Eleanor’s blog – 22 May

Hi everyone,

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks but I’ve just got one exam to go!

Since my last post I’ve submitted an assignment, done endless revision, sat 2 exams, completed my whole year portfolio, took part in my driving teacher’s check test, and PASSED MY DRIVING TEST! At last! My lessons had been going a lot slower trying to juggle going home for lessons and uni, so it’s taken me a bit longer than most people to learn to drive. But so pleased to have passed first time!

University wise, it’s been really busy as it’s exam time. I also had a mad panic to finish my portfolio, a file documenting everything I did on placement, in preparation for it and afterwards. I, stupidly, instead of doing this straight after placement in November when it would have been fresh in my head, left it until 2 weeks ago to start it…

…To START writing it.
Oh dear.

Needless to say, it involved a lot of speed writing and reams and reams of printing. Thankfully, I had a lot of resources in note form which I did on placement that I was able to copy up. I would not recommend to ANYONE to leave a piece of work so last minute, it’s never going to be your best work and is not worth the sleepless nights!

Now I’ve finished lectures and handed everything in for the rest of the year, it’s just been concentration on revision- as I mentioned in my last post I’ve come home from uni to revise  as it’s a lot more peaceful (and clean). There are countless places on campus to work and revise, including the library which has different zones for silence, quiet and group work, as well as the brand new Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, amongst many many others.

My last exam is tomorrow, and then it’s summer! The exam period for the University of Manchester runs for another couple of weeks, into the start of June, but us SLTs have had all our exams quite close together. To celebrate the end of exams I’ll be going to see an amazing band called Streetlight Manifesto, who have vowed never to tour again, so it should be pretty special!

Back to revision now though, see you on the other side!

Adam’s blog – 21 May

Hi all!

I have been spending a lot of time in the University Library and the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons this week. My exams are rapidly approaching so, throughout the days, I have been taking time to read through my lecture notes and textbooks, whilst listening to the podcasts and other learning resources that my tutors have provided us with. 

As a reward for maintaining my hectic revision schedule, I went to watch Baz Luhrmann’s production of The Great Gatsby yesterday, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had read the book by Scott F. Fitzgerald when I was studying for my GCSEs, and I felt Luhrmann coloured the narrative exactly as I did; the parties were lavish, and DiCaprio captured the character of Jay Gatsby perfectly. 

The city of Manchester has a great number of cinemas to view the latest releases at. The largest of these is the Odeon, which features an IMAX screen that measures at 18.8 metres high by 26.3m wide! This cinema is found within the Printworks: a large entertainment complex that is located at the heart of the city.

There, you can also find a multitude of clubs, restaurants, bars, and a gym, making it a hotspot for students and workers alike both during the day and at night. Almost all of the venues within the Printworks offer discounts to students upon the production of their ID card, ranging from free entry to reduced food and drink costs, making it an ideal location to socialise with friends! You can have a take a virtual tour of the location here.
 
Best of luck in your exams!

Adam’s blog – 10 May

Hi all!

I hope the revision is going okay! The weather in Manchester has been fine this week; the sun has finally come out!

The University campus is, once again, buzzing as everyone’s end-of-year exams and coursework deadlines rapidly approach. Since it’s been hot outside, many residents within Whitworth Park have been sitting around campus and enjoying the Mancunian rays whilst they revise (…which makes a change from the usual hotspots of the University of Manchester Library and the Learning Commons!).

My first exam is on the 22May so, like Eleanor, I’m currently busy revising key topics and ensuring that I’ve covered all of my courses’ material. Thankfully, all of my tutors have provided students with additional revision resources, such as quizzes, worksheets, and extra readings that all focus on areas of the course that students, both past and present, have found difficult to understand.

In the exam season, tutors also extend their office hours, providing students with more contact time than usual. Office hours are a perfect opportunity for students to talk, either alone or in a group, to the member of staff who is leading their modules. By attending individual one-to-one meetings, the informants are able to give more detailed answers to any questions that students may have. As most of the staff within the university are active researchers themselves, they are able to provide an up-to-date perspective about the subject in question. 

From my own experiences, I have found that spending time discussing issues and working through practice exam papers with members of staff proves to be incredibly helpful. 

Mentors are also useful for more administrative advice, and guidance on how to progress through the various levels of your degree programmes. Over the next few weeks, all current first-year and second-year students are required to choose the modules that they wish to pursue in the coming academic year. As I am a joint honours student (half of my degree is English Literature, and the other half is Linguistics) I have to ensure that all of my options work together, and that none of the lectures clash with each other. Course directors and academic advisors are the perfect contacts to see in order to ensure that your degree programme is as enjoyable as possible. 

Best of luck to everyone who has exams and coursework deadlines in the coming weeks. Remember: the short-term pain of revision is worth its long-term gains!

Eleanor’s blog – 1 May

Hello again!

Last week I was working as a student ambassador at an NHS cadets discover day. I worked at the same event last year, but it was an opportunity for college and 6^th form students who are NHS cadets to get an insight into what studying at Manchester on a healthcare course is like, along with entry requirements and tips for applying. I was charged with giving tours of the campus, completing 6 tours in all and I actually ended up sun burnt by the end of it! Made a bit of a change to all the snow we had recently, hopefully the weather will stay a bit better.

With it being the last few weeks of lectures, there’s a lot to do for getting ready for leaving Manchester and handing in the last few pieces of work. I’d completely forgotten I have a huge portfolio to hand in at the start of May so that’s a whole other piece of work I didn’t even know I had! We’re also leaving the house we’ve lived in this year for a different one, also in Withington but this time for 5 of us- the 2 girls I live with at the moment along with 2 friends we’ve met over the last 2 years. This year, I was living with people we’d met from a forum on the internet as none of us had a houseful of people to live with- I moved halls in my first year and by the time I’d become friends with the people from my new halls they’d already chosen houses and households. This year has mostly been fine, but I’m looking forward to living with proper friends next year, it’s fair to say all the boys I live with have different standards of what constitutes a ‘clean’ house than I do!

I’ll be moving a lot of my things out at the end of lectures, coming back for exams and to pick up the rest of my stuff at the end of June when I move into the new house, just purely because I’ll revise a lot better at home in a lovely clean house  -with free electricity – Thanks Mum… but a lot of people choose to stay at university throughout exams and sometimes during the summer as well. That’s probably something I’ll do in July and August when I’m rearranging and unpacking in the new house! There’s also talk of maybe getting a pet rabbit or two between us next year which will be very exciting! Getting a pet at university isn’t a decision to take lightly, we’d need to make sure there was always someone to look after it and spend time with it (and clean out the hutch) in the week and the weekend as well. A few of us have had pet rabbits before so know how to look after them and keep them happy. We’ve specifically asked the landlord if we would be allowed, and the current tenants have a rabbit which we saw when we went to view the house. I’ll be in Manchester for my 4^th year and two of my friends plan to stay in Manchester after their 3^rd year as well so there’d be someone to stay around to keep the bunnies happy. Some of the names being banded around the moment include Avril Lavigne, Sabrina the teenage bunny witch, and Barbara. We’ll keep thinking.

Also the 2014 entry University of Manchester prospectus is now available, featuring yours truly! I’m famous

Eleanor’s blog – 22 April

Hello everyone!

I’m back in Manchester after a lovely Easter break at home ready for my last few weeks before I complete my second year. Easter was a good time to relax before the exam period coming up in March, and I spent a fair portion of it eating chocolate eggs. I also went on a 12 mile walk around two of the reservoirs in my area (why? I will never know as towards the end I felt like I needed carrying home) and was hoping to do a bit more walking but those plans were scuppered by SNOW - in March… A white Easter?! It’s been freezing! On the rare occasion I did manage to leave the house (this is the countryside remember, when I say snow I mean A LOT of snow) I ventured out to Buxton, of Buxton Water fame, the nearest town to where I live. Although I’ve lived in the area all my life, I had a touristy day wandering round the Pavilion Gardens and visiting the spring water from which is now drunk in bottles up and down the country. I also went in a lovely second hand bookshop, spread over five floors with books of every age and genre, it’s a great place to get lost and spend an afternoon!

All the snow did give me a great excuse to stay inside and complete my uni assignments, I had two to finish over the three weeks I spent at home. So apologies for not posting anything sooner, my mind has been full of dysarthria, phonemes, augmented communication devices, phonetic inventories and lots and lots of referencing. I came back to Manchester a few days before my lectures began again to beaver away in the library and to use some books from the high demand section. Often, important and sought-after books are found in this section and can only be taken out for a few days or a few hours at a time to allow others to have a chance to read them as well. Luckily for me I was done with my high demand books after just a few hours so was able to return them for some of my fellow SLT students to use for their assignment too!

With those assignments finished, it means I just have one more piece of work to hand in and three exams before my second year is officially over! Scary stuff!

Adam’s blog – 10 April

Hi everyone!

I hope you have had a nice Easter, and have enjoyed your break from studying! The Insight to Geography day turned out great! A lot of students from nearby colleges came to find out what the subject is like at university-level, and many left the workshop with aspirations of seeking further knowledge in the field.

For the majority of the Easter break, I have been living back in my hometown.  Most students tend not to stay in University accommodation over holiday periods, although many – myself included – opt to return a week or so before lectures resume in order to finalise assignments, read set texts, and catch up on revision notes from previous weeks.

As it is nearing exam season again, the university is becoming much busier; areas such as the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and the University of Manchester Library are being visited more frequently by students from all disciplines and schools of academia. Thankfully, the newly built learning commons and the sheer size of our main library gives enough space for revision to anyone who wishes to do it – there are always computers open for use, and course books that feature required readings are still available days before exams. These spaces are also both 24/7! (…Which is great for late night revision sessions with friends – trust me, it’ll happen!).

It was one of my flat mate’s birthdays this week, so we decided to head into town. As Eleanor has mentioned in a number of her posts, Manchester has a great nightlife; the city features every form of entertainment that one could want in a relatively compact and easily accessible space. Aside from the many restaurants, pubs, clubs, and festivals that take place, Manchester boasts both impressive sport and cultural heritage.

Although football is widely recognised as our greatest export, cycling, cricket and swimming are also dignified, providing sporting action to anyone who desires it! The university hosts an array of societies that ensure that students can find like-minded individuals to competitively play or casually train with; from dodgeball to Latin dancing, the groups allow people to connect frequently and enjoy the recreational activities that they most enjoy.

Culturally, there are vast assortments of performance-based locations available to both watch and participate in dramas, orchestras, or even operas. The Contact Theatre, located centrally on the University’s south campus site, is utilised by students to host performances, many of which are free to watch!

Eleanor’s blog – 21 March

Hello it’s me again

Apologies for my lack of a posting, last week saw me give two presentations, sit an exam, start writing an assignment, write up some work for a seminar and just about have time to do some Student Ambassador work. There’s always a flurry of activity before any kind of break from lectures, as is coming up soon with the Easter break. I can’t believe 2^nd year is nearly over already!

Apart from all that Uni work, last week went by pretty uneventfully. As a nice break from doing work, I went for a swimming session at The Aquatic Centre on Oxford Road. Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, it houses an olympic size swimming pool as well as a a training pool, diving area, gym and fitness studios. If you show your student card you get a discount as well which is always nice. I haven’t been swimming in so so so long, and I realised that I was genuinely the slowest person in the entire pool. Including all the children and old people that were there. I went with my housemate and she was literally able to walk alongside me in the water. I think a bit of practice would do me good!

Something which I don’t think I’ve mentioned in my blog before is the fact that almost every other weekend throughout 2nd year I’ve been hopping on a train to Sheffield as my boyfriend is at university there. It’s probably a big worry for a lot of people who are in relationships that once you go off to uni it’ll be really hard not seeing your boyfriend/girlfriend if you end up in different places across the country. Not going to lie it can be a bit hard sometimes, especially if one of you is feeling down or in a bad mood and the other is busy or unable to do anything to help. We’ve managed pretty well so far, with things like skype and obviously texts and phonecalls. We see each other most weekends with Manchester and Sheffield being only a train journey apart, and booked in advance with a 16-25 railcard it’s not more expensive than any other weekend activity would be really!

I think if we’d have been going out at the beginning of 1^st year, as freshers it would have been far more difficult to make time for each other as that’s when you have to be busy making friends and finding your feet. It can work out just fine though, so don’t despair if that situation is looming for you this September! Sometimes I even think it’s slightly preferable to not live in the same city, this way we still have time to spend with our respective friends and get work done without being in each others’ pockets all the time. If we break up at least we won’t have to see each other around uni afterwards(!).