Halls of Residence

This is my third year in halls of residence!! Three years in the same building, same flat and same room!
I bet your thinking first year, fair enough it makes sense to live in halls but second and third year?! Yeah that was my reaction in second year! I could not believe I was in halls for a second year! 

My friends and I tried to get a house! We really did, but every time we found a house that we liked, that was not too far from campus, we would call the owner only to be told: this house is no longer available! Someone just signed the contract! This happened EVERY TIME! We kept looking, during the summer after first year-we were still looking and when Second year was about to start we started panicking! We had nowhere to live! So we all applied for halls, again! -.- 

I called Medway’s accommodation office and they were lovely! They gave me a room! But it was on the top floor! The thought of carrying my entire luggage to the third floor! Oh no! I’m out of breath just by the thought!  So I asked for another room that was not on the ground floor or the top floor and lo and behold I got the same room I had in my first year.

The University offer a system whereby you are able to put down the names of friends you would like to live with, my friend and I took advantage of this and put one another’s names down. During the second year all of us flat mates got along so well, we decided to live together in halls for another year! So we all have the same rooms and the same flat. I know this may seem quite absurd to most of you, but it works for us. We are all quite lazy and if we lived far from Campus, we wouldn't come in, a risk none of us were willing to take in our third year. Also, the Medway campus offered a new facility during exam time-the library stayed open till 3am!

I’m actually quite happy with regards to my living arrangements this year. I get to live with some of my really close friends J

2012

2013

Third Year

Third year has officially started! :o I don’t know where the 92 days of my 2013 summer went let alone the first two years of University! 

We have been allocated supervisors and been told what Final Year projects we are to complete.
When picking your final year project you get three choices. I got my Second choice (I’m not sure what’s going on with me missing out on my first choices, first University and now final year projects. At least I got my second choice) which was Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology. My first choice was Cancer Biology. 

There is quite difference between them (looking past the obvious-nerves/CNS and cancer). Cancer Biology is a Laboratory based Project while Neuroscience is a literature based project. There is a huge and on-going debate about which one is harder, however, in my opinion anything in life is hard, so that’s not my concern. I am worried about employment though. I have ‘heard’ emphasis on the ‘heard’ that some employers prefer Laboratory based projects (I hope I don’t apply to any of them).  

I’m still not sure what area in neuroscience I am going to write about but I’m starting to get quite excited. I hope it is excitement I’m feeling. I get to write 10 thousand words on a particular neurodegenerative disease, I get to read and critically evaluate other people, I mean scientists experiments. I get to write everything in my own words because if I plagiarise it’s an instant fail. And once I have bound and handed in my project I get to present my work in the form of a poster in front of an academic who grades me! 

Yeah, I’m pretty excited. 

Moving out

In 2011 I started University; I moved out of our family home and came to live on campus. Shopping for University supplies was by far the most tedious task I have ever carried out. I tried to be efficient and think of everything I would need. I made lists, so for Bedroom, I listed all the things my room would need, then the same for kitchen and bathroom and a completely separate list for stationary (my stationary is that privileged). I also came armed with disinfectant and Dettol wipes. 

On moving day my mum and brother accompanied me. I had to drag my brother along because I knew I would need help carrying things. After cleaning my room and unpacking, I was actually quite pleased with myself. I had packed everything, forgotten nothing and everything was in order. My family and I went to have dinner and then we said our goodbyes and I went to my room to try to set up the internet (which did not work for 8 days! As the system had crashed).

I’m not an outgoing, chatty person, so saying Hi to others wasn't easy during the induction week, but I gave it my best. I met a lot of people and also made some really close friends. However, my point of writing this is to tell you about what happened during the induction week. 

A friend of mine and I decided to make wraps, I had all the ingredients and we thought it would be nice to have for lunch. When we got to my kitchen, I got all the supplies out and was about to start cooking, only when I realised, I HAD FORGOTTEN THE OIL! I remembered the bath mat but forgot the oil! Oil-a key ingredient for anything you may want to cook and I didn't even think of it. 

The point is you won’t remember everything, none of us do. But what you should remember is you’re at University! You've finally finished and left school; some of you may even move out and leave your home town. This is a new chapter in your lives. Make the most of every moment and every opportunity! Not everyone gets an opportunity like this! We get to party, study and learn how to stand on our own two feet. We are creating our futures! Let’s enjoy ourselves in the process. 

Good Luck :D