Monday 18 April 2011

Speaking from experience...

5 things a first year needs to know:

1. The course is hard work, you need to be committed.
2. How to cook.
3. There is no such thing as a day off!
4. It's not worth buying an iron, you will never use it.
5. How to manage your time!

5 problems a first year will encounter:

1. Lack of sleep.
2. Lack of money.
3. There is never enough hours in the day, or days in the week!
4. Finding a part time job/ having a part time job is hard work!
5. Finding the time/ motivation to eat healthy, exercise and have "me" time.

5 rules a first year needs to know:

1. Keep the studios tidy.
2. Blog everything!
3. Don't miss briefings.
4. Don't be late.
5. Don't upset Fred.



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The evidence:


Part time jobs:

I can speak from experience when it comes to balancing uni and part time work, as i do have a weekend job. I work at Argos on the Headrow, i managed to get the job because i tranfered from home, when we started the course i was doing nearly a full day saturday and sunday and then an evening or two through the week. I hadn't anticipated the work load would be so much on the course, with all the work and the hours i was doing at work, i felt tired a lot and lost motivation sometimes to do uni work. I spoke to my boss about my hours and he was happy to cut them down to weekends only with less hours, he is very flexible but i doubt all bosses are like this.

If you are looking for work really think about the hours you would be able to manage along with your uni work load, because at the end of the day your degree is more important.

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Cooking:

It helps to know how to cook a few decent meals or at least the imagination to fix something up with a load of random ingredients. Yeah of course theres always take aways..but not all the time unless your heading to become morbidly obese whilst your at uni! Buy a student cook book or get friends and family to write out a few quick and easy recipes for you. You can always cook more than you need and freeze the rest for another time.





The hard work:

So you tell people about your course and the amount of work you get and what do they say?... 'oh it cant be that bad'. They dont have a clue, the course expects a lot from you, 100% commitment and dedication, but just because its hard work, doesnt mean it isnt fun...because it is! You will get out of your degree what you put into it, dont mope about a rubbish grade if you know you didnt put all your effort into it.

You can be working on like 5 briefs at any one time, at first its hard to get your head around and you really do feel like you have no life. But as you progress through the year you learn to find a balance between graphic design time and you time (it takes a lot of practise to find the perfect balance). Just dont let people put you off by the work load, because it is so worth it!




The Questionnaire:

- How have you found your first year on the course?

- What has been the best part of the first year?

- What has been the worst part of the first year?

- What is the most important thing you have learnt?

- Have you managed to manage your money?

- Have you managed to manage your time?

- Have you found a good balance between work and play?







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