5 Ways University Helped Me out of My Shell

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Picture a lonely young teen, reading her Harry Potter in the corner while wistfully admiring those laughing with their friends in the playground below. Yep, that’s me.

Okay so maybe I wasn’t THAT bad but up until last year, I was a shy little Indian girl nervous about making friends and ‘finding herself’ at university. A year on and at a recent family meal, an uncle tells me how I used to be so shy and have really come into my own since starting university. I still think I have a long while to go, but I believe my time so far has provided a great head start. It can be hard being shy and introverted especially at university, especially in an environment which encourages openness and loud personalities. These are just a few things that helped me develop. And if the biggest sceptic/pessimist can do it (that’s me if you didn’t guess), there’s no reason you can’t!

 

1. Make an effort with flatmates

This is probably most applicable to first years but still relevant; after all, you do live with these people! Try as much to secure strong friendships with these people as you’re going to be seeing a hell of a lot of them. I was worried that I was too quiet (and quite frankly a little too weird) for my group of friends until we all became close enough to really be ourselves. You might think you’re an exception to the rule but give it time, trust me. 

2. Join societies

With regular meet-ups and induction events for newcomers, societies are the perfect way to meet new people and develop your social skills. If you’re like me and Ladies Hockey slightly intimidates you, join something more on your wavelength. I do believe the Cheese and Chocolate society is looking for a new president and has your name written all over it! If you’re worried about braving it alone like I was (and probably still am) then there’s no reason not to get your friends involved to help you gain confidence in large groups.

3. Make friends on the course

When you don’t think there can be anything better than the friendships you’ve made in your halls, your course mates can surprise you. I honestly feel I’ve made some of my closest friends on my course and it was with the people I’d least expect to get on with. It’s even easier to strike up a conversation because you can moan about how much you hate/dread your lecturer or how you haven’t done the seminar work. (Student life am I right?)

4. Engage in intellectual debate

If you aren’t the most outspoken person like myself, little victories such as participating in a mini debate between your peers or your friends can make you feel on top of the world. Voicing your opinions even if it’s not as much as others in your group doesn’t matter because it still counts as a personal milestone.

5. Life begins outside of your comfort zone

Lastly, whenever I feel nervous about doing something new I just think about how university is about trying new experiences. These three years of discovery won’t come around again and you’ll be filled with regret if you don’t make the most of them. Of course it’s about studying but it’s also a time for personal development before you enter that big, scary thing they call ‘the real world’. Why not make the most of it?

Original post found here: https://medium.com/@EdAid/university-helped-me-out-of-my-shell-3659677ae370#.zaz70scnj

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Boozy Britain: Are We Encouraging Alcoholism in Our Youth?

 Imagens Evangélicas / Flickr

Now I enjoy several drinks as much as the next student, but how much is too much? With many uni events solely based on alcohol, I find myself sympathising with those who don’t drink – there is very little left in uni culture if you don’t ‘down it, fresher’! I personally know people who just don’t like drinking or simply can’t for their own health, and I can’t help but wonder if we should do more to combat our overly boozy culture.

In a 2010 study, 83% of students in the UK classified themselves as drinkers, which means only a mere 17% chose the sober way of life. So why do we students drink our own body weight in liquor, I hear you eagerly ask?

I believe it boils down to a simple fear of missing out (or FOMO); when almost all social activities are based on drinking games and not being able to remember the night before, it’s no wonder we are a generation of binge-drinkers and budding alcoholics. What’s more striking is the way uni culture promotes this behavior, as if harbouring a hangover on a Sunday morning is almost expected of you. You’re labelled as ‘boring’, ‘no fun’ and a ‘killjoy’ if you don’t participate in Ring of Fire as opposed to your peers who can’t go one day without drinking.

 In the real world, this would be a form of acute alcoholism, yet in university culture, it’s acceptable. If you find yourself in the minority that doesn’t drink, I would suggest immersing yourself in similar company; heck, there are even some societies that dedicate themselves to not drinking, you shouldn’t be made to feel alien for not completely destroying your poor liver.

I’m not saying you should abstain completely, but maybe the Italians are on the right lines with their culture of drinking with food rather than shotting with Sarah (or any friend of your choice). By all means get to the merry stage, but is it really fun when Sarah is holding your hair up while you’re being sick in the grimiest club at three in the morning? Of course it is completely understandable when you’re bogged down with hundreds of assignments while juggling a social life to have a drink (or seven), but before you know it you’re being carried home on a stretcher (because every decent club has a spare stretcher going) and I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s not the way to end a night.

There is no shame in curling up with your favourite stuffed monkey (shout-out to Albi) while watching a bit of Benedict Cumberbatch in the evening. I don’t know about you, but to me, that sounds like heaven on Earth. Even the hardest party animals need a break and unwind with a four hour Come Dine With Me marathon especially when you’re watching sore losers. Even trips such as going to the theatre, or watching a movie makes a pleasant change and don’t come with the added plus of a hangover the next morning.

Maybe it’s different in other universities, but I feel like more of an effort should be made for sober socials. Don’t get me wrong, I acknowledge the effort that is currently being made to combat this, such as the £90,000 spent on tackling initiation drinking, but I feel like this is an issue that should be more at the forefront for societies in general – especially those with a notorious reputation.

Enjoyment is fine in moderation, as is not wanting to drink at all. However maybe Universities should do more to combat student alcoholism, or at least supply more supervision to tackle dangerous coercive drinking. I’m not putting my Gin + Lemonade down just yet, but I’m thinking about it.

Original post can be found here: http://thebroaduk.com/2016/01/09/boozy-britain-are-we-encouraging-alcoholism-in-our-youth/ 

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This Is the Post That Shows You I'm Lovable

So it's 2016!!11!! What did you all do for NYE? I had a wicked awesome time with my friends from home and we got so wavy but it was all good because we had fun playing drunk Twister and then Stacey got her head stuck in a bin lid. Here's a photo before things got a bit messy, just to rub it in your face that I'm really sociable and my squad is better than yours. #squadgoals #bingate #lefthandblue

Now I'm sorry to get all serious on y'all but 2015 was a very tough time for me. I chipped a nail (it was my favourite nail!!!) and to top it all off, my selfish sister sat on my favourite sunglasses! Now how will I pretend I'm outside sunbathing on a deck chair when I'm really in my bedroom with a lamp on my face?! I know you're probably sympathising with me a ton right now, but what I'm getting at here is that you should all remember to stay positive guys! I haven't shown anyone yet (hi mum) but to make myself stay constantly happy and ban myself from feeling any other emotion ever, I got this neat little tattoo on my wrist! Notice how the 't' is a cross because I'm not religious at all but it looks totes cute, right? What do you guys think?! Tell me in the comments below! #bigunveiling #deathofahashtag

Last week marked an important cornerstone in my life, I hit 1 million zombies followers! I'd like to take the time to not only promote my new clothes line but to thank my supporters. Without you guys I wouldn't be where I am today and although I have more money than sense (and am generally sorted for the rest of my life), I still think it's important to lull you into a false sense of security and act like I need your loyalty. I really appreciate all the love and support.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

Where do I go next? What does the future have in store for me? What career will I have for the rest of my life? These are just an array of questions I ask myself from time to time, and now with the second year of my degree in full swing, alarm bells have started ringing as these questions need to be answered.

As melodramatic as it sounds, I used to think I knew what I wanted to do with my life - I had it all planned out from the word go. I was adamant that museum curating was my calling, therefore everything I had done thus far was done with this in mind; the time spent volunteering at countless museums, not to mention my recent British Museum summer school opportunity. Of course I value every experience, but I can't help but feeling it's a waste if I don't want to go down this career path anymore. It suddenly struck me that the job I had been working towards all my life may not be my dream job anymore, and I have to admit, my world was turned a little upside down.

This panic probably stems from the fact that I'm twenty nothing now (hello Instagram reference) and feeling the pressure to do something with my life instead of being the lazy teenager who is somehow socially permitted to slack. However, I can't help but think that the system is partly at fault here - this is what happens when we are forced to decide what to do for the rest of our lives from the mere age of 16. You suddenly find yourself doubting whether your dream job of pet food tasting or golf ball diving is the right career for you, as you leave university unemployed, living off mum and desperately clinging to the legs of an employer in the futile hope that if you grovel enough they might actually give you a job. Yet all of the begging and pleading is worth it, as it lands you a job you kind of like, for people you kind of tolerate, with money that is kind of enough for your cost of living.

As depressing as it sounds, I've come to the grim realisation that this is probably the likelihood of my future given the average age of moving from home is now 30 and this year alone, 60,000 students found themselves in "non-professional" roles. At school, you're told that it's fine if you don't know what you want to do in the future. It's fine for the sum total of about 5 months and then you're expected to get your act together and sort out several summer internships unless you want to face unemployment. The pressure can become too much, that sometimes you need time to take a step back and breathe.

Despite what's been said, it is key to look beyond the sea of crippling debt and rejection for your own sanity. Society seems to forget that there is more to life than work, or from a student perspective it certainly seems that way. I've learned to accept that my dream career is no longer the dream and that's fine - to expect a 16 year old to predict what they want to do in their 20s is irrational at best, and this gives me time to find out what I really want in life. In an attempt to rekindle my passion for the world, I've started taking up my hobby of photography once again. Taking up my cherished hobbies has opened up a range of doors for me, and it is important to keep your options open as much as possible at this stage.

It is all too easy for the world of work to become the be-all and end-all which is what university tries to subconsciously enforce. This couldn't possibly sound more teen fiction but what this 'career crisis' has taught me is that it's okay not to have your entire life planned out from day one. I'm learning to appreciate the finer things in life; I feel best when I'm experimenting with my creative side, be it photography or web-page designing. For those of you who feel like you're in the same boat - immerse yourself in what you love. When I find time, I like to take solace in my blog (whether or not anyone actually reads these things) or dabble in various other hobbies: it keeps you grounded and makes you hate life a little less.

Smile all you want you crazy drunkard, wait until you face the real world...

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When the World Needed to Show Some Humanity

Disclaimer: In a slight twist to my usual posts, I feel strongly about the migrant crisis and I feel I'd be actively ignoring an alarming issue by writing something trifling on how to avoid a hangover.  This article is just my opinion and is in no way right - please do comment if you feel the same way or want to dispute any of the points raised.

The recent refugee dilemma means that thousands of civilians are flocking to Europe in search for a better life. This year alone 448,000 people applied for Asylum in Europe; out of that 448,000, 25,000 applied for the UK, 188,000 applied in Germany, but Sweden surprisingly had 8 applicants per 1,000 citizens. (Source: BBC) These staggering numbers and a certain scaremongering by the media made people sceptical about allowing more migrants and made me in particular, shocked at the state of our society that we have such little sympathy for other human beings.

I can completely understand there is an economic strain on resources and even though Britain increased the overseas aid budget by an extra £1 billion, we can at least give these people some temporary refuge or transport while a long-term solution can be found. No, these people aren't looking to exploit benefits or take your jobs - they're just looking for a place to live without fighting for their own lives. They hear about a country in which they're not likely to be gunned down or bombed in their own homes and risk everything to travel on perilous European shores only to be told they're a burden and aren't welcome.  Who are we to condemn these people when their only crime is to have been born in a war-torn country? This is why it bemuses me that David Cameron was so bold as to announce that Britain was to accept no refugees, only to revoke that statement when the public were outraged due to the recent photo of young Aylan Kurdi. What happened to Britain's compassion and why did it take the single most powerful image of a young boy's body washed up on a beach to instil some empathy in people? Why does it have to be SO bad before we put our foot down?

It's a sad case when it takes such an extreme image (which I won't show for obvious reasons) to finally make us say 'well, the buck stops here!'. It makes one think, are we this de-sensitised to scenes of turmoil and struggle that it takes a corpse to evoke feeling? It's no wonder, when the news is filled with distressing scenes of terrorist activity one minute and teen suicide the next, followed by a weather update and cheeky banter in the studio. News is fleeting; people's hardships are presented as fleeting, but what we must remember is that this is a long, hard struggle and not something that can be easily switched off.

After the outrage, people are now offering their own homes to refugees as hashtag #refugeeswelcome trends on Twitter, but is it too little too late? Don't get me wrong, I think it's brilliant that an effort is being made because it's a lot better than nothing at all, but the fact that it took hundreds of thousands of deaths before we took a stand means that as a society we let things get to an absolute breaking point before we realise we should probably make an effort. It's a shame when morals we teach our children like 'put yourself in the other person's shoes' seem to be lost on our adults when they complain of the influx of migrants coming over and don't recognise their struggle. What these events teach us is that we should be grateful for what we have and to the multicultural people who enrich our society, despite whatever spin the media wants to take on it.

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10 Ways to Cheer Up Your Drab Uni Room

With summer almost at an end (R.I.P happiness) you might be getting ready to go back to uni or move in for the first time. University can be a daunting experience which is why it is all the more important make your room as homey as possible. I've created these 10 ideas to inject some personality without wasting too much time, money or space. If you've got more time on your hands than you can manage, this would be a perfect way to style your room without wasting precious minutes when you start studying. If you're not moving, you can still hopefully use these ideas if you're looking to redecorate.

1. Make a statement wall

Statement walls are my personal favourite as they provide a brilliant focal point for the room and they're perfect for lazy people like me who can't be bothered to decorate their whole room (there's a whole FOUR walls you know!). Since you can't make any permanent fixtures, it's worth either covering your wall with posters using easy to remove Blu-Tack; although be careful with removing it from the walls as cheap paint (which uni no doubt uses) tends to come off with it. I had no problem with it last year because I tried to remain delicate in an attempt not to cause any end of year fines but if you're rough, you'll have chipped paint and a hole in your wallet. I quite like the idea of a mood-board design as I've tried to recreate in the image on the right. Yes, I know it's very Tumblr and pretentious but I'm trying to keep the motivational quotes and clichés to a minimum, I promise. 

2. Stick to a colour theme 

Probably the simplest of tips but having a distinct colour theme makes your room look so much more meticulous. They said I couldn't do it, but I showed them! I painted my room at home a shocking yellow (to make it brighter and to feed my Utopia obsession) then decorated it with white accessories to really make it pop. Obviously you don't have to go to this extent, but using two contrasting colours can really make your room unique and give it an extra burst of life.

3. Decorate cushions

Fill up your room with cushions, cushions and more cushions! I regret not doing this in my first year because when binge watching some classic Will & Grace I would have loved to cuddle up amongst a collection of cushions. I genuinely believe they allow you to transcend into the ultimate level of comfort. To save costs as much as possible because we all know that's what student life is all about, stores like Wilko (which is amazing may I add) sell white cushion inner pads for as little as £1 and they're so easy to cover! (check out this cool tutorial here) If you fancy yourself as a budding Picasso, you can buy your own fabric paint and create your own designs: the paint itself is cheaper than some cushions themselves and this way you and integrate it to the theme of your room and let your imagination go wild!

4. Homemade artwork + frames

As a budding young photographer, there's nothing better than to see your work printed on a canvas. If you don't want to spend lots time adding various posters and little elements to your room, you can keep it simple and print out one of your favourite photos - it could be a candid shot of you and your bezzie mate, or even your best holiday snap. You could either get it enlarged for a reasonable fee (Boots or Asda usually offer the best deals) or get it printed on a canvas and hang it up above your bed. Again, since you can't afford to be nailing things down if you have a canvas, a good alternative might be sticky pads. If you want something on a smaller scale, try buying a nice decorative frame second hand and jazzing it up with gold/silver spray paint then putting your photo of choice inside to make all your flatmates jealous of your creative ingenuity.

5. Fairy lights/LED candles

In your first year when your electricity is included in the bill, it's nice to create an ambience with fairy lights usually hung around your bed. However, in your second and third years when you have to watch your electricity usage, I'd probably skip the fairy lights and just live in darkness instead (uni life, am I right?). If like my first year accommodation you aren't allowed to have any candles in your room for health and safety reasons, it might be worth buying some LED candles if you really can't live without them. These mock candles are totally safe; they run on battery power and some of them are even remote controlled for those lazy students out there (I'm mainly directing this at myself). If you can't find any LED candles you like, just buy some plain ones and decorate them - it's amazing the transformation a bit of glue and glitter can give.

6. Homemade shelves

If like me you're pushed for space in your uni room and have more books than you do shelf space (shout-out humanities students!) this is a great way to utilise all the space you have. It's handy if you already have some wicker baskets lying around; if not, I'm sure your friends (or Amazon) will lend a hand for your strange requests. Place some sticky pads on the four corners of the basket and stick them to the desired area on the wall (this image I found from Pinterest shows you how it looks). If you're not a fan of sticky pads then try some adhesive based removable hooks - you shouldn't damage the basket if you just poke the hook through the gaps in the wicker. However, be careful not to overload these makeshift shelves - after all, they are makeshift. I'd suggest putting your heaviest items on the actual shelves and lighter things or things on your D.I.Y shelves.

7. Personal bookends

Instead of going out and buying some boring run-of-the-mill bookends, why not use heavy items like cute souvenirs to add a quaint touch to your room? A brilliant store for little gadgets and toys is a store called Tiger -  check out the website for some inspiration. The majority of branches are in London, although some can be found dotted around the south. If you don't have a Tiger near you, you could also make your own personalised bookends by buying some papier mache letters, cutting the bottom out, adding some marbles to weigh it down, cover the bottom and spray paint the letters whatever colour you want and Bob's your uncle! (That only really works if you have an uncle called Bob)

8. Organiser!

Goodness knows how many pens and random stationary I had dotted around my room - to create some sort of method to the madness take some old cereal boxes and paper rolls, paint them using acrylic paint however you like, glue them together and you've got your very own, unique (probably not state-of-the-art) desk tidy! You can glue these boxes whatever way you like to maximise space and style. Add your own blackboard or notice board and you've got your own mini office going on to remind you of your future 9 to 5 job.

9. Heart photos/memory wall

This is probably the most generic idea (apologies) but if you're feeling homesick it gives you a lovely reminder of home. Print off your favourite photos and then decide beforehand how you want to organise them. Most people go for the classically girly heart shape, but why not push the boat out and place your photos in the shape of Pacman or a space invader? It's really up to you how you want to decorate them, but I'd definitely recommend some sort of photo collage if you're really feeling low. If you're not a fan of the photo idea, I enjoyed creating a memory wall where I would stick up little mementos like concert tickets and wristbands so I could look back on that LIFE CHANGING Red Hot Chili Peppers concert many moons ago.

10. Motivational posters

Yes, yes, I know, another cliché but hear me out here - this usually works for other people, but if you're hungover in bed and just lacking the motivation to do anything, guilt trip yourself by putting tons of motivational posters that'll make you more likely to get up and do some work! Not exactly 'get up you lazy piece of dirt', put something a little more subtle. Something like YouTuber Superwoman perhaps?

 

These were just some of the few ideas I have if you want to quickly jazz up your room. Feel free to make any other suggestions in the comments below (go on mum) and let me know if you try any of these for your room, I'd love to see the end result. 

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University: Is It Really Worth the Cost?

As I find myself more and more crippled with debt and having such limited contact hours at uni, I can't help but wondering, is it really worth paying 9,000 pounds a year for? Is it really cost-effective? Why should I have a degree when people my age are already working and earning more than I am?

When I hear my dad telling me how he went to university for free, it angers me how we're in so much debt from something that should be a basic right. We are able to provide free education until 18, so why does it have to stop there? Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful I'm not in America and paying an odd 40,000 dollars a year but having the highest tuition fees in the EU is still not something to be proud of. I could understand if we were paying for the quality of learning but the style of teaching hasn't changed so much in 5 years that it warrants a 3,000 pound increase. University has less contact hours than sixth form or college that in my first year I felt like I was more intellectually stimulated when I was in free education. With less one-on-one time, we're essentially paying 9 grand because of "exceptional circumstances" (whatever that means) to essentially teach ourselves. I understand that a great deal of university is about independent study, but I certainly don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth if I have to teach myself for the majority of the time. 

The reason these tuition fees were increased was to essentially take the burden off the taxpayer. However, the very idea of tax was created so that people's money can be reinvested in the country's services such as the NHS. Our economy partly works on the fact that what the average person takes out is not greater than we put in, so why is it the taxpayer doesn't have to pay for education when they have to pay for everything else that they might not necessarily directly benefit from?

It's not so much the debt that bothers me than the fact that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are deterred from pursuing higher education. The idea alone of being at least 27,000 pounds in debt (not including things like the maintenance loan) is enough to put anyone off, let alone students from poorer backgrounds. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the number of undergraduate students has increased since 2004/05. However, since the increase in tuition fees in 2010/11 the number of students is on a slow decline. The coalition defended the increase in tuition fees by offering higher maintenance grants for poorer students but with the new Conservative government, they're set to be scrapped completely (Yay Tory!).

I can understand the government is going through a time of austerity where cuts have to be made, but if things are so utterly dire then why aren't concentrated efforts being made to stop multimillion dollar corporations evading tax? In a study by the organisation Tax Research, tax avoidance costs the state £25 billion with £11.8 billion avoided by corporations and £12.9 billion avoided by individuals. If this was chased up then surely this money would go towards subsidising university feeds for those who desperately need it?

However, you're probably reading this thinking "why should I care, it's not affecting me?". Put simply, a well-educated workforce is beneficial for society as a whole - my generation are the future leaders and decision makers of the country; therefore we should make education accessible to all and make it easier for people from all walks of life to become leaders rather than the privileged and elite. I decided to pursue higher education because I want to improve my knowledge and become a more well-rounded person. We should be encouraging our youth to enjoy learning and and to enrich their minds, not scare them with large debt figures.

Uni fees got me like....

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