a college student, unconcerned with the future.  The other half is tired of college and ready for real life to start.  It is a very uncomfortable place mentally.  Fortunately, everyone goes through this phase, and I have the guidance of my sisters to ease the transition and a welcoming home in Michigan if I need a bit more time.

I will have a difficult period of adjustment if I decide to move to New York at the end of the summer.  It will be just as difficult if I decide on Chicago or San Francisco or someplace else instead.  Ultimately, though, it is my decision, and knowing that makes me feel less frightened and helpless.  Cities are scary, but I have decided not to let that stop me from pursuing my career goals.

Written by Miriam | Grads Blog

As I detailed in my last post, my return to Germany was followed by a month of fairly intense job searching.  My elation at getting my position with Eifert, however, was quickly tempered when I realized that merely finding a job was the easy part.  The hardest task- navigating the wondrous, magical world of bureaucracy- had only just begun.

To be able to legally teach English in Germany (and get paid for it), there are several very specific steps that need to be followed (note- take a deep breath before continuing).

-First and foremost, you need a guaranteed contract from a company.

-You then need to apply to the nearest Rathaus to confirm your residence within the country, and that you have a specific mailing address.

-After being registered as a resident, you can open a bank account.  I prefer Sparkasse myself, but Germany offers a lot of options when it comes to banks.

-Next comes health insurance- all residents of Germany, be they native citizens, immigrant workers, exchange students, etc. are required to have German health insurance.

-Once you have all that in place, you can present your documentation to a representative at the Ausländerbehörde (foreign office), pay an atrociously high fee (seriously, why charge someone huge amounts of money before they’ve even started working?), and then you get the necessary work permit, which allows you to finally start your job.

 -Oh, and then you file for a tax number (which was actually the easiest part).

Despite the massive amount of steps involved, it does sound like a relatively straightforward process, no?  Get a job, fill out the right succession of forms, get visa.  Unfortunately, ol’ Wil E. Bureaucracy has ways of making things take much more time than is necessary.  The biggest problem I ran into during my application process was that nearly everyone I spoke to at the Amt seemed to completely misunderstand what I was applying for.  I was contracted with Eifert as an independent English teacher, meaning that the specific permit I needed was not a full work visa, but rather an Aufenthaltsgenehmigung (and that’s not even the full name).  However, the first person I spoke with at the Amt interpreted this to mean, “I am opening my own company.”  He then presented me with a list of 7 items I needed to include in a full business plan, including the effects my company would have on both the local economy and the German economy as a whole, required start-up time, and what sort of funds were set aside for research and innovation.

Confused by this, I went to a second woman at the office, who thankfully knew what she was doing, and was able to provide me with the correct information necessary for the permit.  However, this misunderstanding struck again when I applied for a tax number- the first person I spoke to thought I was opening up a shop, and sent me a 7-page form that ended up being so much wasted tree.  Here, too, the misunderstanding was soon smoothed over.  I am now fully employed and have been hard at work for well over a month, and am enjoying every minute of it.

If this lengthy explanation of the ins and outs of German bureaucracy is discouraging, it shouldn’t be.  Bureaucracy is bureaucracy no matter where you go (my own alma mater in the States has honed being infuriatingly uninformative into a brutally lethal art form), and besides, I figure every step is part of the journey.  If achieving something is really worth it, you’ll somehow find the patience to deal with the road blocks that will, inevitably, litter the way before you.

Written by Noah | Grads Blog

We all know how tough the jobs market is for graduates at the moment. As unemployment figures continue to struggle, there are undoubtedly more people than ever applying for every single job – making for some fierce competition. So how can we stand out to employers?

Mary recently wrote her blog on the difficulties she’s faced in gaining the work experience she so desperately needs to get employed. Much as I agree that it can be difficult, I wonder if Mary is simply focusing her efforts too much on internships and not enough on unpaid work experience.

Now I know it doesn’t sound glamorous, and we all need money, right? But unpaid placements are often much easier to come by and, providing you can prove yourself and become a valuable part of the team, it could lead to a permanent role. In fact, my first post uni job came from unpaid work experience; I’d started as a PR work experience and was quickly taken on as a freelancer and then as a full time employee.

So how do you get unpaid work experience and how do you make it work for you?

1)      Work out what you want

We know we need work experience, but not all experience is going to get you your dream job. Think about your end goal; what role would you like to end up with? What skills would you need for that role? Do your research and work out exactly what you’re looking for.

2)      Find the companies who have what you want

Looking to work in online marketing? You’ll want to do some time in an online environment then – web agencies, marketing departments etc. Looking to become an accountant? Finance positions, admin within accountancy firms… Because you’ve worked out what you want, it’s much easier to find the companies that can give it to you.

3)      Get your CV up to scratch

As you prepare to contact the companies who can help you, you’ll need to make sure your CV is up to scratch and reflects what you want to do. Even a grad lacking in experience can put together a good CV – include your personal statement, skills you have, qualification and things you did at uni such as clubs and volunteering. Check out this blog from Georgie on how to write a good CV.

4)      Contact the companies who can help you

No company is ever going to respond badly to a well written email or well spoken telephone request from someone who genuinely wants to learn from them. Once you’ve found the companies who can give you what you want, get in touch! Google them, use the email address on their website, find employees on LinkedIn or stop by their office; whatever method you use, it’s important you come across as someone who wants to learn from them.

5)      Keep on learning and impressing

Once you’re in, don’t rest on your laurels. Yes you’re there to learn, but it’s also important to impress. In my experience, companies aren’t just looking for ‘free labour’ as they know they’ll need to take the time to train you and help you, so chances are they have a potential position available – now you need to prove you deserve it. In my work experience role, I made sure I continued to learn and progress myself so I could become a valuable member of the team; read blogs about your subject matter, spend time outside of work researching, speak to your colleagues and show a real interest. You never know where it could get you.

Work experience is a key part of getting a job and getting that experience can be tough. But it is possible. You never know where it might lead…

Written by Laura Hampton | Grads Blog

With the recession still making an impact on the nation, almost everyone has had to make a few financial sacrifices. So what about you as a student? Anyone mention similar phrases such as “You’re going to have so much money to pay back after university!” or “Have you figured out how you are going to make money?” to you?

I, personally, heard those phrases a million times during my studies. As with most students and graduates, you may or may not have a plan on how to make money during or after studying. One thing that I would advise you all to do is to start saving.

It’s easy to spend everything you have in one go on that night out. After all, you’ve worked your tail off on that assignment right? So you deserve to splash a bit of cash on that well deserved drink, club or meal. Next time, before you make the decision of emptying your pockets entirely, put some money away for a rainy day.

How do I put money away without being tempted to use it? Easy – once you put the money away, forget all about it. You’ll be surprised at how much it will amount to if you leave your savings to build up.

Where can I save my money? Try opening a savings account with your bank. Natwest provide an e-savings account that you can apply for online. You can set up a monthly savings plan. For example I put £20 a month into my savings account from my current account but you don’t have to do it that way. You can put as much as you want in at anytime. It’s easy to use and you can access the money whenever you need it (by that I mean when those rainy days come rolling by. Don’t start spending!)

www.postoffice.co.uk/savings also have an easy online savings account that they call the easy access online saver. You can put money into your savings account and manage it all online. The online saver gives you access to your account 24/7 and also allows free unlimited withdrawals.

Saving money isn’t easy; I struggle all the time. There are a few things that I like to keep in mind when I’m saving. All of the money I save can help towards my future. It can help yours too.

Written by Cheyenne | Grads Blog

In recent news, it has come to light that female graduates are earning considerably less than their male counterparts. For many, this came as quite a shock – why, in 2012, are people with a similar education being divided financially by their gender?

The High Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) through Futuretrack data found that: ‘The gender distribution of graduate earnings is strikingly uneven – more women are at the lower end of the salary range, particularly within the typical starting salary ranges of £15-£17,999 and £21-23,999, and men are more like than women to earn higher salary levels of £24,000 or more.’

It seems that before facing the effects of events such as motherhood, women are facing a dip in wages earlier than originally expected. It is common knowledge that it would be unlawful for an employer to introduce gender based discrimination, so many are unsure why female graduates are suffering financially.  It seems completely archaic that female graduates are earning less than the men they graduated with.

The HECSU study of wages found that ‘the male lead is persistent in the public and private sectors, in graduate workplaces and also in graduate and non-graduate job roles.’ Unfortunately, they found that ‘the only area where female pay is equal to males is in the not-for-profit sector.’

Being a female graduate working in the public sector, I find this information disheartening but also very frustrating. Women continually to work just as hard as their male peers at university, and therefore deserve wage equality.

This information was published on 7^th March 2013, and so is a relatively recent study of graduate earnings. Despite it being topical, this must be followed up; more should be done to support and nurture female graduates.

Written by Emily Clegg | Grads Blog

Britain’s favourite whipping girl has once again leaped with suicidal abandon into the lion’s den of the Mail Online. Samantha ‘I’m So Beautiful’ Brick’s latest article on her unending attempts to police her appearance included a rather worrying account of a phase she went through in her youth that involved only eating polo mints. Her ‘partners are not only boyfriends but weight-loss coaches,’ but I can only hope that no one else was party to this particularly alarming episode in her quest for beauty.

This leads nicely on to my first reason why I am better than Samantha Brick: I can eat a pizza. In fact, next time I do it, I may deep fry polos for dessert, just to stick two fingers up to the anxiety-riddled image of womanhood that is promoted in such articles. Of course we should all heed the desperate warnings of the posters in the doctor’s waiting room and attempt to eat healthily, but recounting such episodes of disordered eating in a piece that, on the whole, lauds dieting is reckless.

As for her other halves monitoring her weight, I would personally find that infantilising. A grown woman, able to regulate her own diet? By herself? What is this black magic?! If my boyfriend tried to take my aforementioned pizza away from me, I would promptly throw it at him in the manner of a clown with a custard pie at the circus. Then I’d probably lick it off his face, ensuring I would not waste perfectly good pizza. Kinky, I know.

It is hard to be a woman in the Western world and not feel ashamed of your appearance. In the press, starlets in bikinis are picked apart more comprehensively than if an autopsy was being performed on them. Scrutiny naturally turns toward your own, inevitably inferior, body. So, although I tip my hat to Samantha for her boundless appreciation of her own beauty, comments like ‘I maintain a food diary. I never shop when I’m hungry, I always read the packaging, and I weigh myself every other day’, reveal a sadly indoctrinated point of view. One of the greatest (and most fun) rebellions against the media has to be the ravenous post-gym Tesco run: “Emaciated underwear model on the front of that magazine, your sunken eyes can stare hungrily at my meaty thighs for as long as you like. To add insult to injury, I’m off to buy a pack of reduced donuts,” goes my internal monologue.

I would be happy to share my donuts with Samantha. After all, she seemed such a fan of polos, and they really don’t look that different, when you think about it…

Written by Melissa | Grads Blog

You’re at your desk writing your dissertation, but you are getting more and more distracted. To begin with, you believe it’s just boredom, then doubt creeps in. It’s something else. You’re peckish. You’re not hungry, but you’ve started to think about food and the thought doesn’t leave you. You stare at the screen in vain, that paragraph you’re writing is a disaster and you don’t seem to be able to improve it at all.

Well then, let me share some tips on how to deal with dissertation hunger, because it’s a specific kind of hunger. Yes, partly it is the passing of time and the boredom or panic (depending on the stage you’re at), but there is more to it and it’s important to know it. Your brain is screaming, ‘FEED ME’. And guess what, you should.

Now though, this is the most important part. It’s not sugar, it’s not starch and it’s not carbs either that you should serve to your hungry and tired brain. You probably knew this already. But maybe you knew it for the wrong reasons. Maybe your internal voice would deny you a soft and fresh blueberry muffin because it would make you fat, or worse, your internal voice tells you, you should have one, because you hate your life at the moment and you deserve that damn blueberry muffin. Wrong. One muffin will not make you fat, but it will make you feel even more exhausted. Most carbs, in fact will make you want to take a nap, and food high in sugar will give you a hit, but then it will be worse than before. And to be honest, I’m sorry to break it to you, but so does coffee. Much better to drink a ginseng based drink, if you need to feel awake.

So, here’s a list of food that is great to munch on when you feel peckish or rundown, basically when you feel you’ve been studying for hours and you’re stuck. I even recommend substituting lunch with a balanced mix of these ingredients.

1)    Pumpkin seeds:  just a handful of pumpkin seeds a day is all you need to get your recommended daily amount of zinc, vital for enhancing memory and thinking skills and it’s a natural source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that does wonders for your brain. Moreover, seeds keep you full for longer. So what else could you want?

I usually have a pack by my desk and eat small amounts (like 4 or 5) at a time when peckish.

2)    Sardines or mackerels:  rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and development. Really cheap (you can buy them in a tin) and quick to eat, as you don’t need to do anything with them, but put them in your mouth.  Sardines and mackerels are, together with salmon, trout, herring, pilchards and kippers, part of the group of oily fish containing EPA and DHA in a ready-made form, which enables the body to use it easily. Moreover, Low DHA levels have been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. So, eat your sardines!

3)    Pomegranate: opt for the fruit over the juice so you get more fibre. Pomegranates contain vitamin C, potassium and blueberry-like levels of antioxidants and it can be quite fun to eat, as you can eat it seed by seed, rather than devouring it all in one go. I love how intense the flavour is. Ideally, I keep one pomegranate in the fridge, already prepared and opened, so that there is no hassle and so that the seeds are cold when I eat them.

4)    Nuts: a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that a good intake of vitamin E might help to prevent cognitive decline. Also, nuts they are high in fibre, which means you won’t be starving while you finish that chapter, if you have a nut or two while trying. Walnuts are the king of nuts, as they are the richest in anti-oxidants. Peanuts instead have less healthy fat than many other types of nuts…maybe that’s because peanuts are not actually a nut! They’re still much better than a candy bar, however.

5)    Tuna: rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6. This nutrient, also called pyridoxine, helps promote communication among brain cells by supporting the production of the brain hormones serotonin, melatonin and norepinephrine, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Your brain cells release these hormones as a chemical signal for neighboring cells to help control brain processes like emotions and your internal clock. Consuming tuna fish supports the proper production of these chemical signals, helping to support brain function.

6)    Broccoli: a great source of vitamin K, which is known to enhance cognitive function and improve brainpower. Why don’t you steam a pack and leave in a bowl by your desk in your bedroom? It will stop you from craving cookies.

7)    Eggs: not only are they a source of vitamin E, but they also help your dopamine levels. Dopamine is the ‘feel-good’ messenger neurotransmitter to your brain. Your brain needs to produce a steady amount of dopamine for you to be in a good mood. Sugary and fatty foods cause a surge of dopamine. However, a quick dopamine high is invariably followed by an equally sharp drop, so to keep buoyant all day you are better off eating slow release, protein-rich foods, such as eggs. I sometimes hard-boil a couple, and have them as a snack, when I start feeling tired. You can also just have a half, and save the second half for later.

8)    Avocados: this reduces your risk of plaque buildup and enhances blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells. Nothing better than snacking on a wonderful ripe avocado with a few drops of lemon juice on top of it. Or why not, have one for breakfast!

9)    Oatmeal: one of the best food for cardiovascular health and therefore for your brain too, it keeps you full for an entire morning. Packed with fibre, a reasonable amount of protein (comparable to soy). It’s a good grain that will sustain you throughout the morning so you aren’t prone to irritability or an energy crash. Ideal are also oatcakes. Especially if you’re a biscuit cookie eater and need some crunch.

10)   Dark Chocolate: yes, dark chocolate is good for you. It’s been said and it’s true – not a whole gigantic bar though ­– but if you really need a quick mood-boost, chocolate is especially effective at pumping up dopamine. That’s because it contains anandamide – a fat molecule that resembles the active substance found in marijuana. Interesting, right?

Written by Milou | Grads Blog

Are you fed up already? I managed to make it through to my second year before I began to doubt my choice in course. All through college teachers seemed to drive me towards the ’academic’ subjects.

“Why don’t you do something with your English?”
“Have you thought about studying Literature at university?”
My response was a resounding “No!”. Design and Art were also subjects I was studying at A-Level and I desperately wanted to turn a hobby into a career. Enrolling on a Graphic Design course gave me hope it could be a reality.

However, I hit the wall of doubt. Some students had already dropped out, some travelled to the sister/partner colleges and others were just better than me. (Cue jealousy). Often I would look over other students work during critiques and think ‘I could have done that’, but I hadn’t. Thoughts of ‘perhaps I chose the wrong course’ and ‘I’m not pulling my weight’ echoed through my brain. So, I did what any forward thinking student would- I asked Mum! Obviously, with her words of wisdom she told me to stick with it, see it through to the end.

I stuck.

Graduating was a proud moment. Suddenly, it didn’t matter about subject, I had a degree. During the following months I reassessed my goals and ambitions realising I may have been hasty to dismiss English altogether. After all, it had been a subject I myself selected to study. I came across a masters degree in Writing for Children. Despite my lack of writing since college I applied and shortly after I enrolled.

I absolutely loved it! Definitely the right decision. It was challenging but I was determined and persevered. Now, I am a graduate with a BA and an MA. A multitude of skills. Graphics and creative writing, illustration and script writing, typography and literature. Drawing and reading, my favourite past times.

Don’t give up if you are experiencing those niggling thoughts. If you really want to, you will gain the best grades you can. If you don’t you will still end up with a degree and have that edge over the competition when applying for jobs. If you really hate the course don’t just drop out, try researching other courses first or switching to a similar subject. Be smart, the tutors wouldn’t have accepted you if they didn’t see potential!

And you never know, the course you’re on could lead to a better course or an opportunity you’d be crazy to pass up.

Written by Lucy M | Grads Blog

It is a common theme amongst university students. With essays, assignments, revision, readings and exams that seem to hit you all at once like a tonne of bricks, it’s no wonder that the blood pressure of your average student has a tendency to increase quite a lot from time to time.

Dealing with stress related to work can be quite a lot to manage, making you lose your appetite, not be able to sleep properly, loss of concentration, and the general feeling that everything is getting on top of you, and will never be able to be finished by the deadline. There are ways though that can help you feel calmer and a lot better when experiencing stress over work. Personally, I’ve found the following tips the most useful over the past few years, and I hope that they will have the same effect for all you stressed out students out there.

• 1. Lists Make The World Go Round:

Lists are probably one of the most useful ways of getting yourself organised when there’s lots of work to be done. If you’re finding it difficult to balance all of your work, I would highly recommend writing lists. An idea would be to write what you aim to do in a day the night before. That way, it saves you from worrying about what you need to do when you wake up first thing in the morning, and you have your day already planned out for you with all that needs to be done.

• 2. Don’t Let Everything Get On Top Of You:

If you know you have essays or exams that are due in around a similar time, get planning ahead of time. Do your research, get notes together, plan out exactly what it is you want to write about and start writing before the deadline is looming in sight. If you’ve got the material, and you have the time, you may as well use it to your advantage. Your work will be done in reasonable time, and you won’t be overloaded with work that all needs to be done at the last minute.

• 3. Take a Step Back From It All:

As difficult as it sounds when you have a pile of work staring you in the face that is screaming at you to get on with, it is good to have a break from all of it. Whether it’s listening to music, watching TV or your favourite film, reading (though reading that is not university related, of course), whatever it is that helps you relax in times of stress, make sure that you do something to take a break from it all every day, even if it is only for a few hours a day.

• 4. That All Important Shut Eye:

Sleep is vital when there’s all of this work to be done. It really is crucial that you get a good night’s sleep so that you have enough energy for those busy days of writing and revision. If you’re planning to get up early, then make sure you go to bed at a decent time, possibly try to aim to get a good eight hours, so that you feel refreshed and rejuvenated for the day of work ahead.

• 5. You Are What You Eat:

As important as it is to get a good night’s sleep, it is just as important to make sure you eat properly as well. Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be eaten as always, as it really is vital for you to once again keep your energy levels for the powering through of that never ending list of things to do. Taking breaks to eat as well means more time for you to take a little time out and have a relax in the meantime, too!

Remember to not let it get all on top of you though. Power through, take time to relax, and you will be well on your way to a stress free degree.

Written by Emily Peachey | Grads Blog

As the recession took grip many graduates were “dumbing” themselves down in order to secure paid work; but in a study commissioned by the NUS (National Union of Students) there are stark warnings for graduates not to become stuck in these underemployed positions.

The study conducted by the New Economics Foundation shows that 25% of those who “dumb” themselves down and get non-graduate jobs are finding they’re still in a similar position up to three and a half years later. These non-graduate jobs include catering, retail and construction.

The research also shows a strong correlation at the opposite end of scale with those who manage to secure a graduate position within 6 months of leaving university, still being in a graduate job 3 years later.

A graduate would be classed as underemployed if they were wanting to work in a job that required higher skills or had longer hours. The report also suggested that the underemployment that is found within graduates will probably continue for a while yet as the prospects of high-ranked jobs and low-paid jobs are improving, but those roles in the middle (where a graduate would slot in) remain few and far between. Five years ago 2.3 million graduates were in this category; today this figure has reached 3.3 million.

The report suggested: “Study leavers face a perfect storm…Underlying fractures in the labour market, such as pay polarisation, have surfaced.

“Even those with good graduate degrees are facing months of unemployment or free interning in order to gain access to paid work. Those with no or few qualifications are being left out in the cold.”

What’s more, those who are leaving university now are faced with more debt as tuition fees have risen, suggesting their years of hardship will be even longer.

“Study leavers face a rude awakening,” the report continues. “Some will see low returns, at least in the short to medium term, to the personal and financial investment they have made in their education.

“Intense competition in the labour market has created a bumping-down effect where graduates are working in lower-skilled jobs and those who would have formerly taken these positions are further squeezed out of the labour market.

“While the situation seems easier for those graduating from Russell Group universities, the conditions are not ideal for anyone.”

Furthermore, the report also found that employees are increasingly being asked to take on a “zero hour” contract, meaning, they have to be ready to work but there isn’t a guarantee that there will be any work for them.

“Graduates are having difficulty getting traditional graduate jobs,” commented Liam Burns, president of the NUS. “We’re not saying there is no added value in getting a degree but this shows that the idea that a degree is a golden ticket to good, well-paid employment is not true.”

Written by Rebecca | Grads Blog

Seven years ago, I was a starry-eyed, eighteen-year-old fresher starting her first semester at a prestigious Ivy League institution in North America. I was firmly convinced I would concentrate in cellular biology, work in a laboratory crushing tumours (both literally and figuratively), and eventually gain the impressive wherewithal to cure cancer, publishing my awe-inspiring discoveries in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Did I accomplish this lofty goal of mine? Well…no. Not exactly.

Fast-forward to 4 months later: Biology wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, professors were inaccessible (preoccupied in the laboratories conducting their own cancer-curing research ironically enough), and the stench of formaldehyde was more than my stomach could handle on many a Friday afternoon. At the same time, I’d discovered a newfound talent for writing, but pursuing this meant being an unprecedented level of ‘flexible.’

I’d have to return to the drawing board, and start completely from scratch. This meant, of course, deleting all of the foundational medical classes from my course schedule. I’d have to spend hours choosing my new major; I felt as if I were an explorer on an uncharted course through a dusty desert, with only a faded map as a precarious guide. I had to deal with pressure of various sorts and levels; back at home, I had a picture frame of a cartoon character, a gift from my parents when I was about ten—and the caption read ‘Doctor Pang.’

So, no pressure at all. None. Whatsoever.

To add to the fun, I had to graduate on time, which meant taking up to ten classes per semester (the normal course load is four a semester), while taking on a student fundraiser job soliciting donations for the university’s scholarship fund, and continually having to answer to my overprotective mother, sceptical of my future (non-medic) plans.

But I knew what I wanted—to be happy in a career where I could follow my instincts and write to my heart’s content. I put in those hours, and it paid off. In 2009, I gained admission to a law school in New Orleans, with a three-year academic-based scholarship.

Was the work over then? No, no, and no.

To maintain that scholarship, I had to maintain a specified grade point average; one decimal point below and I would be $15,000 USD less in educational funding. It was the ‘Hunger Games’—survival of the fittest, if you will. But (against all odds) I thrived. I was open to a new career path that diverged away from biology into law, and this evolved into international legal studies when I participated in a summer programme in Vienna, Austria through Universität Wien.

Gods, I fell in love with that place—I spent an evening having fresh goat cheese and white wine at a Beethovengang vineyard with fellow law students and professors, and I was hooked. With all of Europe, as a matter of fact. Upon my return in New Orleans, I resolved to return again—no matter how long it would take.

And, three years later in 2012, I found myself accepted to a Russell Group university in England, with a partial international student bursary. I couldn’t be happier; I was able to pursue my love of writing, all amalgamated into a unique LL.M programme in European Health Law and Policy.

And that, my friends, is how I came to England.

The take-away message? Be flexible, and keep your eyes and ears open for every possible magical opportunity out there. And—as always—work your arse off. It’ll pay off eventually, I swear.

Written by Laura Pang | Grads Blog

There comes a time in any student’s career where you are faced with the decision as to whether to write a dissertation or not – there’s not always a choice, sometimes you have to – but the fact remains: whether you choose to do a dissertation, or whether you have to, there are ways of conquering it, even when your word processor seems to have turned into a daunting monster, and you’re scared to open it up. For all the procrastinators out there, this is a handy guide to get yourselves back on track, when you’ve realised that funny cat pictures on the internet are not going to write those 10,000 words for you.

Get off Facebook! Playing games on Facebook is more fun than writing, I know, but there are absolutely more important things to be doing right now! Any distractions you have, online or at home, get away from them – go to a library, change your Facebook passwords until you’ve made enough progress that you’re not having a nervous breakdown (aka. an it’s-due-in-less-than-a-month-and-I’ve-only-done-1,000-words type breakdown.)

Set yourself goals. Make a chart, blow it up, put it in your wall, have a date in mind where you want to have done certain sections of your dissertation, and stick to it. If you’re a procrastinator, you’ve probably left it to the final month to really start anything solid, so you will need to set aside at least 3 hours per day, and try to write about 1,000 – 1,500 words of content (if some of this is waffle, you can edit it out later). Your goals should be flexible, but I know as well as anyone that sometimes that’s not possible!

Get Feedback from your supervisor! Don’t ignore the help you have out there from your tutors, their advice is possibly the most valuable help you will get on your way to finishing your dissertation! They are there to help you, so don’t feel any shame in emailing them – it’s their job to help at the end of the day, and you shouldn’t feel like you are ‘bothering’ them – unless they tell you so!

If you don’t want criticism right now… Ask a friend to proofread for you. Sometimes you just need to hear someone say you’re doing a good job (even if you’re not – but your tutors will tell you if you’re not) and hopefully your friends will provide that boost, so you can keep on keeping on.

Take short breaks. You can take a break from writing, even if you’ve left it to the last minute. Panicked writing isn’t going to turn out well anyway, so allow yourself perhaps half an hour to an hour in-between writing session where you can sit and mellow out with some music or a cup of tea, before getting back to work.

Learn to say no. Your friends will ask you if you want to go out, your mum or dad might want to take you shopping for that thing you’ve always wanted, and you will be suddenly inundated with requests to get away from your computer (at least it will seem that way). You’re going to have to say no for now, you have work to do. Some people might not understand the workload you have right now, but you do, and remember that it is important!  As a procrastinator, you have a lot of work to do, in not a lot of time – one month of not avoiding working won’t hurt you, I promise!

And don’t forget the most important thing! Don’t forget that you CAN do it! You absolutely can, you’ve got this far in your studies, you’ve written essay after essay, sat exams and got through all of that – what’s another piece of work after all of that?

Written by Laura Adair | Grads Blog

Warning: This might not be for you if you’re looking for an inspirational blog about how I’ve succeeded as a graduate. Instead you’ll get the real life frustration the current climate provides a perfect playground for. Call it a minor rant if you will, and if you find you feel the same keep reading my future posts because I do have some ideas on how to reanimate my potential career. But first we need to be clear about the circumstances.

Graduating from university was and still is my greatest achievement; it really felt as if I had accomplished something of relevance. My work has been rewarded with a degree and the chance to start a career in public relations…or so I thought. It is now almost exactly ten months since that proud moment and it hasn’t been precisely what I expected (surprise surprise); and by that I mean nothing like it. Of course you’ve heard this before. Dreams of securing a junior account executive position quickly turned into hopes for an entry level position/paid internship and that turned into becoming a call centre customer adviser for Amazon. Not quite the ‘progression’ I had fantasised about during those long hours of writing my dissertation on corporate social responsibility and ethical trading.  But it’s not all doom and gloom they tell me; “It’s the unluckiest time to be a graduate, you just have to hang in there!” seems to be the mantra for fresh graduates; and as the financial situation worsens I can feel the new generation lining up behind me, ready for the fight of their lives.

“So what’s your brilliant advice then?” you must be thinking by now. Well, the first step is to figure out what you want to do; I mean what you REALLY want to do. Because it will take ten times the work your predecessors had to put in and you’ll not have the drive to do it otherwise. That’s the truth. Accept that and we’ll take it from there…

Written by Andrei Marian | Grads Blog

I think it’s fair to say that in the final year of university work takes over. On top of that there’s the consideration of post-graduate life and a future career or study. With all of that taking up the majority of time: the hours spent in the library, the constant checking of jobsites, filling in application forms and the lectures and seminars you really can’t afford to miss, it’s easy to end up with a full schedule and no time for a social life.

However, you only get to be a student once! So I have vowed to make the most of my final months as a student and I’m embracing everything that is being a student.  I’ve compiled a small list of things I must do before I graduate:

1. Use the student bar more often- the food and drinks are cheap and it has that student atmosphere you can’t find anywhere else!
2. Stay out/up all night- those hilarious conversations with friends at 6am are not to be missed.
3. Fancy Dress- It’s much more acceptable when you’re a student to go out in a really stupid outfit.
4. Use student discount- I really could do with some more clothes! It can also be used for all sorts of other things, in my University you can get cheap tickets to events such as gigs, comedy nights, plays etc so I’m going to try and fit as many in as possible.
5. Make a new friend- It’s so easy to just go up to people on campus (whether in the library, café, in a corridor) and just start up a conversation. It may not go down to well if you just did that randomly on the streets.
6. Spend time with my classmates- I’m in quite a small class and we’ve all got to know each other so well over the last few years, It’ll be strange not seeing them every day once we’ve finished.

I still can’t believe the three years are almost over so in between my manic hours of reading/writing/revising/applying for jobs I’m going to make the most of the time I have left to make sure I finish University with a bang!

Written by Sian R | Grads Blog

Yes it’s assignment time again, and I’m out of wine. The Malteasers are gone too. Pizza Hut celebrations are a thing of the past. The new financial tax year has begun. These little comfort luxuries are now consigned to the lottery win.

All the budget changes have lined up to ensure that luxuries are a treat, not an entitlement. So outside of study I have been hunting ways to feed the family without needing to use the credit cards!

Science tells us our brains work better with a balanced diet, and as I’m not one for Pot Noodles, or even the cheapest versions of Koka noodles from the local Home Bargains. Most of the stereotypical student-out-of-the-packet- nosh is not enough for me and my family.

As batch cooking saves on fuel costs, I raided the nearest pound shop for freezable food storage and set to cooking up a storm. You do get inventive when trying to stretch a budget.

Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagne – so much cheaper when you avoid the pre-made jars, better for you, and far more filling too. Thanks to the horse-meat scandal quality minced meat (Yes, best to call it meat don’t you think?) is on offer in most places. Home-made burgers too!

Did you know that if you cook a batch of jacket potatoes in the oven, let them cool and wrap them in tin foil you can freeze them? I didn’t until recently. I can still enjoy the luxury of the crispy jacket, rather than the pallid squishy thing the microwave spits out.

Of course, any savvy student would be lost without voucher sites, Facebook promos, and the plethora of hot deals and Tesco mis-prices. Gone are the days where I trawl YouTube out of boredom, now I hunt money-saving sites for hints, tips and bargains. How sad is that?

After my research at the library on campus, the aroma of fresh coffee lost out to the stomach rumbling richness of a roast beef dinner. The best meals are those that are cooked for you, after all. No washing up, bonus! As a full time student I think I would make more use of the cafeteria: decent meals at an affordable price, get my five a day in!

Trips to University are limited to twice a week. Fuel costs money too, doesn’t it? I’d do away with the car but then how would I get to Uni? How could I hope to travel to where the jobs are?

At a push I can live on £53 a week, at a push.

Written by Michelle Horst | Grads Blog

Your CV is one of the key elements of the job application process; some of you will probably spend hours perfecting this one page of writing in the hope that it will catch the eye of prospective employers. Currently, it is more likely that your CV will be piled up amongst the many other graduate career hungry hopefuls.

So how do you stand out? More than ever it has become apparent that experience is a necessity when applying for the job of your dreams, especially in overcrowded industries. To even get a sniff of the job you want, you must have some prior experience in that role.

Internships can be the opportunity to gain longer periods of experience in your preferred role, however, internships are not an option for everyone. Internships do offer a full annual (liveable) salary but the competition for those internships is high. Instead, many people searching for experience are left with internships which do not offer payment or, if they’re lucky, offer travel and lunch expenses. For many, this type of internship is not financially realistic and has left many graduates struggling to gain the experience they need to attain the career they want.

Fortunately, the UK government has made some changes so that if you are classed as a ‘worker’ during your internship you are entitled to a minimum wage. Nevertheless, if you are classed as a ‘volunteer’ or if you’re shadowing other workers you are still not entitled to any pay.

Perhaps the problem here is not internships but the employers themselves. The employers who demand more and more experienced applicants; their demands so high that even the entry level jobs demand some level of experience.

Many questions have been raised here, but it has been established that more leniencies should be provided to the graduates of today. On the one hand, more employers should be offering entry level roles to less experienced applicants. On the other, there should be a larger variety of internships being offered which offer minimum wage. If these were to happen, I believe that we would also see, and benefit from, a decrease in youth unemployment.

If you are unsure of your rights as an intern in the UK, take a look at this sight and see what you’re owed: https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns

Written by Emily Clegg | Grads Blog

Like most university students, I too, am on a strict budget from back home. Not only do I have clear instructions on how much money to spend, but my dad is also particular about looking at my bank statement at the end of the month. So much so, that he makes me send them through people going India because he doesn’t believe in technology.

Compared to where I come from, the UK is quite expensive. Be it food, clothes or other essentials, unless you’re not smart with money, you’re going to end up having empty wallets and an overdrawn bank account. I went crazy splurging on eating out with friends, movies every weekend, clubbing ever so often and retail therapy, amongst essentials like groceries and toiletries. Of course it wasn’t the best thing to do and I ended up with an ugly looking bank statement and a long lecture from back home. My parents told me to spend “wisely”. Unsure of what it meant, I spent hours on Google, trying to come up with ways to save money, yet have a good time like everyone else.

My love for movies is interminable. It’s a perfect relaxation after a long weekend, heck, watching movies doesn’t really require reasons. So I researched a bit and found out about a magical card known as the “Unlimited Card”. Instead of spending about 30-40/month quid on movies, I was now told that my favourite outing was just 15 quid away i.e., unlimited movies FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH!

Now came the time to cut down on spending on eating out. I came across a popular website known as “Studentbeans” and oh boy, it’s like my bible. It literally has the answers to all my questions. From finding a job at the local store, to discounts and free giveaways, this site has it all. You just make an account and explore the drool-worthy world of studentbeans. So far, I’ve got my hands on a few discount coupons, membership cards at my favourite restaurants, free sachets of tea and coffee, perfume samples, discounts at fashion boutiques and amazing mobile phone deals. I even managed to get a free cookbook, with budgeted meals for students like myself.

I then decided to work on spending wisely on my groceries. I logged onto the website of the local grocery store and signed up for the club card. It basically builds up on points every time you buy something from the store, and once you have a certain amount of points, they send you discount coupons and other exciting offers. I also looked at the prices of all the food I usually buy. I didn’t want to be lazy and order online (well they charge 3 pounds for that) so I made a list of all the healthy, cheap and essential groceries, carefully researching and finding good prices, went over to the store and returned happy and not so poor! This has now become a part of my monthly routine.

Basically, while trying to manage my money, I learnt how to save for a rainy day. I learnt how to do smart shopping and spend “wisely”.  I never really thought that coming to university would teach me how to shop carefully. Apart from my course, I am now a smart shopper and an independent young girl who knows when and where to spend her money. My efforts to save money made my parents realize how important it was to send me overseas and let me live independently. From being “The Girl Who Spends A Lot”, I’m now “The Girl Who Saves Money”.

Written by Surabhi | Grads Blog

There are endless mentors and advisors telling you to do this, apply for that, try this out, and set your goals here. But maybe in this fast-paced world of the lightning-speed, we should all slow down a bit, listen to the complaints of our inner child, and reminisce a little. Once we start on our careers, there won’t be much time to look back at the years we rushed past on our way to growing up. So sit back, relax, and take a minute to remember the 90’s:

1. Beanie Babies – You collected hundreds. Not just because they were cute and cuddly, but because they would definitely be worth hundreds one day. Some day.
2. Pokemon cards – You had to catch them all too in order to become the ultimate master, trainer, and collector of cards that would be worth just as much as your beanie baby collection. Maybe even offer a beanie-baby-pokemon-card discount deal—depending on how the market looked.
3. Tamagotchis – Sure it may have died a couple times, but the beauty of an electronic pet that lives in a 2 by 2, 8-bit screen the size of a keychain is the ability to respawn.
4. Yo-yos – The plan was to master walking the dog and then go ‘round the world. After learning all the tricks, you’d get your hands on one of those light-up models, but save it for the world yo-yo championship.
5. Rubik’s cubes – These drove you crazy. After tearing off the plastic packaging, you mixed up the colors so well that you couldn’t get the colors sorted back. Forget it. Let’s pick up yo-yoing again.
6. Hopscotch – Endless fun hopping about like a one-legged chicken. Just a fresh sidewalk and some chalk and society accepted your craziness.
7. Kick scooters – Coolest set of two-wheelers a ten-year-old could own. Yes, Dad. I need these along with my bicycle too. It’s a totally different concept of wheeling!
8. Double-dutch – One rope, two ropes, three ropes, four! Rope-jumping on steroids.
9. Super balls – Because who doesn’t need a mini ball with abnormal levels of bounce?
10. Gameboys – 8-bit Mario. Best. Game. Ever.

Who knows? Maybe a glance back at the younger years will reveal an ideal life that only childhood imagination could dare to dream up.

Written by Cindy | Grads Blog

So, I’m two months away from finishing my degree. Three years, two institutions, and a whole lot of reality TV later, I’ve come to the beginning of my life and I’m not sure I’m ready. I mean, what happens now? Nobody will shut up about how hard it is to get a job out here, nor about how expensive being alive is, so I’m pretty much in panic-mode at the moment.

It’s not that I don’t know what I want to do, I want to write, no doubt about it. This is my plan A. I want to write loads of things – poetry, articles, and short stories – but that’s not the hard part. Anyone can be a writer, all you need are working fingers and something to write with (if you have no fingers, I’ll be your scribe), the hard part is getting paid.

Since college I’ve gone through a number of plan Bs that will get me paid while I do what I really want to do. However each plan goes through a life-cycle and with all life-cycles death is the inevitable end. The cycle looks something like this:

1. I find something that pays alright that I wouldn’t mind doing.

2. I hype myself up about it and get excited.

3. I find out ways to pursue it.

4. I start to pursue it then realise that I don’t actually want to do it.

5. It dies.

And maybe I’m being too picky, jobs aren’t falling in people’s laps…so maybe I should just accept what I get. The problem is, I’m not even getting anything. Apart from that minor detail, I’m terrified that I’ll end up in something I hate, get comfortable, and spend the rest of my days hating waking up in the mornings.

Written by Damilola | Grads Blog