Revision Tips!

Exam Season is finally here and it’s not long to go until we are all set free for the lovely summer holidays! I thought that as many of you would have either completed your exams or still have exams to come I would prepare some revision tips for you all.

1. Take regular breaks – even if they are only 5 minutes long you need to give your brain some breathing space otherwise everything will come crashing down!
2. Make sure you eat – I found that this year was the most intense revision experience I’ve ever had. It even clashed with my eating schedule and I just managed to squeeze in some time to eat.
3. Don’t always read from the book it’s a passive way of revising – for some subjects this may be effective, but for others such as Accounting) it won’t do you any good!
4. Highlighting – It helps the key words and theories to stand out and there’s a better chance of these terms sticking in your brain! 
5. Get enough sleep – There’s nothing worse than revising with no sleep and using coffee as your fuel, it won’t help. 
6. Night before the exam – Spend time relaxing and taking your mind off the nerves, the nerves are what determines whether you pass or fail. If you spend the night before the exam cramming in revision, chances are you will be panicking the next morning. 
7. Morning of the exam – have some breakfast, briefly look over your notes (don’t try to learn anything new!) and RELAX! 
8. After the exam – get some sleep, prepare for the next exam depending on when it is you might have to start revising on the same day or the next day.

Finally, after all your exams are over, make sure to stay updated with the portal and it’s just a waiting game! As long as you follow the instructions and revision tips provided by your tutor everything will be fine J and if not, it’s not the end of the world you have a second chance in August – hopefully you wouldn't have forgotten everything by then! 

Planning and jobs

No one likes to plan, but planning can bring you very far! As you’re approaching the end of the year, instead of taking each day as it comes, why not plan a holiday or apply for a job over the summer to earn some extra cash?

I started my first official paid job in a central recruitment and admissions department and the contract was for 4 weeks. In those 4 weeks I made a good amount of money which helped finance my driving lessons (yep they are quite expensive!). After working for that one month there was an opportunity to work during term time which turned out really well and I’m glad I took the chance to extend my experience. Now when I apply for other jobs the employers can see that I have a solid experience from a paid role which is not easy to get with today’s economy. As the portal has been selected to advertise jobs, make the most of it, there might be something you’re interested in. I find that the student jobs advertised on the portal have a decent pay rate as well so it might be better than going straight into a retail job. Also, if graduate employers see that you have had part time work whilst in higher education, it shows that there are no gaps in your education/employment history and it indicates that you are proactive as an individual *brownie points* J

Plan ahead for the next academic year to come, try and find out how many coursework submissions you have and when their deadlines are. Then you know when you have spare time to visit home and book tickets early for cheaper rates! 

Placements

Recently, life has been pretty hectic! Running around university printing past exam papers, trying to

squeeze in those last deadlines and on top of all that, PLACEMENTS!

As you all know, I haven’t had the best of luck with placements but there is light at the end of the tunnel. A company is interested in my application and the process is actually quite daunting, tests, interviews, more tests and the final interview L. What I've learnt is that nailing a placement is crucial for you to develop your career because it acts as that stepping stone into the big world and can show that you’re a responsible person. Employers are looking for students who outshine the rest, by holding a degree it might not always be enough for some companies. There are skills which people learn from experience and experience only; those skills might be the deciding point between you and another candidate.

If you are a first year student it’s worthwhile having a look online at what companies require for their placements and internships. A majority of companies wish to recruit students who are finishing their second year and can take students for 10-12 months. It’s also paid! So why not?

By the time you enter your second year you should already know which companies you want to apply for and you should be tailoring your CV to each company’s requirements. Before sending your CV you should get it checked by one of the employability staff at your campus.

To find out more information, visit your student centre and they will be able to help you with the next steps you need to take on building your career!

Food, Food, FOOD!

Recently, I’ve been exploring my food palette by visiting different restaurants; I’ve almost been to every restaurant in the food court at Westfield! I find that reading reviews are useful when it comes to deciding where to eat so I’m going to make a mini review of the different places I’ve been to eat.

Restaurant	Location	Review
Las Iguanas	Stratford Westfield	The starters and portion size are good. Depending on the main you order the quality of the food will be different. I ordered a Burrito but I didn’t find it as nice as what my friend was eating (can’t remember what it is now!) The Dulce de Leche cheesecake is to die for you HAVE to try it! The price of the food is a bit expensive so if you’re strapped for cash this might not be the best option for you.
Lotus Leaf	Stratford Westfield	I don’t really like the starters from here but the noodles are quite nice. The red thai curry is really nice as well but I don’t like the fact that it is served with rice because sometimes it’s a bit too much to eat – the flavour of the curry is nice and spicy for those who can handle the chillies!
Tortilla	Stratford Westfield	I love my Mexican food and this place is good to get food on the go, I prefer the burritos from here to Las Iguanas as you can choose what fillings you want in them.
Indigo	Stratford Westfield	The Indian food from here is mediocre I would say (maybe because I’m indian!). You have a good variety of what you can order but the chicken salad is not always up to scratch.
Nandos	Stratford city	I’ve been to quite a few Nandos and I had a bad experience here, there were no tissues, no sauces (there weren’t enough bottles for everyone) and the only seats I could choose from were near the toilets. It wasn’t that nice it didn’t feel clean so I might skip this option next time!
Gourmet Burger Kitchen	Stratford Westfield	The onion rings are tooooo good here, and the milkshakes are just divine! I only tried the chicken salad when I went there so maybe next time I’ll try the burgers. I found that there wasn’t much variety when it came to the chicken options.

Sunny days

The sun is finally here and all of a sudden everyone is in a better mood J  this includes the thousands of tourists that visit Greenwich every day. Greenwich does get packed at this time of year and trust me, everyone knows how frustrating it is when you’re late for a lecture and you have to run through the crowd. It’s pretty much like walking through a herd of cows no?

It was only the other weekend when I was with my friend trying to find a place to eat on the weekend and literally restaurants had one hour waiting times, the food was cleared out in Marks and Spencers, and you were not able to see the floor in Greenwich market. Maybe during times like this, it’s better to leave the area and travel down to central or Hyde Park? Especially if you are living in halls it can get a bit overwhelming when you’re being pushed, shoved and the occasional pushchair going over your foot.

If you are living in Greenwich and want to avoid the rush, you have other options apart from using the DLR. You can take a bus to North Greenwich (188) and get on the jubilee line before Canary Wharf so you have a chance of getting a seat on the train! Also, you can take the 188 in the opposite direction to get to Canada Water, Waterloo and Bermondsey all by bus! It may take longer but I find it more peaceful on days when I know the trains are going to be packed.

With the new term blocks and exams moving earlier, we have a longer summer holiday! Now that the weather has improved, there is a lot more to do. For those staying in accommodation, it would be nice to explore different areas and see what’s new, there are always stalls in Greenwich by the Thames near Nandos which have different types of foods and drinks so why don’t you have a look during the summer? Also, if you want to go somewhere a bit more peaceful you can always come to Avery Hill Park and there are also some shops on the high street too.

One thing that I started during the summer was that I would make trips home with a suitcase filled with my text books and winter clothes so moving out is a lot easier when it comes to June. Even in June I still have so many things to move out! It’s madness! So maybe you can use your free time to have a clear out? Because I know that when I move into halls I always leave with double the amount that I bought with me.

The next 4-8 weeks might be depressing but hold tight and get the sun block ready ‘cause summer is just around the corner! 

Jobs!

For all of you out there who are working whilst studying, respect goes out to you because working and studying is not easy at all. Even though it is a part time job 4-6 hours a week, you could be using those hours to sleep, eat, or do coursework. That’s roughly 24 hours a month that you are dedicating to gain that extra pocket money.

It’s worthwhile finding a job based on the university campus such as Student Ambassador, or working with certain members of staff in departments (such as the international office). Be sure to check and sign up to www.prospects.ac.uk to receive daily updates so you don’t miss out!

You can also sign up to the Greenwich Employability Team to receive daily emails about the latest vacancies. Just check these emails instead of deleting them because you never know what position might strike an interest! I found my part time job in Avery Hill through this service and I love my work, there’s nothing better than working with other students who know what it’s like to work and study so we can all relate to each other. It’s also great because when one person is not able to work you can cover their shift on their behalf so it’s pretty flexible.

If you have an interview coming up or applying for jobs, you can arrange a drop in session with the GET team to review your CV and help prepare you for anything and everything! It’s such a great service and I would have definitely used this if I knew it existed last year. I used this drop in session to fix up my CV and it looks a lot better and way more professional than it did a few months ago. It’s important to utilise these services now while you can because once you finish your studies it’s can be difficult to receive this kind of support at your own convenience.

If you need any help in arranging the appointment just call the main university switchboard for your campus J

It’s that time of year again…

For the sake of my bloggers, I am not going to write a typical cliché lovey dovey Valentine’s blog because let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is over and I believe you should be treated special every day of the year not just one! There shouldn't be a need to buy gifts because it’s a certain day, buy gifts because you want to J

With that over, let’s have another look at where we are now. It’s approaching the end of February and last coursework submissions are going through and exams are just around the corner. One thing I've learnt from my first year is to be proactive with your time that you have for revision. Utilise the material that the tutors provide because textbooks are always there for wider reading, which should be done throughout the year not during exam time. However, accounting students do sometimes need to refer back to the textbooks for help with calculation methods. With financial accounting it is important to keep practicing the calculations as it only gets harder!

As long as you follow the advice given by your tutors, everything should run smoothly and you shouldn't experience any issues, if you do then contact them and let them know. They are busy people so you need to chase them up if you need help.

Apart from the exams, the summer holidays will be a nice break after 9 months of ‘hard work’. I am actually so excited to kick back and relax, even if it is in Britain with British weather! Some students have the benefit of completing a one year placement. I found that placement applications were so tedious and time consuming but I still put in the time and effort to find a company. Unfortunately, I did not succeed in most of the applications and I am assuming that this summer will be spent relaxing and working in my part time job at Avery Hill. It is worthwhile still applying for a placement because you never know which company might choose you to work with them and it’s a great kick start to your career once you have graduated. Sometimes, students who complete a placement will be offered a position to go straight into after graduating.

Some pointers to look out for or consider when going into your next year:

• Have you applied for student finance?
• Do you want to apply for a sandwich year? – speak to your course director to switch the mode of your course
• Have you applied for accommodation?
• International students: are you ready to pay the next instalment of fees?
• Do you know where to buy your next set of books from?

If you need any help with accommodation or fees then just pop by to the Student Centre or Accommodation Office and they will be able to help! J

Calling all Accounting Students!

Given its almost half way through the academic year, coursework deadlines are coming closer and exam timetables are soon to be finalised for publication, I think it’s a good idea we all begin to plan well ahead!

As there has been a change in the term structure, it is possible for us to have some exams in April (Alarm bells!). So I have taken the initiative to revise the course content early rather than starting in the Easter Break. Small chunks of revision over time will be more effective than just waiting till Easter and trying to remember everything that we have learnt from September. Particularly with the financial and management accounting modules, the questions can get quite difficult and we are taught the methods on the basis that we can apply this method to any situation. So practice a lot of past questions so you get the jist of what the exam is going to be like. Also, certain topics may have more significance than others in the exam. For example, second year students have a financial accounting exam which has three or four questions based on the same topic but we have to apply so many different techniques to each question.

If you are finding anything difficult then now is the time to speak to your tutor, don’t ignore the problems because they won’t go away, they will just pop back up in your exam!

Source: www.theguardian.com/education/

There are also support classes which can be useful for some students who feel like they need to go over some things they missed in the lecture or tutorial so don’t miss out.

Create a timetable or plan to break down each module and their topics so you can revise each topic slowly and you should be ready by the time it comes to April/ May Exams J

Good Luck my fellow Accountants if you need any help just ask!

Happy 2014!

First of all, let me wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You may notice a change in the font I’m using but hey, it’s a new year so why not use a new font?!

I know that I am potentially in the same position as a few other students right now where you PLAN to study and work hard over the holidays but the family is chaotic, food is just in your face 24/7 and it’s too cold to go out to the library. Yes, I have not managed to fulfil the requirements of my Christmas revision timetable but I will not make the same mistakes as last year. I’m still on this revision hype as second year is no joke, I may have slacked over the Christmas but let’s just say that was a time to ‘Refuel’. I certainly ate enough food to keep me going until the summer!

I’ve noticed that there are a lot more people in halls now, what used to be a ghost town has now been refilled with lively students ready for the new term! Just be aware that the lecturers also may need time to recover from the break so double check your timetable for when your tutorials start. I have one module where I don’t have tutorials for the next two weeks so we don’t want any wasted journeys to university now do we?

For those first year students you may want to start looking for some summer jobs or placements that are recruiting, you can visit the jobshop and make an appointment or visit the prospects website. It’s a good way to raise that extra cash over the summer and clear your overdraft in time for the next year.

Well, I think that’s all for now folks, watch this space for more updates!