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