And so the year of Fresher draws to a close. I really want to pass on the things I learnt this year but don't want to give away too much because the best way to find things out, generally, is first hand. I'll try and keep this post fairly short - it has been a very eventful year!
Things to put on your 'to do' list:
- Fab n Fresh at Joe's Bar (Saturdays)
- Lunch at Joe's Bar (try the chips or a pizza, for sure)
- Quiz at Bar One (Sundays if they'll replace Mike with someone decent - when he was away, his replacements just didn't get up to his level)
- Gatecrasher (Fridays are indie nights)
- Mechu
- Jam House (Thursdays are student nights, any other night and they'll only let in 21+s)
- o2 (Fridays are indie nights)
- Custard Factory (This is a club, not a factory full of custard... though it was the old Birds Factory, hence name)
- Shopping at the Bull Ring (I always visit Selfridges)
- Any student performance (usually in the Deb Hall in the Guild, any night of the week, look out for posters and Facebook events)
- Join a society and actually get involved... if not, start your own
- Get involved in the Guild Elections, even if that just means reading the campaigns and listening to the candidates
- Walk to the centre (from Maple Bank/Elgar Court it takes about 30 minutes leisurely pace, it's actually quicker than walking to the train station, buying a ticket, waiting for the train and getting out of New Street... it's also a journey through the posh bit of Edgbaston)
- Browse or buy from the fresh fruit and vegetable market on campus
- Go to one of the theatres
- IMAX for 3D films
- Visit Stratford-upon-Avon for a quiet day out
- Alton Towers (not far away at all - cheap tickets can be found on the right websites... try eBay, too)
-Visit the German Market at Christmas
- Go to a comedy club - Jongleurs and Glee Club are in the centre and always have fresh and familiar talent
Things to do in Freshers Week:
- Order an NUS extra card (I ordered mine in a room in the Guild. You can do it on your own at home but you need a webcam or good enough picture) and USE IT! I found out a Christmas that Superdrug accept NUS extra cards and buy from them regularly. The whole list of companies is on the website and I'm sure a few more will be added come September. Not all shops accept just you Uni ID card, though technically they should. Meh, it's only a fiver!
- Get to know your flatmates. I spent most of my first couple of weeks here just chilling in the kitchen with my flatmates and our random visitors.
- Pick up your Freshers Fest package and attend as many events as you can manage
- Freshers Fair (Don't miss this! I'll be there on Thursday at least, supporting the Northern Society)
- Sports Fair (if you want to join any university teams, for competition or fun, this is the place to be)
- Jobs/Volunteering Fair
- Sort out your folders/paper stash
- Put money on your ID card for printing and photocopying at any of the libraries (I put £5 on at the beginning of the year and am only just getting down to a few pennies)
- Get familiar with WebCT, you'll be using it most days
- If you're hanging out with new people, and are getting along with them really well, get their number and make a note about their halls or flat number
On a night out:
- Put away £10 for the taxi back and make sure you have change if you're sharing with friends. Most taxis do £1.50 per person if you've got 6 or more people.
- Remember your ID for entry and don't lose it!
- Keep with your friends. There's nothing quite like losing your group for a night dampener. (That said, when I lost mine on the first Monday, I met my boyfriend... then eventually found my friends again. It's not all bad!) Do make sure you know the mobile numbers of the people you're with, though, just in case.
And finally, a brief checklist for moving into halls:
*Kitchen
- Pans, plates, cutlery
- Toaster and kettle
- Cleaning stuff (yep, you'll have to clean up! - you'll be given a mop, broom, hoover and dustpan and brush)
- Food! Stock up on tins, you won't want to carry those back when you're shopping unless you know someone with a car
*Bedroom
- Sheets and other bedding
- Lamp, mirror
- Makeup, clothes, sprays
- Hairdryer and other such electricals
- Clothes and jewellery (dress/suit for Freshers Ball, dresses/shirts for nights out, thicker clothes for the looming winter)
*Bathroom
- Shampoo, conditioner etc
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash
- Cleaning stuff
*Others
- Spare change for laundry (at the moment it's £2.20 per wash - I usually do two: whites and darks - and £1 for the dryer - I put my stuff together for this) and a laundry bin/basket/whatever
- ID
- Student loan/grant/money in the bank
- A keyring. One of my flatmates lost her keys twice in the same week. It costs £20 for one key replacement. If you want it replaced again they have to change the lock. Get a keyring and you're less likely to lose your keys. Preferably one that can clip onto your jeans, or one that has a bottle opener - both useful for different reasons. At Freshers Fair there will be a few free keyrings. Mine's from there - it's an RSC one with a bottle opener. I also got one from TC but it's a mini tennis ball so it often doesn't fit in my narrow going out bags.
Good luck to all potential freshers. If there any questions, do ask me. I'm free now until freshers week so I have plenty of time to send detailed answers. See you at Freshers Fair!
Sunday 27 June 2010
Monday 21 June 2010
Week 8: Birthday Week at Home and Check Lists
Considering I went home this week because my birthday was on Saturday 19th, this post won't necessarily apply to a lot of you. In any case, it was an awesome week and the weekend was even better. My Mum bought me an afternoon at a spa including a head, back and shoulders massage which was amazing. I could definitely get used to regular massages. I went out for dinner on my birthday, with my boyfriend and family, which was lovely. I do recommend beef in black bean sauce! Before my birthday, I went shopping for a dress for the evening. I found a beautiful one in Matalan for £22 which impressed the family at dinner. I did get quite angry at H&M, Topshop and New Look for not having anything I liked in my size. Birmingham's far better for shopping than Doncaster, for sure.
Something that may apply is this: car boot sales! On Sunday I managed to go to a car boot sale at the Keepmoat Stadium (Doncaster Rovers FC, for anyone who wants to know) where I spotted a few things that would be a welcome addition to my new kitchen in my second year house. I'm quite fickle, though, so I didn't indulge in a few bargains. And I was informed that a second hand one (a few people were selling new products) would be half the price. I may ask my Mum to pick me up a blender or something, though, when she goes again. The car boot sales here are hard to get to if you don't have a car because there aren't any within walking distance of halls or the centre. There are a few charity shops in Harborne, which is near, but I haven't visited them yet. The reason why I mentioned car boot sales and charity shops is because as a student you'll be leaving home for (probably) the first time. That means you'll need to stock up the kitchen, bathroom and your own room with equipment. On Facebook freshers groups there are check lists so if you're going to Uni in September they are definitely worth a look in. And don't forget spare change for laundry. I might well post an extra farewell for this year next week and include a check list for anyone who wants to know.
A running theme of my blog posts seem to be the state of the kitchen in my flat. One thing I urge all freshers to do is get an understanding with your flatmates early on about cleanliness. If you're living in halls, there are inspections to look forward to. On The Vale they come once a term (that's three times in the year you'll be living there). If you fail, you might get a second chance to tidy up and a re-inspection will be scheduled for a few days after. If you pass, you're going to make it far easier to live there. Fail twice and the manager gets involved and fines may be issued for a clean up and general lack of respect for the accommodation. I'm having issues with my flat being in a state at the moment because with exams being over (and results are now available) a few of my flatmates have decided not to pay attention to their flat anymore. Thankfully my concerns were heard by the Vale reception and I've been exempt from any charges or tellings off. I do still have to tidy up the flat before I move out because I'm the last one left. I've still got a week and a half left, or thereabouts.
So, next week I'll put up a check list and that'll be it for my blogging this year. Let's hope my boss wants me to do this for second year, I quite enjoyed it!
Something that may apply is this: car boot sales! On Sunday I managed to go to a car boot sale at the Keepmoat Stadium (Doncaster Rovers FC, for anyone who wants to know) where I spotted a few things that would be a welcome addition to my new kitchen in my second year house. I'm quite fickle, though, so I didn't indulge in a few bargains. And I was informed that a second hand one (a few people were selling new products) would be half the price. I may ask my Mum to pick me up a blender or something, though, when she goes again. The car boot sales here are hard to get to if you don't have a car because there aren't any within walking distance of halls or the centre. There are a few charity shops in Harborne, which is near, but I haven't visited them yet. The reason why I mentioned car boot sales and charity shops is because as a student you'll be leaving home for (probably) the first time. That means you'll need to stock up the kitchen, bathroom and your own room with equipment. On Facebook freshers groups there are check lists so if you're going to Uni in September they are definitely worth a look in. And don't forget spare change for laundry. I might well post an extra farewell for this year next week and include a check list for anyone who wants to know.
A running theme of my blog posts seem to be the state of the kitchen in my flat. One thing I urge all freshers to do is get an understanding with your flatmates early on about cleanliness. If you're living in halls, there are inspections to look forward to. On The Vale they come once a term (that's three times in the year you'll be living there). If you fail, you might get a second chance to tidy up and a re-inspection will be scheduled for a few days after. If you pass, you're going to make it far easier to live there. Fail twice and the manager gets involved and fines may be issued for a clean up and general lack of respect for the accommodation. I'm having issues with my flat being in a state at the moment because with exams being over (and results are now available) a few of my flatmates have decided not to pay attention to their flat anymore. Thankfully my concerns were heard by the Vale reception and I've been exempt from any charges or tellings off. I do still have to tidy up the flat before I move out because I'm the last one left. I've still got a week and a half left, or thereabouts.
So, next week I'll put up a check list and that'll be it for my blogging this year. Let's hope my boss wants me to do this for second year, I quite enjoyed it!
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Week 7: Experiencing Fab n Fresh
Saturday was definitely the highlight this week. It was my friend's birthday so she planned a musical-themed night out at Fab n Fresh, the weekly Guild event. Basically, Joe's Bar cranks up the volume and dims the lights for a night of dancing and general awesome times. I can not believe that that was the first time I'd been. It's just a walk away from halls so there's no need for saving a tenner for the taxi there and back and entry is only £4 with your student ID card.
In other news, the Northern Society have now planned their events for term one. Wahey! We had to send off a grant application so the Guild can partially fund the transport for two of our events as well as help us out with promotion expenditure. The deadline for that is this coming Friday but for it to be checked, with time for ammendments, Monday was the deadline. Because we'd been so busy over the weekend with personal ventures, we managed to get the email sent to the office at about half past midnight and got a reply thankfully this morning. All is good! We were even commended on how clear our descriptions were.
I'm at home this week, in Doncaster, so whilst I can report on all the goings on they won't be applicable to everyone. Might still be an interesting read.
In other news, the Northern Society have now planned their events for term one. Wahey! We had to send off a grant application so the Guild can partially fund the transport for two of our events as well as help us out with promotion expenditure. The deadline for that is this coming Friday but for it to be checked, with time for ammendments, Monday was the deadline. Because we'd been so busy over the weekend with personal ventures, we managed to get the email sent to the office at about half past midnight and got a reply thankfully this morning. All is good! We were even commended on how clear our descriptions were.
I'm at home this week, in Doncaster, so whilst I can report on all the goings on they won't be applicable to everyone. Might still be an interesting read.
Monday 7 June 2010
Week 6: Glee Club and Other Things To Do
Wednesday was pretty awesome. My boyfriend took control of my day and told me to meet him at the train station because he'd planned a few things. Good times indeed! The first part of the day was spent in Lickey Hills which is the forest in Barnt Green, about 15/20 minutes away from the university campus (£2.20 return with a railcard). It's a bit of a trek for people who don't like walking but for people who do it's an absolute goldmine. Add in a bit of adventure by going off track a bit (but sticking to a track nonetheless) and you've got a winner. We spent a long time just rambling around and exploring the forest. Definitely my style. Then when we were waiting for the train we messed around with the ticket machine and changed it to French. Fun times.
The next stop was Joe's Bar for a rest and a drink. And chips. Joe's really do awesome chips.
Then I was advised to go back to TC and dress up a little bit. Not too much but with some effort. I put a smart-ish dress on and met him where he wanted me to go. He still kept the mystery location a secret, though I had been guessing the whole day (and I didn't manage it!). We turned up at the Arcadian (took the bus so he didn't have to reveal the location by telling a taxi driver) and it was still a secret. Then he revealed in the best way ever: "Turn around." When I turned around I saw posters for Jon Richardson's UK Tour. One of the tour dates was Wednesday night at the Glee Club. Yes thanks! Jon Richardson is my favourite lesser known comedian, if not my favourite overall. Apparently this had been planned for a while so don't go thinking you can emulate this spontaneously. Just be good at keeping secrets.
Glee Club is a small comedy club with a massive reputation. If you've played at Glee, you're on your way to massive success. The set was absolutely hilarious, as expected, and the audience were on par. Afterwards, we waited near the stage door and I got to meet the man himself along with Fordie, his friend and frequent radio guest (J R used to present a weekly show on 6 Music). That was a very good night.
On Thursday we went to see the cricket at Edgbaston. That's something you need to do if you're going to be a University of Birmingham student. We found a voucher in Redbrick, the university newspaper, that granted £5 entry (as opposed to £25) so we happily used that and went to see Warwickshire Beats v Northampton Steelbacks. Needless to say Warwickshire (who we were backing, naturally) won comfortably, amongst chants of "We love you, Maddy, we do!" by a bunch of Tennis Courts boys who had obviously taken advantage of the deal, also, and made a day of it. Good times! Beautiful weather, too.
The next stop was Joe's Bar for a rest and a drink. And chips. Joe's really do awesome chips.
Then I was advised to go back to TC and dress up a little bit. Not too much but with some effort. I put a smart-ish dress on and met him where he wanted me to go. He still kept the mystery location a secret, though I had been guessing the whole day (and I didn't manage it!). We turned up at the Arcadian (took the bus so he didn't have to reveal the location by telling a taxi driver) and it was still a secret. Then he revealed in the best way ever: "Turn around." When I turned around I saw posters for Jon Richardson's UK Tour. One of the tour dates was Wednesday night at the Glee Club. Yes thanks! Jon Richardson is my favourite lesser known comedian, if not my favourite overall. Apparently this had been planned for a while so don't go thinking you can emulate this spontaneously. Just be good at keeping secrets.
Glee Club is a small comedy club with a massive reputation. If you've played at Glee, you're on your way to massive success. The set was absolutely hilarious, as expected, and the audience were on par. Afterwards, we waited near the stage door and I got to meet the man himself along with Fordie, his friend and frequent radio guest (J R used to present a weekly show on 6 Music). That was a very good night.
On Thursday we went to see the cricket at Edgbaston. That's something you need to do if you're going to be a University of Birmingham student. We found a voucher in Redbrick, the university newspaper, that granted £5 entry (as opposed to £25) so we happily used that and went to see Warwickshire Beats v Northampton Steelbacks. Needless to say Warwickshire (who we were backing, naturally) won comfortably, amongst chants of "We love you, Maddy, we do!" by a bunch of Tennis Courts boys who had obviously taken advantage of the deal, also, and made a day of it. Good times! Beautiful weather, too.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Week 5: Finally Relaxing
I'm not sure I have much to report this week. I finally had a BBQ on the Vale on Wednesday. It didn't go fantastically well because our disposable wasn't great. It rained an hour or two afterwards but we took refuge in Bar One and played some pool. That's always good. On Thursday I scheduled a committee meeting for the Northern Society so we could welcome in our new treasurer and plan for the events meeting in just over a week's time. That went rather well and plenty of new ideas were thrown around. On the 8th we'll meet again and hopefully the grant application will be submitted before the 18th. The Guild tries its best to provide societies with funds that are needed for events to go ahead. They do encourage manual fundraising, though, and don't give out grants without some form of fundraising either from donations, membership or an event.
With so much time on my hands, I'm running out of things to do. I do have some things I want to do - or rather, places I want to visit - but most of those things cost so I have to plan them sparsely.
I've been getting a few emails from people asking questions about life here at Birmingham Uni. Do keep them coming. If there's anything anyone wants to know, I'm happy to give a detailed view. If any popular questions come up, I may include them in here. Feel free to leave comments on the posts, too.
With so much time on my hands, I'm running out of things to do. I do have some things I want to do - or rather, places I want to visit - but most of those things cost so I have to plan them sparsely.
I've been getting a few emails from people asking questions about life here at Birmingham Uni. Do keep them coming. If there's anything anyone wants to know, I'm happy to give a detailed view. If any popular questions come up, I may include them in here. Feel free to leave comments on the posts, too.
Thursday 20 May 2010
Week 4: Hello, Sun.
Is it only week four?! It feels like end of term already. That is, though, because it's the exam term and exams get done pretty quickly. I had my last and only exam on Wednesday, which was alright in retrospect but awful at the time (and very confusing in terms of the set up - not quite like sixth form). My boyfriend's last exam is next Wednesday so he's slightly hating me for finishing so early and apparently having 'nothing to do' - even though I have a list I need to get through and I haven't had a day yet where I've done nothing or had nothing to do.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were not very interesting at all because I spent my entire time (okay so I slacked off a bit but TRIED to spend the entire time...) revising. If you've been reading my previous posts, you'll know I've been looking for work experience within the media. Well, I got an invite from Tim Dagger at the media centre on campus (tucked away under the Aston Webb building) to come in and have a look around and discuss a potential work placement. It all went very well and I'm awaiting information regarding dates and times. In addition to that, I emailed ITV and asked if they had anything for me. I got two separate replies. One was clearly from the secretary, or equivalent, telling me to apply in the normal way via the website. The other was more helpful. I was invited in for a day to see how everything works (which reminds me: update and print off CVs). I could choose this day due to what fits in my schedule so I waited for my exam to be done and the media centre interview to clarify a few things then gave them a date. I suggested either today or tomorrow. They chose tomorrow. At 9.30am. It'll take me about 45 minutes to walk there from my flat (I timed the way back when I went to find the place before). That'll be interesting! I'll report back in next week's post.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly chilling on the Vale. That was looovely! The sun and clear sky was making it be in the mid 20sC. I brought out a blanket and a book and chilled there for ages. I'm now quite nicely tanned and nearly constantly yawny. The Vale is such a nice place to relax when the weather's nice. Anywhere you look, there's a BBQ and people are playing frisbee or cricket or rugby. Apparently it's going to cool down mid-week so this weather must be enjoyed whilst it's still here. It feels more like a holiday camp now because of the amount of people hanging out there and the majority of people actually in bikinis and shorts, carrying towels to rest on. Yesterday I made some sausage rolls (from scratch, people!) and me and the boyf had a picnic of sorts and caught some rays.
It's all good.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were not very interesting at all because I spent my entire time (okay so I slacked off a bit but TRIED to spend the entire time...) revising. If you've been reading my previous posts, you'll know I've been looking for work experience within the media. Well, I got an invite from Tim Dagger at the media centre on campus (tucked away under the Aston Webb building) to come in and have a look around and discuss a potential work placement. It all went very well and I'm awaiting information regarding dates and times. In addition to that, I emailed ITV and asked if they had anything for me. I got two separate replies. One was clearly from the secretary, or equivalent, telling me to apply in the normal way via the website. The other was more helpful. I was invited in for a day to see how everything works (which reminds me: update and print off CVs). I could choose this day due to what fits in my schedule so I waited for my exam to be done and the media centre interview to clarify a few things then gave them a date. I suggested either today or tomorrow. They chose tomorrow. At 9.30am. It'll take me about 45 minutes to walk there from my flat (I timed the way back when I went to find the place before). That'll be interesting! I'll report back in next week's post.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly chilling on the Vale. That was looovely! The sun and clear sky was making it be in the mid 20sC. I brought out a blanket and a book and chilled there for ages. I'm now quite nicely tanned and nearly constantly yawny. The Vale is such a nice place to relax when the weather's nice. Anywhere you look, there's a BBQ and people are playing frisbee or cricket or rugby. Apparently it's going to cool down mid-week so this weather must be enjoyed whilst it's still here. It feels more like a holiday camp now because of the amount of people hanging out there and the majority of people actually in bikinis and shorts, carrying towels to rest on. Yesterday I made some sausage rolls (from scratch, people!) and me and the boyf had a picnic of sorts and caught some rays.
It's all good.
Sunday 16 May 2010
Week 3: Keeping Busy
This week I've managed to do something every day which meant I was out of the flat or not in the mood for revising. I don't recommend that but it does mean I have a fair bit to report back on.
First of all, on Tuesday I decided to treat my boyfriend to a Big John's (Selly Oak's answer to halal KFC - with proper chips) after an exam he was dreading. Thankfully, it was a lovely day so we could eat it outside Joe's Bar (at the Guild) and enjoy the sun. Before coming to Uni, I generally didn't even think about take-away food because I always cooked it myself or my Mum would cook. My association with take-aways was (and still is, mostly) grease and fat and horrible stuff. I found Big John's, though, and treat myself to a dinner from there every few weeks. Ah and the milkshakes are gorgeous. Proper value for money!
Wednesday was insanely busy. I had to call for a committee meeting in the morning, for the Northern Society, because we needed to expand our committee and talk about a few more important things. That was really productive and we had a good discussion, coming up with many ideas both for now and for the next academic year. Then I went off to the centre to find a dress worthy of wow-ing my boyfriend as he had asked me out to dinner at Strada at the ICC in Brindley Place. I headed straight to New Look because I love their clothes and their prices are student-friendly. After spending about an hour trying on and deciding, I went up to pay and noticed they were running a limited student discount. Whipping out my NUS card, I slashed a £25 dress down to a £20 dress. Good times! On a different note, I'd reserved some dumbbells from Argos (in the Pallisades, the shopping centre attached to New Street and the Bull Ring) so I headed back to pick them up and go back to Tennis Courts to get ready. That was a silly idea. Dumbbells are heavy! I managed to get them back to my flat without any help but weighed the box - I'd been lugging about 20lbs (I weighed my weekly shop last week and that was about 30lbs altogether, too). Dinner was lovely. Strada is always a very good place to eat. The prices are not too bad and there's usually a discount voucher either online or laying around somewhere in a voucher book (about 10 got shoved through my flat door a while back so that's a lot of discounts right there!). For two main meals and a drink (I stuck with water, boyf had a coke - which is served in a posh bottle), we paid around £12. Well, when I say 'we', I mean 'he'.
Quite a few of the people on my course get involved in the Guild's many performance student groups. I've been to see them in Equus (amazing) and on Thursday I went to see Alice in Wonderland. The design of that piece was absolutely fantastic. The costumes were brilliant, the set was awesome and the use of lighting, especially to show Alice growing and shrinking, was really well thought out. Even if you're not naturally into theatre or performing, you should definitely go and see any of the many productions put on by the various performance groups. Even just to appreciate how much effort they put into them - whilst maintaining a good standard of work in their own degrees. Brilliant.
On Friday it was the End of Year Drama night out at the o2 for Propaganda. I don't really go out a lot but because this was the end of year one, I decided to make an effort and join them. I put the message out that I would provide my flat for the meeting point and we'd all go to Propaganda from there. The night was really fun and more people than I imagined turned up, which did wonders for my social esteem. I was able to let off some steam by dancing the night away to really good indie tunes and eventually getting back to my flat at about 3.30am. I'll definitely be joining the drama people for a night out again soon. It was good to see everyone again after finishing the year and not quite realising we had no more classes together until October.
This weekend has been a nice relaxing one, so far, and the only thing left to do is go to Bar One for a few games of pool and see if anyone turns up for the pub quiz. Due to exams, the quiz has been sparse for the past couple of weeks. They'll probably cancel it soon then restart it back in October. One thing I haven't indulged in is a BBQ on the Vale, which I assume is allowed because disposables are being sold in Cost Cutter and I haven't heard of anyone being told off for it, yet. That must be done before term ends completely.
First of all, on Tuesday I decided to treat my boyfriend to a Big John's (Selly Oak's answer to halal KFC - with proper chips) after an exam he was dreading. Thankfully, it was a lovely day so we could eat it outside Joe's Bar (at the Guild) and enjoy the sun. Before coming to Uni, I generally didn't even think about take-away food because I always cooked it myself or my Mum would cook. My association with take-aways was (and still is, mostly) grease and fat and horrible stuff. I found Big John's, though, and treat myself to a dinner from there every few weeks. Ah and the milkshakes are gorgeous. Proper value for money!
Wednesday was insanely busy. I had to call for a committee meeting in the morning, for the Northern Society, because we needed to expand our committee and talk about a few more important things. That was really productive and we had a good discussion, coming up with many ideas both for now and for the next academic year. Then I went off to the centre to find a dress worthy of wow-ing my boyfriend as he had asked me out to dinner at Strada at the ICC in Brindley Place. I headed straight to New Look because I love their clothes and their prices are student-friendly. After spending about an hour trying on and deciding, I went up to pay and noticed they were running a limited student discount. Whipping out my NUS card, I slashed a £25 dress down to a £20 dress. Good times! On a different note, I'd reserved some dumbbells from Argos (in the Pallisades, the shopping centre attached to New Street and the Bull Ring) so I headed back to pick them up and go back to Tennis Courts to get ready. That was a silly idea. Dumbbells are heavy! I managed to get them back to my flat without any help but weighed the box - I'd been lugging about 20lbs (I weighed my weekly shop last week and that was about 30lbs altogether, too). Dinner was lovely. Strada is always a very good place to eat. The prices are not too bad and there's usually a discount voucher either online or laying around somewhere in a voucher book (about 10 got shoved through my flat door a while back so that's a lot of discounts right there!). For two main meals and a drink (I stuck with water, boyf had a coke - which is served in a posh bottle), we paid around £12. Well, when I say 'we', I mean 'he'.
Quite a few of the people on my course get involved in the Guild's many performance student groups. I've been to see them in Equus (amazing) and on Thursday I went to see Alice in Wonderland. The design of that piece was absolutely fantastic. The costumes were brilliant, the set was awesome and the use of lighting, especially to show Alice growing and shrinking, was really well thought out. Even if you're not naturally into theatre or performing, you should definitely go and see any of the many productions put on by the various performance groups. Even just to appreciate how much effort they put into them - whilst maintaining a good standard of work in their own degrees. Brilliant.
On Friday it was the End of Year Drama night out at the o2 for Propaganda. I don't really go out a lot but because this was the end of year one, I decided to make an effort and join them. I put the message out that I would provide my flat for the meeting point and we'd all go to Propaganda from there. The night was really fun and more people than I imagined turned up, which did wonders for my social esteem. I was able to let off some steam by dancing the night away to really good indie tunes and eventually getting back to my flat at about 3.30am. I'll definitely be joining the drama people for a night out again soon. It was good to see everyone again after finishing the year and not quite realising we had no more classes together until October.
This weekend has been a nice relaxing one, so far, and the only thing left to do is go to Bar One for a few games of pool and see if anyone turns up for the pub quiz. Due to exams, the quiz has been sparse for the past couple of weeks. They'll probably cancel it soon then restart it back in October. One thing I haven't indulged in is a BBQ on the Vale, which I assume is allowed because disposables are being sold in Cost Cutter and I haven't heard of anyone being told off for it, yet. That must be done before term ends completely.
Saturday 8 May 2010
Week 2: Trying to see it from a different perspective
First of all, I don't think I'll bother commenting on the election fiasco. The rest of the world's media has done that brilliantly and precisely (even though I still don't think my vote helped things particularly).
This week's post will be a very honest, open view on student life from the perspective of someone who doesn't go out every week or even every three weeks. I prefer a quieter night in. Last week I mentioned meeting up with friends and going for a drink at Bar One, the bar on the Vale. That was definitely what I would call is 'my territory'. Personally, I see massive clubs like Gatecrasher and so on (see, I haven't even got a wealth of experience there to mention a few more) to be places I'd go to for occasions. Perhaps that sounded a little bitter but there's a reason for this. I've mentioned in previous posts about the atmosphere in university halls. You have to be prepared for interrupted sleep on nights that are frequent to begin with then they die down and happen only twice a week then they creep up again and so on.
I have to be blunt: I don't necessarily feel a part of the community of Tennis Court. I haven't met many people yet who don't have the, shall we say, typical student mentality of work vs play. I'm working on that. I am, though, counting down the days (two months!) until I'm in my second year house and I know I won't have to worry about the kitchen being an utter disgrace. My flat failed our recent flat inspection twice. It was spotless after the second inspection because the boys realised what they were living in. When I was the last one to leave, at Easter, I'd tidied the kitchen up nicely so I'd have something nice and fresh to come back to. I then polished it up a bit when I returned. Then it got messy. It stayed messy for two weeks. This morning I decided that just wasn't acceptable any more and I cleaned up. Luckily, the boys appreciate when this happens and I buttered them up even more with some freshly baked cupcakes so hopefully the kitchen will stay at least in an acceptable state.
In a small aside - I'm loving Doctor Who right now. Apart from the episode that was on tonight. That was slightly naff. Not quite as genius as Steven Moffat's weeping angels. Watching Confidential (which is arguably my favourite of the two parts - main then behind the scenes) I began to see how the true story linked in with the writer's idea. It kind of made sense. I'm not a history buff, though, so it took a few facts and a history lesson from one of the residents for me to understand a snippet. It's a good series, though. Ok maybe that wasn't such a small aside. And I could discuss the matter further.
Adding to my waiting game, I'm also looking forward to transforming my crowded room into a whole house. The person I'm living with - my boyfriend - may not be staying with me over summer because he'd like to spend some time at home so I'll have the house to myself for however long I stay there for (I'm thinking of getting work experience here while I have a few months spare). That means I can really move in and organise my stuff. I can buy a book shelf and make a mini library corner and a desk to put my old PC on and a little exercise corner next to the TV and a work corner in my room with all my folders. Ooh, exciting! And a shoe corner. Can't forget the shoes.
The Northern Society have been on hiatus to figure a few things out and we're back to the drawing board. Hopefully there will be more interesting news to come, with that. I urge all potential freshers to look out for us at Freshers Fair.
This week's post will be a very honest, open view on student life from the perspective of someone who doesn't go out every week or even every three weeks. I prefer a quieter night in. Last week I mentioned meeting up with friends and going for a drink at Bar One, the bar on the Vale. That was definitely what I would call is 'my territory'. Personally, I see massive clubs like Gatecrasher and so on (see, I haven't even got a wealth of experience there to mention a few more) to be places I'd go to for occasions. Perhaps that sounded a little bitter but there's a reason for this. I've mentioned in previous posts about the atmosphere in university halls. You have to be prepared for interrupted sleep on nights that are frequent to begin with then they die down and happen only twice a week then they creep up again and so on.
I have to be blunt: I don't necessarily feel a part of the community of Tennis Court. I haven't met many people yet who don't have the, shall we say, typical student mentality of work vs play. I'm working on that. I am, though, counting down the days (two months!) until I'm in my second year house and I know I won't have to worry about the kitchen being an utter disgrace. My flat failed our recent flat inspection twice. It was spotless after the second inspection because the boys realised what they were living in. When I was the last one to leave, at Easter, I'd tidied the kitchen up nicely so I'd have something nice and fresh to come back to. I then polished it up a bit when I returned. Then it got messy. It stayed messy for two weeks. This morning I decided that just wasn't acceptable any more and I cleaned up. Luckily, the boys appreciate when this happens and I buttered them up even more with some freshly baked cupcakes so hopefully the kitchen will stay at least in an acceptable state.
In a small aside - I'm loving Doctor Who right now. Apart from the episode that was on tonight. That was slightly naff. Not quite as genius as Steven Moffat's weeping angels. Watching Confidential (which is arguably my favourite of the two parts - main then behind the scenes) I began to see how the true story linked in with the writer's idea. It kind of made sense. I'm not a history buff, though, so it took a few facts and a history lesson from one of the residents for me to understand a snippet. It's a good series, though. Ok maybe that wasn't such a small aside. And I could discuss the matter further.
Adding to my waiting game, I'm also looking forward to transforming my crowded room into a whole house. The person I'm living with - my boyfriend - may not be staying with me over summer because he'd like to spend some time at home so I'll have the house to myself for however long I stay there for (I'm thinking of getting work experience here while I have a few months spare). That means I can really move in and organise my stuff. I can buy a book shelf and make a mini library corner and a desk to put my old PC on and a little exercise corner next to the TV and a work corner in my room with all my folders. Ooh, exciting! And a shoe corner. Can't forget the shoes.
The Northern Society have been on hiatus to figure a few things out and we're back to the drawing board. Hopefully there will be more interesting news to come, with that. I urge all potential freshers to look out for us at Freshers Fair.
Saturday 1 May 2010
Final Term: Week 1: Election Hosting and the Two Bars
Firstly, the University of Birmingham hosted the political debate this week. One of the things promoted by the Guild was the vote for students campaign. They encouraged everyone to wear either a Vote for Students shirt or just a pink themed outfit. The first thing that sprang to mind, apart from 'I don't own any pink' was 'I can't wear red, then'. I'm all for this particular campaign because it's about tuition fees and such but the first thing I think of when a 'wear -colour-' day comes up is either the lack of that colour in my wardrobe or the clash of colour that I will likely choose instead. I wore blue on Thursday. No pink.
Aside from the colour grumble, having the UK's media on campus was mental! It was a perfect opportunity for me and my friend because we both wanted to get some work experience in the TV industry so rather than shamelessly standing in the background of a shot we went and spoke to a few people and got some contact details. There was definitely a buzz around campus and everyone was excited to see Mandleson roaming free with a camera on him.
In other news, Joe's Bar has been moved and prettied up! Joe's is the bar in the Guild of Students on the main campus, where you can go for a drink or some food any time of the day and where quite a few events are held in the evenings. I love spending time in Joe's - even more so now that it's all done up. The prices are really good, too. For half a four seasons pizza (which, to me, could well have been a full pizza as it was a generous half) it's £3. A huge portion of chips (and I mean HUGE) it's about £2. Absolute bargain. It's all freshly made in the kitchens of Joe's, too, so it's very good quality food. If I wasn't so conscious about calories, I'd have my lunch there most days. There's also the biggest dessert in the world (perhaps not an official claim but it is pretty huge) which is aptly named the 'University Challenge', with the tag line 'do you dare or do you have to share?'. Fantastic! The onion ring tower also looks interesting. ...now I'm hungry.
Last night I met up with one of my friends from back home. He brought his BCU (Birmingham City University) friend along and I brought my boyfriend along so we all sat on Bar One (the bar on the Vale) and had a drink together then played some pool. Our original option was to go to Broad Street but considering it was a Friday night we didn't want to get caught in the mass crowds of people going to Gatecrasher and such like. Bar One always has a good atmosphere and plays good music so it was definitely a better idea. It's £1 for two games of pool (or 60p for one) so we played a good few games, which was a welcome return as I played a lot of pool in the last two terms and was itching to get back there. On Sunday I'll be returning to Bar One for the Pub Quiz again. Not quite sure what our team name should be this time round.
Through the whole of the Easter break I've been doing work and avoiding doing work. Thankfully, I only have one essay left to complete then only one exam on the 19th May then I'm done for first year. I'll still continue blogging after I've finished because I'll still be in Birmingham for the rest of the term. The contract for halls ends on July 4th and my second year house contract starts on July 1st so I'm taking advantage of that convenience and will be moving my stuff over gradually. But, as I said, I still have one essay to complete. That's in for Tuesday so I better get cracking!
Aside from the colour grumble, having the UK's media on campus was mental! It was a perfect opportunity for me and my friend because we both wanted to get some work experience in the TV industry so rather than shamelessly standing in the background of a shot we went and spoke to a few people and got some contact details. There was definitely a buzz around campus and everyone was excited to see Mandleson roaming free with a camera on him.
In other news, Joe's Bar has been moved and prettied up! Joe's is the bar in the Guild of Students on the main campus, where you can go for a drink or some food any time of the day and where quite a few events are held in the evenings. I love spending time in Joe's - even more so now that it's all done up. The prices are really good, too. For half a four seasons pizza (which, to me, could well have been a full pizza as it was a generous half) it's £3. A huge portion of chips (and I mean HUGE) it's about £2. Absolute bargain. It's all freshly made in the kitchens of Joe's, too, so it's very good quality food. If I wasn't so conscious about calories, I'd have my lunch there most days. There's also the biggest dessert in the world (perhaps not an official claim but it is pretty huge) which is aptly named the 'University Challenge', with the tag line 'do you dare or do you have to share?'. Fantastic! The onion ring tower also looks interesting. ...now I'm hungry.
Last night I met up with one of my friends from back home. He brought his BCU (Birmingham City University) friend along and I brought my boyfriend along so we all sat on Bar One (the bar on the Vale) and had a drink together then played some pool. Our original option was to go to Broad Street but considering it was a Friday night we didn't want to get caught in the mass crowds of people going to Gatecrasher and such like. Bar One always has a good atmosphere and plays good music so it was definitely a better idea. It's £1 for two games of pool (or 60p for one) so we played a good few games, which was a welcome return as I played a lot of pool in the last two terms and was itching to get back there. On Sunday I'll be returning to Bar One for the Pub Quiz again. Not quite sure what our team name should be this time round.
Through the whole of the Easter break I've been doing work and avoiding doing work. Thankfully, I only have one essay left to complete then only one exam on the 19th May then I'm done for first year. I'll still continue blogging after I've finished because I'll still be in Birmingham for the rest of the term. The contract for halls ends on July 4th and my second year house contract starts on July 1st so I'm taking advantage of that convenience and will be moving my stuff over gradually. But, as I said, I still have one essay to complete. That's in for Tuesday so I better get cracking!
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Week 11: Not enough hours in the day
I'm HOME!
This week has been rather confusing. I've been a bit of a passenger, really, because my timetable has pretty much ruled everything. I've not been able to do much of what I want. At least that's what it feels like, now. On Thursday I had a performance, the marking for which I'm still confused about, so I've been in rehearsals every day. I must say, it was a very enjoyable piece. This one was directed by a third year student to merge the third year module of Directing and the first year module of Theatre Practice. The tutors stepped back completely and let the third years rule over it all so that was pretty interesting. I was lucky to have such an awesome third year to work with because I heard a few horror stories about some groups who weren't necessarily comfortable. It all worked out, though, so it definitely isn't something to dread. I absolutely adore everyone who was in my group and had apprehensions about how well I'd get on with everyone so by the end I was really happy that there were no issues. We all picked up a few hilarious stories about living in houses infested with mice, too. My director was a legend!
On Friday I had to do the dreaded Theatre Crafts exam. It does count for 50% of that module but the impression I got was that they use the results as more of an indication for how well each person might do in the second year equivalents. In second year, you have to choose between the four theatre crafts that you are introduced to in first year: costume, stage management, lighting and sound. If you don't like any of them, there's the ancillary choice which you set up with another subject. I was torn between carrying on Christian Theology (ancillary) and lighting and sound. I found lighting really interesting and sound was just Vici all over: gadgets and the theatre put together. In the end, I chose lighting as my first choice and sound as my second. Lighting does include quite a bit of physics. I do remember quite a lot of it at GCSE level, though, and I didn't do too badly then (though it was my worst subject) so I'm hoping for good times if I get to do that. The second year classes get emailed to us in May.
I finally did something mildly interesting! I went to Cadbury World. Well, my boyfriend took me there. There are certain things you must do if you go to certain places. If you go to Birmingham, you have to go to Cadbury World. The tickets were £10.50 for students (NUS is accepted but the website also says equivalents are also good... they didn't check our ID) and the walk round the whole place took us about an hour and a half. Maybe slightly longer. You can make it, pretty much, as long as you want because there isn't anyone there to guide you. There are certain sections where you have to queue but that's fine. It's quite an interesting visit. And there's free chocolate. Lots of it. On entry I got a curly wurly and a bag of buttons. Half way through I got a bar of dairy milk. At the end I got a cup of melted chocolate. Needless to say I felt a little full and sick afterwards. On the walk up, we could smell the chocolate in the air. It did make me feel a bit like a child, which is always good. I definitely recommend a visit!
When I go home, I must remember not to bring so much stuff. I did it again. I filled a suitcase. And a bag full of books. And a shoulder bag. And my laptop bag. Deciding to get the train at peak times wasn't necessarily one of my best ideas, either. I got a taxi from Tennis Courts to Uni train station (could've taken it to New Street... didn't think of that) and managed to get a train that was almost leaving. That meant I was early into New Street. I thought I'd be coy and get on an earlier train to Sheffield but I didn't get a seat the whole way there. The train happened to be a replacement which was one carriage shorter than its pre-decessor and had a first class carriage which effectively made it two carriages shorter. So, a train that was two carriages shorter than it was meant to be, which was late and which carried at least twice as many people as it was meant to in the first place. That's a bit of a busy train. Because I wanted to surprise my Mum with my early arrival home, I timed the train to Doncaster from Sheffield so I'd get to my house at about 7pm. That meant waiting in Sheffield for 40 minutes. 30 minutes of that had to be staring at a train I could've taken had I not been bothered about timings. Why oh why do I like to make things slightly more complicated? Eventually I got home and my plan worked perfectly. Phoning my Mum, not mentioning where I was, then ringing the doorbell mid-conversation confused and surprised her in all the right ways. Sorted.
Now I'm home, I've enjoyed a few lay-ins and have promised myself a few times already that I'll stop procrastinating and will actually get down to business with my essays. I have 7500 words to write again. A 3000 word essay for Dramatic Medium about the emergence of the independent director. A 2500 word essay for PTPC (Performance: Theory, Practice and Critique) about the ethics artist appropriation and multi-culturalism. And a 2000 word essay on working with Stanislavsky's rehearsal techniques. Don't ask me how I'm going to do them whilst at home where I'm most slack.
This week has been rather confusing. I've been a bit of a passenger, really, because my timetable has pretty much ruled everything. I've not been able to do much of what I want. At least that's what it feels like, now. On Thursday I had a performance, the marking for which I'm still confused about, so I've been in rehearsals every day. I must say, it was a very enjoyable piece. This one was directed by a third year student to merge the third year module of Directing and the first year module of Theatre Practice. The tutors stepped back completely and let the third years rule over it all so that was pretty interesting. I was lucky to have such an awesome third year to work with because I heard a few horror stories about some groups who weren't necessarily comfortable. It all worked out, though, so it definitely isn't something to dread. I absolutely adore everyone who was in my group and had apprehensions about how well I'd get on with everyone so by the end I was really happy that there were no issues. We all picked up a few hilarious stories about living in houses infested with mice, too. My director was a legend!
On Friday I had to do the dreaded Theatre Crafts exam. It does count for 50% of that module but the impression I got was that they use the results as more of an indication for how well each person might do in the second year equivalents. In second year, you have to choose between the four theatre crafts that you are introduced to in first year: costume, stage management, lighting and sound. If you don't like any of them, there's the ancillary choice which you set up with another subject. I was torn between carrying on Christian Theology (ancillary) and lighting and sound. I found lighting really interesting and sound was just Vici all over: gadgets and the theatre put together. In the end, I chose lighting as my first choice and sound as my second. Lighting does include quite a bit of physics. I do remember quite a lot of it at GCSE level, though, and I didn't do too badly then (though it was my worst subject) so I'm hoping for good times if I get to do that. The second year classes get emailed to us in May.
I finally did something mildly interesting! I went to Cadbury World. Well, my boyfriend took me there. There are certain things you must do if you go to certain places. If you go to Birmingham, you have to go to Cadbury World. The tickets were £10.50 for students (NUS is accepted but the website also says equivalents are also good... they didn't check our ID) and the walk round the whole place took us about an hour and a half. Maybe slightly longer. You can make it, pretty much, as long as you want because there isn't anyone there to guide you. There are certain sections where you have to queue but that's fine. It's quite an interesting visit. And there's free chocolate. Lots of it. On entry I got a curly wurly and a bag of buttons. Half way through I got a bar of dairy milk. At the end I got a cup of melted chocolate. Needless to say I felt a little full and sick afterwards. On the walk up, we could smell the chocolate in the air. It did make me feel a bit like a child, which is always good. I definitely recommend a visit!
When I go home, I must remember not to bring so much stuff. I did it again. I filled a suitcase. And a bag full of books. And a shoulder bag. And my laptop bag. Deciding to get the train at peak times wasn't necessarily one of my best ideas, either. I got a taxi from Tennis Courts to Uni train station (could've taken it to New Street... didn't think of that) and managed to get a train that was almost leaving. That meant I was early into New Street. I thought I'd be coy and get on an earlier train to Sheffield but I didn't get a seat the whole way there. The train happened to be a replacement which was one carriage shorter than its pre-decessor and had a first class carriage which effectively made it two carriages shorter. So, a train that was two carriages shorter than it was meant to be, which was late and which carried at least twice as many people as it was meant to in the first place. That's a bit of a busy train. Because I wanted to surprise my Mum with my early arrival home, I timed the train to Doncaster from Sheffield so I'd get to my house at about 7pm. That meant waiting in Sheffield for 40 minutes. 30 minutes of that had to be staring at a train I could've taken had I not been bothered about timings. Why oh why do I like to make things slightly more complicated? Eventually I got home and my plan worked perfectly. Phoning my Mum, not mentioning where I was, then ringing the doorbell mid-conversation confused and surprised her in all the right ways. Sorted.
Now I'm home, I've enjoyed a few lay-ins and have promised myself a few times already that I'll stop procrastinating and will actually get down to business with my essays. I have 7500 words to write again. A 3000 word essay for Dramatic Medium about the emergence of the independent director. A 2500 word essay for PTPC (Performance: Theory, Practice and Critique) about the ethics artist appropriation and multi-culturalism. And a 2000 word essay on working with Stanislavsky's rehearsal techniques. Don't ask me how I'm going to do them whilst at home where I'm most slack.
Saturday 20 March 2010
Week 10: Seemingly Packed
I've been almost non-stop this week. Or, at least, I think I have. Last week's post was written on Monday so I've already revealed what happened that day. I'll start with Tuesday.
On Tuesday, I managed to go over-budget again by buying almost £40 worth of food. To be fair, I hadn't been food shopping in a while so I figured that I'd take that excuse to stock up. I did buy a lot of things I wasn't going to eat straight away, such as tins of chopped tomatoes (essential for student living), tomato soup (also essential) and kidney beans (as before). I was, however, being money conscious. I went round with the calculator on my phone and tried to keep track. It appears I missed one or two things because I was about £3 off but it didn't matter anyway. I had to call a taxi to cart all the stuff back to TC because it was simply too heavy to carry healthily. The taxi driver then alluded to me being a princess simply because of my name (my surname is Royle). Lovely. He got to keep the change.
As I'd promised to meet Oli at the Guild, I had to rush to put all my things away and make 'portable food' so I could avoid the grump monster that attacks me when I get hungry. It was absolutely gorgeous so sitting outside Joe's Bar sipping a glass of water and my 30 second burger (frikadillen in a burger bun/roll with pickle) was a breeze. We then moved down to Student Development in the basement to make posters for our first society event which, later, we had to alter due to circumstances I'll reveal in a bit. At ten to four we headed up to the Thomson Training Suite for the Cultural societies mini-forum.
Mini-forums are organised for societies with similar aims (there's a media mini-forum, a departmental one, an indoor activities one, etc.). The VP SAD (Vice President of Student Activities and Development) chairs the meeting and any issues are put to her (at the moment it is Emma Packham). This time round, the candidates running for Emma's job were there and presented their pitch to us. When the elections come round again, it's really important that everyone votes because the Guild is a democracy and needs the input of the students. It is run for students, after all. After the candidates had their half an hour, they left and Emma introduced the Referendum. This is only relevant to this year, I think, so I won't really say much. I can't even say if I agree or not. If you want to find more about the Referendum, there's more on the Guild website and on Facebook groups. Eventually the focus turned to the groups. We went round the table in turn reporting on the year's successes and difficulties (note: not failures). It was interesting to hear what events people were putting on and to hear that societies which have been running for a long time are still struggling with getting funding due to their small amount of members. The list of societies is, again, on the Guild website under 'Get Involved'.
As I said earlier, we had problems with our first event. We had planned to meet at Joe's Bar at 8.30pm because it's an easily accessible place but when we went down to Joe's to talk to the staff about it, they said they were hosting a Sports Night on the same day so would have to charge our members £4 for entry and would have to shift our time to 9pm. We didn't want to do that so we changed our venue to Bar One, on the Vale, and the manager was happy for us to put some posters up advertising the event. We can't say for sure how the posters have helped or hindered the promotion of the event but we have had a small increase in group members on Facebook. There's also a poster up in the TeCRA office thanks to the enthusiasm of one of the RAs who claims to be a proud Northerner.
Thursday was a bit of a low, blank day for me. I had rehearsals at 10am which meant waking up at 7am (I always leave the flat an hour before I need to be up at the Selly Oak campus and wake up two hours before I need to leave). That wasn't altogether pleasant. I think I need some sort of schedule back in my life. I may well go ahead and make one, considering I have about 7500 words to write over Easter and an exam to prepare for and the gym to go to. After 19th May, though, I'll be a free woman! That's the beauty of University: it's intense but the finishing date is earlier than your previous.
Yesterday was quite refreshing, actually, in that the morning was quite slack. I had to be in Selly Oak for 2pm so I didn't have to set my alarm, which is always good. I amused myself with the Friday Night Comedy podcast on the walk up to George Cadbury Hall which made me about twenty minutes early. That's also always good. The reason I was up there was the cueing exercise that we have to do every four weeks (minus the costume run) of Theatre Crafts. This time round it was sound. We had to go up into the sound box and were taught how to use the cueing programme then, essentially, made sound happen at the right time. Techie times!
On Tuesday, I managed to go over-budget again by buying almost £40 worth of food. To be fair, I hadn't been food shopping in a while so I figured that I'd take that excuse to stock up. I did buy a lot of things I wasn't going to eat straight away, such as tins of chopped tomatoes (essential for student living), tomato soup (also essential) and kidney beans (as before). I was, however, being money conscious. I went round with the calculator on my phone and tried to keep track. It appears I missed one or two things because I was about £3 off but it didn't matter anyway. I had to call a taxi to cart all the stuff back to TC because it was simply too heavy to carry healthily. The taxi driver then alluded to me being a princess simply because of my name (my surname is Royle). Lovely. He got to keep the change.
As I'd promised to meet Oli at the Guild, I had to rush to put all my things away and make 'portable food' so I could avoid the grump monster that attacks me when I get hungry. It was absolutely gorgeous so sitting outside Joe's Bar sipping a glass of water and my 30 second burger (frikadillen in a burger bun/roll with pickle) was a breeze. We then moved down to Student Development in the basement to make posters for our first society event which, later, we had to alter due to circumstances I'll reveal in a bit. At ten to four we headed up to the Thomson Training Suite for the Cultural societies mini-forum.
Mini-forums are organised for societies with similar aims (there's a media mini-forum, a departmental one, an indoor activities one, etc.). The VP SAD (Vice President of Student Activities and Development) chairs the meeting and any issues are put to her (at the moment it is Emma Packham). This time round, the candidates running for Emma's job were there and presented their pitch to us. When the elections come round again, it's really important that everyone votes because the Guild is a democracy and needs the input of the students. It is run for students, after all. After the candidates had their half an hour, they left and Emma introduced the Referendum. This is only relevant to this year, I think, so I won't really say much. I can't even say if I agree or not. If you want to find more about the Referendum, there's more on the Guild website and on Facebook groups. Eventually the focus turned to the groups. We went round the table in turn reporting on the year's successes and difficulties (note: not failures). It was interesting to hear what events people were putting on and to hear that societies which have been running for a long time are still struggling with getting funding due to their small amount of members. The list of societies is, again, on the Guild website under 'Get Involved'.
As I said earlier, we had problems with our first event. We had planned to meet at Joe's Bar at 8.30pm because it's an easily accessible place but when we went down to Joe's to talk to the staff about it, they said they were hosting a Sports Night on the same day so would have to charge our members £4 for entry and would have to shift our time to 9pm. We didn't want to do that so we changed our venue to Bar One, on the Vale, and the manager was happy for us to put some posters up advertising the event. We can't say for sure how the posters have helped or hindered the promotion of the event but we have had a small increase in group members on Facebook. There's also a poster up in the TeCRA office thanks to the enthusiasm of one of the RAs who claims to be a proud Northerner.
Thursday was a bit of a low, blank day for me. I had rehearsals at 10am which meant waking up at 7am (I always leave the flat an hour before I need to be up at the Selly Oak campus and wake up two hours before I need to leave). That wasn't altogether pleasant. I think I need some sort of schedule back in my life. I may well go ahead and make one, considering I have about 7500 words to write over Easter and an exam to prepare for and the gym to go to. After 19th May, though, I'll be a free woman! That's the beauty of University: it's intense but the finishing date is earlier than your previous.
Yesterday was quite refreshing, actually, in that the morning was quite slack. I had to be in Selly Oak for 2pm so I didn't have to set my alarm, which is always good. I amused myself with the Friday Night Comedy podcast on the walk up to George Cadbury Hall which made me about twenty minutes early. That's also always good. The reason I was up there was the cueing exercise that we have to do every four weeks (minus the costume run) of Theatre Crafts. This time round it was sound. We had to go up into the sound box and were taught how to use the cueing programme then, essentially, made sound happen at the right time. Techie times!
Monday 15 March 2010
Week 9: When will Easter arrive?
Oh boy, I've had a long day. Rehearsal with a third year, options for 2nd year meeting, student development enquiry, lecture, library, back to TC with hardly anything to eat and plenty of things to do.
There's more news on forming a Student Group (society). This week we were called in to have an informal meeting with Steve in the Student Development office to go over the basics and to give the details of all our committee members (the minimum is three... and we have three). We received a torrent of information, most of which couldn't really soak into my head at first, but SD have what they call is a 'pick and mix' which is basically just a rack full of leaflets on most frequently asked topics. I won't go into too much detail because it's something you only need to know if you fancy founding a student group or going for a committee post. We're in the process of organising our first social, which requires filling out a Risk Assessment form and doing lots of promoting.
We failed the flat inspection. Twice. After the second time, one of my flatmates was inspired to make the place spotless. I came back after a whole day out and I was absolutely amazed. Even the bin lid was clean. Upon the second fail, there was the same note with the warning of another inspection coming within 2-3 days but unfortunately they appear to have gone against this and have sent us a letter telling us to go and see the Housing People before next Friday. This is particularly frustrating and was not what I wanted to see after waking up at 8am this morning and finishing the 'out-of-flat schedule' at 6pm with inevitable grumpiness due to growing hunger. So that'll be fun.
I've had such a dull weekend, I pretty much have nothing much else to report. Oh, the quiz was awful this week. Absolutely shocking. I may write in to complain, it was that bad. This is a shocker because I adore the quiz. It wasn't the usual guy doing the presenting, though, so that did change things. And I was in a bad mood anyway.
At some point this week I will be going to Lickey Hills so I will report back on that in next week's post.
Love to your mothers.
There's more news on forming a Student Group (society). This week we were called in to have an informal meeting with Steve in the Student Development office to go over the basics and to give the details of all our committee members (the minimum is three... and we have three). We received a torrent of information, most of which couldn't really soak into my head at first, but SD have what they call is a 'pick and mix' which is basically just a rack full of leaflets on most frequently asked topics. I won't go into too much detail because it's something you only need to know if you fancy founding a student group or going for a committee post. We're in the process of organising our first social, which requires filling out a Risk Assessment form and doing lots of promoting.
We failed the flat inspection. Twice. After the second time, one of my flatmates was inspired to make the place spotless. I came back after a whole day out and I was absolutely amazed. Even the bin lid was clean. Upon the second fail, there was the same note with the warning of another inspection coming within 2-3 days but unfortunately they appear to have gone against this and have sent us a letter telling us to go and see the Housing People before next Friday. This is particularly frustrating and was not what I wanted to see after waking up at 8am this morning and finishing the 'out-of-flat schedule' at 6pm with inevitable grumpiness due to growing hunger. So that'll be fun.
I've had such a dull weekend, I pretty much have nothing much else to report. Oh, the quiz was awful this week. Absolutely shocking. I may write in to complain, it was that bad. This is a shocker because I adore the quiz. It wasn't the usual guy doing the presenting, though, so that did change things. And I was in a bad mood anyway.
At some point this week I will be going to Lickey Hills so I will report back on that in next week's post.
Love to your mothers.
Sunday 7 March 2010
Week 8: How to make Birmingham feel like a holiday
I have just experienced one of the best weekends of my life. Ever. And I needed it.
This whole week I've been stressing about getting my essay plan done for one of my modules. I'd gotten some books out but not found time to actually get it done due to things that kept popping up. And a boyfriend with man flu (which has now been passed on to me - thanks). On Thursday I finally started and completed that. It took me much less time than I expected because I got really interested in the topic. I even actually read a few of the extracts I was meant to be bigging up. The essay plan basically consists of 'I will write...' and 'I will use this extract because it... It is useful because...'. Considering I had only scanned or read the blurb of most of my extracts, this was a little difficult. That said, I had read a few of them already because a few were taken from the actual course reader.
On Friday, to support the third years, I went to see a final year production. As I've explained in a previous post, productions in the Drama department are completely student run during production week. First years do the box office and the quick changes as well as preparing the costume by sewing on and unstitching and cutting and doing the lower jobs on the set such as painting and shifting things around. Second years look after the first years and mark them, as well as getting stuck in with assistant stage management and some sound and lighting jobs. The third years pretty much run the show backstage and, of course, are the acting company. It was £5 to see the show. This particular one was a celebration of the MA in Playwrighting at Birmingham. It was called 20/20 and was a compilation of 20 short plays. It was split into two halves, as standard. The first half was owned by one acting company who performed ten plays. There was an interval then another acting company performed another ten plays. The whole evening lasted about four hours, so it was a very long performance night compared to the other productions but it was worth it to see the range of plays used, all of which were written by graduates of the MA course and had never been performed before.
Saturday was a packed day. I walked to the centre in the morning and did about half an hour of browsing New Street and the Bullring then went over to Millenium Point to the IMAX. As Tim Burton's particularly fabulous creation (Alice in Wonderland) was released on Friday, I'd booked tickets for the first showing on Saturday. Millenium Point houses both the IMAX and Think Tank, the science museum I've yet to visit. Whilst the ticket prices are inflated in relation to a student ticket from Cineworld or the Odeon, I do recommend a visit to the IMAX to anyone who hasn't been before. They were the first to bring 3D screens and the quality beats Odeon's try by quite a bit. It definitely beats The Deep 3D screen in Hull. That was just naff. The film itself was pretty awesome, by the way. That's a given, though.
After Alice, Oliver and I wandered down to the Hyatt where we checked in. We questioned our motives for staying there for the night: "We're students, what are we doing?". We stayed in a King Room, which is one of the lower end rooms (but still ridiculously nice), which set us back £109. Going halves, we paid £54.50 each. To me, that isn't too bad. I remember paying something like that (£50, not £100) to stay in Pimlico in London when I went to see Chicago last June and that was just for a tiny B&B. Our room at the Hyatt was rather large in comparison.
Birmingham is a massive city so places to dine are not hard to find at all. We chose Wetherspoons simply out of familiarity and student budgeting. If we had a bit more spare cash we could've gone to Strada, which is a posh-ish but still well priced restaurant (I wrote about it in a previous post). And then onto the NIA! A few months ago, Oli bought two tickets to see the Stereophonics in Birmingham. I'd been looking forward to, and counting down to, that night ever since. Ah, it was good. As Kelly said, the NIA is a "big ol shed." The Hip Parade were the support. I'd class them as 'a good student band'. I could imagine going to see them at a student event and being impressed. I'm not quite sure the NIA was the right size for them. The Phonics were, as I expected, incredible. They played a really, really good set and didn't include any gimmicks or add-ons. It was just them, the audience, some flashy lights and awesome music. That's exactly what I wanted and expected. That, by the way, was about £70 for two tickets including booking and postage. Walking back from the NIA to the Hyatt felt like a cool summer evening in Spain or France. Somewhere mildly exotic. The joke of "Shall we go to the beach tomorrow?" could have been a genuine question.
After really milking out night at the Hyatt by going to sleep at silly o'clock in the morning and checking out as late as possible, we ventured out into Birmingham for breakfast. Adding breakfast onto our bill would've taken about another £30 from Oli's wallet. No, thank you. Instead, we opted for a midday Greggs pasty. That'll do! The sun was shining beautifully and as we sat in Victoria Square looking out at the fountain and gallery/museum we felt, again, like we were on holiday somewhere abroad. Good times indeed.
Unfortunately, my concern for Oli's health during his ordeal with the dreaded 'man flu' meant that I, too, was getting the sniffles. I'm now nursing a very red nose and going through tissues very quickly. I also got a bit addicted to grapes as I was watching QI on the iPlayer. Now I'm off to sip chicken soup with noodles whilst watching The Bubble. Maybe I'll attempt to read the play I need to start and finish for Wednesday. Sniff sniff.
This whole week I've been stressing about getting my essay plan done for one of my modules. I'd gotten some books out but not found time to actually get it done due to things that kept popping up. And a boyfriend with man flu (which has now been passed on to me - thanks). On Thursday I finally started and completed that. It took me much less time than I expected because I got really interested in the topic. I even actually read a few of the extracts I was meant to be bigging up. The essay plan basically consists of 'I will write...' and 'I will use this extract because it... It is useful because...'. Considering I had only scanned or read the blurb of most of my extracts, this was a little difficult. That said, I had read a few of them already because a few were taken from the actual course reader.
On Friday, to support the third years, I went to see a final year production. As I've explained in a previous post, productions in the Drama department are completely student run during production week. First years do the box office and the quick changes as well as preparing the costume by sewing on and unstitching and cutting and doing the lower jobs on the set such as painting and shifting things around. Second years look after the first years and mark them, as well as getting stuck in with assistant stage management and some sound and lighting jobs. The third years pretty much run the show backstage and, of course, are the acting company. It was £5 to see the show. This particular one was a celebration of the MA in Playwrighting at Birmingham. It was called 20/20 and was a compilation of 20 short plays. It was split into two halves, as standard. The first half was owned by one acting company who performed ten plays. There was an interval then another acting company performed another ten plays. The whole evening lasted about four hours, so it was a very long performance night compared to the other productions but it was worth it to see the range of plays used, all of which were written by graduates of the MA course and had never been performed before.
Saturday was a packed day. I walked to the centre in the morning and did about half an hour of browsing New Street and the Bullring then went over to Millenium Point to the IMAX. As Tim Burton's particularly fabulous creation (Alice in Wonderland) was released on Friday, I'd booked tickets for the first showing on Saturday. Millenium Point houses both the IMAX and Think Tank, the science museum I've yet to visit. Whilst the ticket prices are inflated in relation to a student ticket from Cineworld or the Odeon, I do recommend a visit to the IMAX to anyone who hasn't been before. They were the first to bring 3D screens and the quality beats Odeon's try by quite a bit. It definitely beats The Deep 3D screen in Hull. That was just naff. The film itself was pretty awesome, by the way. That's a given, though.
After Alice, Oliver and I wandered down to the Hyatt where we checked in. We questioned our motives for staying there for the night: "We're students, what are we doing?". We stayed in a King Room, which is one of the lower end rooms (but still ridiculously nice), which set us back £109. Going halves, we paid £54.50 each. To me, that isn't too bad. I remember paying something like that (£50, not £100) to stay in Pimlico in London when I went to see Chicago last June and that was just for a tiny B&B. Our room at the Hyatt was rather large in comparison.
Birmingham is a massive city so places to dine are not hard to find at all. We chose Wetherspoons simply out of familiarity and student budgeting. If we had a bit more spare cash we could've gone to Strada, which is a posh-ish but still well priced restaurant (I wrote about it in a previous post). And then onto the NIA! A few months ago, Oli bought two tickets to see the Stereophonics in Birmingham. I'd been looking forward to, and counting down to, that night ever since. Ah, it was good. As Kelly said, the NIA is a "big ol shed." The Hip Parade were the support. I'd class them as 'a good student band'. I could imagine going to see them at a student event and being impressed. I'm not quite sure the NIA was the right size for them. The Phonics were, as I expected, incredible. They played a really, really good set and didn't include any gimmicks or add-ons. It was just them, the audience, some flashy lights and awesome music. That's exactly what I wanted and expected. That, by the way, was about £70 for two tickets including booking and postage. Walking back from the NIA to the Hyatt felt like a cool summer evening in Spain or France. Somewhere mildly exotic. The joke of "Shall we go to the beach tomorrow?" could have been a genuine question.
After really milking out night at the Hyatt by going to sleep at silly o'clock in the morning and checking out as late as possible, we ventured out into Birmingham for breakfast. Adding breakfast onto our bill would've taken about another £30 from Oli's wallet. No, thank you. Instead, we opted for a midday Greggs pasty. That'll do! The sun was shining beautifully and as we sat in Victoria Square looking out at the fountain and gallery/museum we felt, again, like we were on holiday somewhere abroad. Good times indeed.
Unfortunately, my concern for Oli's health during his ordeal with the dreaded 'man flu' meant that I, too, was getting the sniffles. I'm now nursing a very red nose and going through tissues very quickly. I also got a bit addicted to grapes as I was watching QI on the iPlayer. Now I'm off to sip chicken soup with noodles whilst watching The Bubble. Maybe I'll attempt to read the play I need to start and finish for Wednesday. Sniff sniff.
Sunday 28 February 2010
Week 7: Campus Whispers, Cake, Cuisine, Sport, Epic Double Win
First of all: campus whispers. I don't know a lot about this but I do know where it stemmed from. Weekly, I read PostSecret, an online project in which anyone can send in a postcard, anonymously, with a secret and a random selection are scanned in and posted on a blog every Sunday. There have been conventions where loooads of people have gotten together to listen to Frank Warren, who founded the idea and sorts it all out on his own, and share secrets. It's quite a popular proposal situation, too. The University of Birmingham Nightline have set up their own version of this and named it Campus Whispers. It was set up for a week to test it out but the popularity of it meant that they set up several post boxes in the Guild and various buildings on campus where students and staff can post their secrets. There is also an address to send them to to make it extra secret. See the end of this post for the address. Examples are on the Facebook group and on the original PostSecret blog.
All week my boyfriend has been dropping hints at me for a cake. "I fancy a cake." "I might make a cake." "It was really nice when you made me a cake." Having already made three basic cakes (there have been two birthdays in my flat and the other cake was made simply for the return after the winter break), I decided to search through my Mum's recipe book for a more interesting treat. I decided on carrot cake. I adore it yet have never made it, somehow. There are recipes to be found in various cookbooks and on the internet with a simple Google search. I used both Aldi and Sainsburys to buy my ingredients (eggs, bananas and carrots at Aldi, the rest at Sainsburys). The total cost was about £10 but I didn't use all of everything I bought because obviously things like flour, eggs, brown sugar and icing sugar come in larger quantities than you would use in one baking session. If I was to calculate precisely, it probably costed me about £5 for the ingredients I did actually use. Perhaps less. The kitchens in the UoB halls provide a good baking environment. I mean, all I needed was a work surface and an oven. As long as the table is tidy then it's all cushty! The cake was gorgeous, by the way.
Whilst I'm on the topic of student cuisine, I want to dispell a rumour about student food. It isn't all Pot Noodles and pizza (though I did have to recycle about twenty pizza boxes this weekend). Just today I made chilli con carne. My flatmate, Sarah, is a vegetarian and regularly cooks 'complicated' meals. The guys do tend to stick to frozen food, pasta, pizza and noodles but at least they go past the Pot Noodle expectation. It is most definitely possible to eat healthily in self catering halls. I much prefer self catering to Meal Plan, from what I've heard. Wednesdays are 'curly fries' days. There are other options but I wouldn't like curly fries to be one of them.
On Thursday we got the dreaded flat inspection letter, again. From what I believe, there is one every semester. It consists of a warden or two coming over and checking that every room in the flat is presentable and being looked after. If there's subsantial mess, you fail and have a certain amount of time to tidy it up. If you fail again, you are forced to pay for a cleaner to come round. I'm not sure about everyone else but I wouldn't want to fork out some cash for someone to root around my room and scrutinise everything. No thanks. I have to admit, my flat isn't the tidiest of flats. My room is what I call 'organised chaos' but the kitchen is potentially dangerous. It's expected that not everyone will keep up with washing their own plates and cutlery but it's got a bit out of hand in my flat. I'm hoping that the imminent inspection will be a kick up the backside for the guys and they'll get the kitchen back up to standard. I remember the first week back after the winter break - a whole week on my own in the flat with shiny surfaces and a clean smell in the air. Oh how I long for those days again.
Finally, sport. In particular, ice hockey (again). The men's final in the Olympics is on today at 8pm (midday in Canada) so yesterday I went to Bar One (the bar on the Vale) and asked if they would show the game on their big screens. It took some battering of eyelashes because that's the same time the quiz is scheduled for but I succeeded. Tonight at 8pm I will be enjoying both the quiz and the final between the US and Canada. Good stuff!
To post a secret to Campus Whispers, address the back of a postcard to:
Nightline "Campus Whispers"
Guild of Students
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston Park Road
Birmingham
B15 2TU
P.S. We won the quiz, finally! It was such a sweet victory as our rivals got second place by only one point. Sa-weeeet!
P.P.S. Canada won the Men's Ice Hockey Olympic Gold very shortly after our sweet quiz victory in overtime. 3 - 2.
All week my boyfriend has been dropping hints at me for a cake. "I fancy a cake." "I might make a cake." "It was really nice when you made me a cake." Having already made three basic cakes (there have been two birthdays in my flat and the other cake was made simply for the return after the winter break), I decided to search through my Mum's recipe book for a more interesting treat. I decided on carrot cake. I adore it yet have never made it, somehow. There are recipes to be found in various cookbooks and on the internet with a simple Google search. I used both Aldi and Sainsburys to buy my ingredients (eggs, bananas and carrots at Aldi, the rest at Sainsburys). The total cost was about £10 but I didn't use all of everything I bought because obviously things like flour, eggs, brown sugar and icing sugar come in larger quantities than you would use in one baking session. If I was to calculate precisely, it probably costed me about £5 for the ingredients I did actually use. Perhaps less. The kitchens in the UoB halls provide a good baking environment. I mean, all I needed was a work surface and an oven. As long as the table is tidy then it's all cushty! The cake was gorgeous, by the way.
Whilst I'm on the topic of student cuisine, I want to dispell a rumour about student food. It isn't all Pot Noodles and pizza (though I did have to recycle about twenty pizza boxes this weekend). Just today I made chilli con carne. My flatmate, Sarah, is a vegetarian and regularly cooks 'complicated' meals. The guys do tend to stick to frozen food, pasta, pizza and noodles but at least they go past the Pot Noodle expectation. It is most definitely possible to eat healthily in self catering halls. I much prefer self catering to Meal Plan, from what I've heard. Wednesdays are 'curly fries' days. There are other options but I wouldn't like curly fries to be one of them.
On Thursday we got the dreaded flat inspection letter, again. From what I believe, there is one every semester. It consists of a warden or two coming over and checking that every room in the flat is presentable and being looked after. If there's subsantial mess, you fail and have a certain amount of time to tidy it up. If you fail again, you are forced to pay for a cleaner to come round. I'm not sure about everyone else but I wouldn't want to fork out some cash for someone to root around my room and scrutinise everything. No thanks. I have to admit, my flat isn't the tidiest of flats. My room is what I call 'organised chaos' but the kitchen is potentially dangerous. It's expected that not everyone will keep up with washing their own plates and cutlery but it's got a bit out of hand in my flat. I'm hoping that the imminent inspection will be a kick up the backside for the guys and they'll get the kitchen back up to standard. I remember the first week back after the winter break - a whole week on my own in the flat with shiny surfaces and a clean smell in the air. Oh how I long for those days again.
Finally, sport. In particular, ice hockey (again). The men's final in the Olympics is on today at 8pm (midday in Canada) so yesterday I went to Bar One (the bar on the Vale) and asked if they would show the game on their big screens. It took some battering of eyelashes because that's the same time the quiz is scheduled for but I succeeded. Tonight at 8pm I will be enjoying both the quiz and the final between the US and Canada. Good stuff!
To post a secret to Campus Whispers, address the back of a postcard to:
Nightline "Campus Whispers"
Guild of Students
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston Park Road
Birmingham
B15 2TU
P.S. We won the quiz, finally! It was such a sweet victory as our rivals got second place by only one point. Sa-weeeet!
P.P.S. Canada won the Men's Ice Hockey Olympic Gold very shortly after our sweet quiz victory in overtime. 3 - 2.
Monday 22 February 2010
Week 6: Northern Society confirmation and Ice Skating
Firstly, a meeting with the Guild on Friday confirmed that the Northern Society is a good idea. Our section of the meeting lasted no longer than five minutes with a simple question to answer: what do you want to do with your society? After a brief explanation, emphasising the aim to get rid of the North/South divide within home students, there was a unanimous agreement and we were given a document to give to the office in Student Development. Bish bash bosh! We were told that in about a week or two there will be a training session and start up meeting that we will have to book and attend, dates for which will be emailed to us soon. With that under our belt, we went on a search for another one or two committee members (as the minimum is three and the average is four) through Facebook in a group message. Three people replied, one of which was in mind anyway, and the decision will be made soon. The first social for the Northern Society should happen in two weeks or so. Good news, good news indeed.
In other news, after a weekend away in Sheffield to see the Winter Varsity Ice Hockey game between Hallam and Uni, a childhood want was reborn: I've always wanted to be able to ice skate, with even a very young dream to be a figure skater (this is before the hype of Dancing On Ice... in fact it was before Popstars). I knew already that there are no ice rinks in Birmingham. Ironically, the Birmingham rink was burnt down a few years ago. There is a rink in Solihull, though, which can be accessed by bus from Birmingham Moor Street. Lessons are in five week blocks at £36 plus skate hire (£2 per session). Though this seems a bit steep to me, having known a cheaper block in Doncaster which includes skate hire, Solihull Blue Ice rink do include the invitation to the extended session afterwards for free. For those who become or are already competent skaters, the University of Birmingham has an Ice Hockey society which includes access to the Birmingham Eagles, the team with players from UoB, Aston and City.
In other news, after a weekend away in Sheffield to see the Winter Varsity Ice Hockey game between Hallam and Uni, a childhood want was reborn: I've always wanted to be able to ice skate, with even a very young dream to be a figure skater (this is before the hype of Dancing On Ice... in fact it was before Popstars). I knew already that there are no ice rinks in Birmingham. Ironically, the Birmingham rink was burnt down a few years ago. There is a rink in Solihull, though, which can be accessed by bus from Birmingham Moor Street. Lessons are in five week blocks at £36 plus skate hire (£2 per session). Though this seems a bit steep to me, having known a cheaper block in Doncaster which includes skate hire, Solihull Blue Ice rink do include the invitation to the extended session afterwards for free. For those who become or are already competent skaters, the University of Birmingham has an Ice Hockey society which includes access to the Birmingham Eagles, the team with players from UoB, Aston and City.
Monday 15 February 2010
Week 5: See-Saw Work and Valentine's Day
I was told earlier in the year that the work load for Drama first years would see-saw: first it would be a shock with seemingly lots, then there would be a dip, then there would be a few essays so the work load would increase and so on. I'm experiencing a dip at the moment. Not that there isn't any work to do. Oh no, definitely not. It's reading week (which is a week off time table in the middle of a semester) right now and I actually don't have a deadline really close. Last reading week, I had two essays to write. I have an essay plan to write but that's due in week 9 so I have plenty of time. It's very odd. I feel like I should be reading extensively... but I'm not because I have no reason to. I may actually have to... relax.
On the flip side, it was Valentine's Day yesterday so my boyfriend treated me with a trip to Stratford Upon Avon. As it was a play we were going to visit out of necessity anyway, it was lovely to mark the day with a sense of occasion. For the purpose of this blog, I'm going to give the lowdown on what to do on a day out there - minus the mushy stuff. First of all, it takes just over an hour to get there from University station. The journey starts at University station and goes to New Street then it's a five minute walk to over to Moor Street and, if you're lucky, a forty five minute journey to Stratford. Our journey included a mix up of a cancelled train to we had to change in Hatton and wait twenty minutes for the final part of the journey but we still arrived there only fifteen minutes after we were meant to.
The main attraction of Stratford is that it is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the playwright. The house he lived in is open to the public (and always very busy so I gave it a miss) but this week's fact is that the house they use it not actually Shakespeare's. It was figured out yeeears ago then a re-evaluation found that the actual house was three or so doors down. The real house is also still preserved but to 'keep American tourists happy' they didn't change to open house. I learnt that on QI. If Stephen Fry said it, it must be true.
The secondary attraction of Stratford, perhaps, is the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) theatre. I ate lunch in the 'official' RSC after-show pub which is decorated beautifully, over its traditional beams and such, with posters of past shows, all signed by their ridiculously talented and rather famous casts. Anthony Sher has even signed the wall itself, alongside a picture he drew. Judi Dench's signature sat behind my head as I tucked into a good, traditional pub lunch. For international students unaccustomed to English tradition, a pub lunch should definitely be on the list of 'to do'. Preferably on a Sunday. Preferably a roast.
Shakespeare's grave is also marked out inside the Holy Trinity church and a small donation is requested for viewing: 50p for students, £1 for adults.
We even found a museum of Witchcraft. They had, disappointingly, hopped on the Rowling train and adopted a few iconic things from the Harry Potter series. I don't suppose Rowling would be too happy seeing them in there. There was the sorting hat, which looked only slightly like it. There was the sign for Platform 9 3/4 which did excite me but wasn't placed right. The wands didn't quite look right. It was meant to, I was led to believe, be a museum for the 'proper' magic of the age of the witch so adopting the world of Potter was, in my opinion, a bad move. To add insult to injury, the place was a complete steal of the famous pub in Hogsmeade, 'The Creaky Cauldron'. No no, Stratford, no no.
Aside from the dodgy museum of magic, Stratford Upon Avon proved to be a lovely place to visit for a day trip. It reminded me of a wider spread York. York is also a must-see for those who haven't yet.
On the flip side, it was Valentine's Day yesterday so my boyfriend treated me with a trip to Stratford Upon Avon. As it was a play we were going to visit out of necessity anyway, it was lovely to mark the day with a sense of occasion. For the purpose of this blog, I'm going to give the lowdown on what to do on a day out there - minus the mushy stuff. First of all, it takes just over an hour to get there from University station. The journey starts at University station and goes to New Street then it's a five minute walk to over to Moor Street and, if you're lucky, a forty five minute journey to Stratford. Our journey included a mix up of a cancelled train to we had to change in Hatton and wait twenty minutes for the final part of the journey but we still arrived there only fifteen minutes after we were meant to.
The main attraction of Stratford is that it is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the playwright. The house he lived in is open to the public (and always very busy so I gave it a miss) but this week's fact is that the house they use it not actually Shakespeare's. It was figured out yeeears ago then a re-evaluation found that the actual house was three or so doors down. The real house is also still preserved but to 'keep American tourists happy' they didn't change to open house. I learnt that on QI. If Stephen Fry said it, it must be true.
The secondary attraction of Stratford, perhaps, is the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) theatre. I ate lunch in the 'official' RSC after-show pub which is decorated beautifully, over its traditional beams and such, with posters of past shows, all signed by their ridiculously talented and rather famous casts. Anthony Sher has even signed the wall itself, alongside a picture he drew. Judi Dench's signature sat behind my head as I tucked into a good, traditional pub lunch. For international students unaccustomed to English tradition, a pub lunch should definitely be on the list of 'to do'. Preferably on a Sunday. Preferably a roast.
Shakespeare's grave is also marked out inside the Holy Trinity church and a small donation is requested for viewing: 50p for students, £1 for adults.
We even found a museum of Witchcraft. They had, disappointingly, hopped on the Rowling train and adopted a few iconic things from the Harry Potter series. I don't suppose Rowling would be too happy seeing them in there. There was the sorting hat, which looked only slightly like it. There was the sign for Platform 9 3/4 which did excite me but wasn't placed right. The wands didn't quite look right. It was meant to, I was led to believe, be a museum for the 'proper' magic of the age of the witch so adopting the world of Potter was, in my opinion, a bad move. To add insult to injury, the place was a complete steal of the famous pub in Hogsmeade, 'The Creaky Cauldron'. No no, Stratford, no no.
Aside from the dodgy museum of magic, Stratford Upon Avon proved to be a lovely place to visit for a day trip. It reminded me of a wider spread York. York is also a must-see for those who haven't yet.
Sunday 7 February 2010
Week 4: A slow week
This week really has been slow. The only 'news' to report is the mess in my kitchen, which seems to be a permanent fixture. And that's not really worth reporting about.
I suppose I could give some good news to potential Drama students:
After week 11 of term 2, timetable is void and the only lectures/seminars/classes you have to attend are those of your MOMD (extra module outside your main discipline - I chose Theology). Luckily for me, I won't have any lectures in term 3 at all because my MOMD lectures finish at the same time as my Drama classes. I only have an exam to look forward to and a few essays to write. I'm waiting for results from some essays I did over winter, actually.
Apologies for a bit of an empty post but, really, nothing exciting has happened this week, as such. I didn't even get third from bottom in the quiz.
I suppose I could give some good news to potential Drama students:
After week 11 of term 2, timetable is void and the only lectures/seminars/classes you have to attend are those of your MOMD (extra module outside your main discipline - I chose Theology). Luckily for me, I won't have any lectures in term 3 at all because my MOMD lectures finish at the same time as my Drama classes. I only have an exam to look forward to and a few essays to write. I'm waiting for results from some essays I did over winter, actually.
Apologies for a bit of an empty post but, really, nothing exciting has happened this week, as such. I didn't even get third from bottom in the quiz.
Sunday 31 January 2010
Week 3: Starting up a society
At Birmingham, there are over 160 societies so there's usually something for everyone. However, I'm a very picky person. Having spent hours looking at the variety of societies and not deciding on one that I'd like to commit to, I was ready to just concentrate on studying and procrastinating. On Wednesday, though, I was having a conversation about just going through the motions, with my boyfriend, and some words slipped out my mouth: 'let's start a society for Northerners'. Genius. As a representative of 'The North', I'd like to warn anyone else in my group that the University of Birmingham is choc-full of student from the south and abroad. I know there are some Northerners hiding in here somewhere. I found a few of them myself. My boyfriend is one. We need more! That's why we decided to start up a society for us.
We then thought of how exactly we could do that. I insisted that on our way home, because we had the revelation over a mug of hot chocolate in Starbucks on New Street, we visit the Guild reception and ask what they know about setting a society up. It was about 7pm so we didn't expect anywhere to be open but I knew that there would be someone at the reception to help. She told me that the Student Development office deal with the society and volunteering side of the Guild and it would definitely be worth asking them for more details. I'd read or been told somewhere that to start up a society you need to prove that it would be successful so a certain amount of signatures would be needed.
The following day, I went down to Student Development and they were very excited that I wanted to do this. It seems that very few people have the courage or initiative to start up a society of their own so I was praised like a Queen. I was given a form to read and fill in. The very important bit of it was that I needed 20 people to say they liked the idea of the society. I did mention to everyone I asked to sign that this did not mean they would be committing to signing up, they'd just be helping me out. There's also two pages to fill in about justifying the reason for starting the society - you have to reassure the Guild that it would not threaten their financial status or offend in any way. Also, just because the society would be aimed at people from the North of England, it doesn't mean we can cast away anyone who is not from that area. Anyone is welcome as long as they are willing to embrace Northern culture. I am making it very clear, in our advertising, that the society does not promote the North/South divide but celebrates the minority of Northerners in the University.
So far I have six of twenty signatures. That shows how few people of Northern descent there are. Admittedly, I have only approached a handful of joint honours drama students and most of the single honours crew. A group has been set up on Facebook (link below) and advertising material is in the process of production. I plan to stand outside the library at some point either tomorrow or Tuesday and ask randoms for their interest. ...if I can muster the courage. Surely I can, I've performed on stage in front of a full house before. How hard can it be? Gulp.
Click the logo to go to the Facebook group
We then thought of how exactly we could do that. I insisted that on our way home, because we had the revelation over a mug of hot chocolate in Starbucks on New Street, we visit the Guild reception and ask what they know about setting a society up. It was about 7pm so we didn't expect anywhere to be open but I knew that there would be someone at the reception to help. She told me that the Student Development office deal with the society and volunteering side of the Guild and it would definitely be worth asking them for more details. I'd read or been told somewhere that to start up a society you need to prove that it would be successful so a certain amount of signatures would be needed.
The following day, I went down to Student Development and they were very excited that I wanted to do this. It seems that very few people have the courage or initiative to start up a society of their own so I was praised like a Queen. I was given a form to read and fill in. The very important bit of it was that I needed 20 people to say they liked the idea of the society. I did mention to everyone I asked to sign that this did not mean they would be committing to signing up, they'd just be helping me out. There's also two pages to fill in about justifying the reason for starting the society - you have to reassure the Guild that it would not threaten their financial status or offend in any way. Also, just because the society would be aimed at people from the North of England, it doesn't mean we can cast away anyone who is not from that area. Anyone is welcome as long as they are willing to embrace Northern culture. I am making it very clear, in our advertising, that the society does not promote the North/South divide but celebrates the minority of Northerners in the University.
So far I have six of twenty signatures. That shows how few people of Northern descent there are. Admittedly, I have only approached a handful of joint honours drama students and most of the single honours crew. A group has been set up on Facebook (link below) and advertising material is in the process of production. I plan to stand outside the library at some point either tomorrow or Tuesday and ask randoms for their interest. ...if I can muster the courage. Surely I can, I've performed on stage in front of a full house before. How hard can it be? Gulp.
Click the logo to go to the Facebook group
Saturday 23 January 2010
Week 2: Noise vs Sleep
Someone please let everyone know Freshers Week (Welcome Week, officially) is over. Since Monday I've wanted to go to sleep at about 10.30pm, which I regard as an early night compared to most nights being somewhere between midnight and 1am. Monday, I forgot it was my flatmate's birthday this week so we planned to go out to Gatecrasher. I engaged in the pre-games but then realised how tired I was and slipped away to my room when everyone had gone. No 10.30 sleep. Tuesday night was probably my fault because I just stayed up on Facebook and Youtube, browsing nothingness. Wednesday was a certain in my head because I planned out everything I needed to do and was ready to go to sleep at half 10. The problem was, one of my flatmates decided to hold pre-games for her tennis team's night out. They left at about 11.30pm, leaving a lovely mess I briefly tidied then proceeded to sleep at just gone midnight. Thursday didn't happen because I went out for a meal with my boyfriend and we stayed up a bit longer playing Articulate (best game in the world ever) and I eventually fell asleep at about half past midnight. Last night I was determined! I would finally get my 10.30pm sleep. It didn't happen. Due to an extremely busy and stressful week, my eyes grew heavy at about 8pm. Deciding there was no point browsing nothingness or getting any work done, I got ready for bed and shut my eyes at about 10 past. At quarter past, just when I had drifted into near-sleep-state, one of my flatmates made a loud noise. This wasn't intentionally to wake me up, it just happened that there was a bunch of them in the kitchen waiting to go down to the Hub, I assume to play a game or two of pool. Then my phone rang. Then I got a text. I rebelled and stayed up past midnight again. Bad times.
The moral of that story is: you should probably come to University armed with earplugs or if you end up with considerate flatmates, appreciate it like its the last thing on earth you'll receive.
Another thing to warn aspiring Uni folk is about the noise around halls. It's common sense that if you live in a densely populated area it's going to have some kind of noise. TC (Tennis Court) has noise in the form of large groups of boys chanting various songs about either TC or Mason (our rivals across the road) and several (and I mean the LOTS kind of several) groups of people waiting for taxis in the car park outside the window. They don't wait quietly, for sure. Last week, when the snow was still abundant, I had to shut my window with a little bit of anger as I had just drifted off to sleep when a snowball hit the glass with some force, waking me up. They got the message. Unfortunately, people who 'get the message' are few and far between in halls. It generally works on a majority vote. If one person is going to sleep, that person is insignificant. Obviously this isn't a valid general rule. I most definitely take into consideration if one of my flatmates wants an early night and I'm still awake. It's just basic politeness.
The moral of that story is: you should probably come to University armed with earplugs or if you end up with considerate flatmates, appreciate it like its the last thing on earth you'll receive.
Another thing to warn aspiring Uni folk is about the noise around halls. It's common sense that if you live in a densely populated area it's going to have some kind of noise. TC (Tennis Court) has noise in the form of large groups of boys chanting various songs about either TC or Mason (our rivals across the road) and several (and I mean the LOTS kind of several) groups of people waiting for taxis in the car park outside the window. They don't wait quietly, for sure. Last week, when the snow was still abundant, I had to shut my window with a little bit of anger as I had just drifted off to sleep when a snowball hit the glass with some force, waking me up. They got the message. Unfortunately, people who 'get the message' are few and far between in halls. It generally works on a majority vote. If one person is going to sleep, that person is insignificant. Obviously this isn't a valid general rule. I most definitely take into consideration if one of my flatmates wants an early night and I'm still awake. It's just basic politeness.
Monday 18 January 2010
Semester 2 - Week 1: Housing
Finding a house can be stressful. Before that, though, one thing that can put some people into more of a panic is deciding who to live with. I don't necessarily fit into specific 'friend groups', as such, so I was extremely unsure of who I was going to end up in a house with in second and third year. Luckily for me, I have a friend in Birmingham who goes to a different University and is desperate to move out so I asked if she'd want to live with me. This was the second choice because the first one was to live with 'The Boyf'. Many people tried to talk me out of this and, it seemed, succeeded. I have rebelled, however, because the arrangement of me living with my friend haven't worked out - communication and reliability were issues - so tomorrow I'm signing a contract to secure a two bedroom house for me and my boyfriend from July 1st.
Most contracts will start on July 1st in the same calendar year that the academic year begins and the previous one ends. This is convenient in terms of moving stuff from halls (if you do the norm and live in university accommodation in first year - do it!) to the new house. It is a bit of a cafuffle, though, with money. Student loans are paid at the end of September or beginning of October because that's when term begins. This means there's July, August and September where there is no income and the rent has to be paid somehow, plus any bills if you decide to actually live in the house over summer. The bills would probably be lower over summer due to central heating not being used as much but electricity may be higher due to plenty of spare time in which TVs, computers can be overused. That would require getting a job (unless you know someone who would like to be very nice to you and give you lots of cash).
There was a series of housing fairs around November at the Guild (I think) and the Hub at the Vale (for definite) but I missed them for various work-related reasons. Luckily, there was another one this Wednesday so I went to that one. It was situated at various points - I went to the one in the Deb Hall in the Guild. There was also one at the Hub at the Vale and one on the other side of campus in the University Centre (which isn't actually in the centre). They may also have been other hosting venues but those were the main ones. It was extremely busy, as expected, and I had to queue for about 20 minutes before I could get in. Walking round, there were various companies and letting agencies. SHAC was there. They are the university run company who list houses. They have contacts with landlords and you know that if you go through SHAC to sign a contract, it's most definitely safe. There were also other letting agencies, all trusted by the University, and various housing related stands such as safety, community wardens, insurance and private accommodation.
The majority of houses available are 3 - 6 bedroom. To have a double bed in every room is very common though not guaranteed. There are houses with one and two bedrooms as well as some with seven, eight and perhaps a handful with more. The safe bet is to find a group of three or four people because in that case it will be very easy to find a house. Even if there are a few instances where your group may find a house and like it then get back in touch three days later to see the house has been signed by another eager group, there are plenty to choose from that are of good quality. Landlords and agencies sometimes shout about how you must find a house quickly before all of them are taken but the truth is that there are more houses than students in Selly Oak (the main student house area) and there are other areas such as Harborne, Edgbaston, Selly Park, the centre and, I'm sure, other areas I haven't mentioned. Urgency is encouraged but panic is unnecessary.
I went house viewing on Saturday (16th January) and saw three houses in one day, each two bedroom with Broad Court. One was like the tardis: it was tiny on the outside but huge inside. One was a tip, clearly not looked after by the current tenants, and had a problem with damp which was apparently going to be sorted by Broad Court (the tenants wouldn't have to pay anything for this) in the very near future. There was also one that was perfect. It didn't look like a student house and was not in 'the grid'. I'm signing the contract for that tomorrow, as well as handing over a deposit.
Deposits are necessary for securing the house. The common price is a month's rent. Sometimes it's a month's rent plus a little more for fees. You get this money back in the last week of your contract (so, the end of June for a standard 12 month contract) but you don't get the money back that you pay for fees. For example, I have to pay £250 deposit plus £50 fees. I'll get £250 back but not the £50.
Things to check in a house are listed on the SHAC website and in the SHAC office in the Guild and were advertised during the housing fairs, so I won't go through them now. Every one has their own interests and needs, however, so do think about them before you view a house or even whilst you're looking at the listings. There are so many houses, you can't really just pick ones at random and hope that they might be up to your personal standard. My house, for example, has exposed brickwork done tastefully and an open plan kitchen/dining room/lounge which I love. Each bedrooms is huge and has a double bed. The wardrobe is massive and built in so it doesn't appear to take up room. The ceilings are high so natural light is abundant. There is a small concealed back garden so I can do BBQs in good weather. The neighbours are pleasant and friendly towards students. The house itself is close to the Selly Oak campus, where all the drama classes and lectures are. It is also close to the travel links (Selly Oak train station, 20/25 minute walk; bus stop, just outside the house; shuttle bus stop, 10 minute walk).
One thing that is mentioned that I didn't think about was the furniture and appliances. As there will be people living in the house when you view it (probably January, like most people), they may be available to talk to during the viewing. I asked the current tenant of my house about bills and local supermarkets as well as if the TV was their own. There should be check lists for 'things to buy before moving into a rented house' either on the SHAC website or easily found on a Google search. Having moved away from home into halls, I already have plenty of things for my house such as kitchen things (pots, pans, plates, cutlery etc), cleaning stuff and studying tools. No doubt I'll have to buy a few extra things but the cost definitely won't be as high as it was when I moved into halls. Also, if you're living in a house with one or more people, the other people would definitely have things to provide, too.
Well, I have work to do and half an hour before I go to Gatecrasher for a flatmate's birthday. As always, if there are any further questions or comments you'd like to make, my university email address is on this page on the right. I do my best to respond and help out anyone who contacts me. One more note on that, though: I have had emails from people asking for help on the finances side of University. Whilst I am a student so have contact with the people in those offices, the better thing to do in that situation would be to either phone the university or go on the website and look at the options available. I will still try to point whomever asks in the right direction if they can't find the right department, though. Go ahead, try me.
Most contracts will start on July 1st in the same calendar year that the academic year begins and the previous one ends. This is convenient in terms of moving stuff from halls (if you do the norm and live in university accommodation in first year - do it!) to the new house. It is a bit of a cafuffle, though, with money. Student loans are paid at the end of September or beginning of October because that's when term begins. This means there's July, August and September where there is no income and the rent has to be paid somehow, plus any bills if you decide to actually live in the house over summer. The bills would probably be lower over summer due to central heating not being used as much but electricity may be higher due to plenty of spare time in which TVs, computers can be overused. That would require getting a job (unless you know someone who would like to be very nice to you and give you lots of cash).
There was a series of housing fairs around November at the Guild (I think) and the Hub at the Vale (for definite) but I missed them for various work-related reasons. Luckily, there was another one this Wednesday so I went to that one. It was situated at various points - I went to the one in the Deb Hall in the Guild. There was also one at the Hub at the Vale and one on the other side of campus in the University Centre (which isn't actually in the centre). They may also have been other hosting venues but those were the main ones. It was extremely busy, as expected, and I had to queue for about 20 minutes before I could get in. Walking round, there were various companies and letting agencies. SHAC was there. They are the university run company who list houses. They have contacts with landlords and you know that if you go through SHAC to sign a contract, it's most definitely safe. There were also other letting agencies, all trusted by the University, and various housing related stands such as safety, community wardens, insurance and private accommodation.
The majority of houses available are 3 - 6 bedroom. To have a double bed in every room is very common though not guaranteed. There are houses with one and two bedrooms as well as some with seven, eight and perhaps a handful with more. The safe bet is to find a group of three or four people because in that case it will be very easy to find a house. Even if there are a few instances where your group may find a house and like it then get back in touch three days later to see the house has been signed by another eager group, there are plenty to choose from that are of good quality. Landlords and agencies sometimes shout about how you must find a house quickly before all of them are taken but the truth is that there are more houses than students in Selly Oak (the main student house area) and there are other areas such as Harborne, Edgbaston, Selly Park, the centre and, I'm sure, other areas I haven't mentioned. Urgency is encouraged but panic is unnecessary.
I went house viewing on Saturday (16th January) and saw three houses in one day, each two bedroom with Broad Court. One was like the tardis: it was tiny on the outside but huge inside. One was a tip, clearly not looked after by the current tenants, and had a problem with damp which was apparently going to be sorted by Broad Court (the tenants wouldn't have to pay anything for this) in the very near future. There was also one that was perfect. It didn't look like a student house and was not in 'the grid'. I'm signing the contract for that tomorrow, as well as handing over a deposit.
Deposits are necessary for securing the house. The common price is a month's rent. Sometimes it's a month's rent plus a little more for fees. You get this money back in the last week of your contract (so, the end of June for a standard 12 month contract) but you don't get the money back that you pay for fees. For example, I have to pay £250 deposit plus £50 fees. I'll get £250 back but not the £50.
Things to check in a house are listed on the SHAC website and in the SHAC office in the Guild and were advertised during the housing fairs, so I won't go through them now. Every one has their own interests and needs, however, so do think about them before you view a house or even whilst you're looking at the listings. There are so many houses, you can't really just pick ones at random and hope that they might be up to your personal standard. My house, for example, has exposed brickwork done tastefully and an open plan kitchen/dining room/lounge which I love. Each bedrooms is huge and has a double bed. The wardrobe is massive and built in so it doesn't appear to take up room. The ceilings are high so natural light is abundant. There is a small concealed back garden so I can do BBQs in good weather. The neighbours are pleasant and friendly towards students. The house itself is close to the Selly Oak campus, where all the drama classes and lectures are. It is also close to the travel links (Selly Oak train station, 20/25 minute walk; bus stop, just outside the house; shuttle bus stop, 10 minute walk).
One thing that is mentioned that I didn't think about was the furniture and appliances. As there will be people living in the house when you view it (probably January, like most people), they may be available to talk to during the viewing. I asked the current tenant of my house about bills and local supermarkets as well as if the TV was their own. There should be check lists for 'things to buy before moving into a rented house' either on the SHAC website or easily found on a Google search. Having moved away from home into halls, I already have plenty of things for my house such as kitchen things (pots, pans, plates, cutlery etc), cleaning stuff and studying tools. No doubt I'll have to buy a few extra things but the cost definitely won't be as high as it was when I moved into halls. Also, if you're living in a house with one or more people, the other people would definitely have things to provide, too.
Well, I have work to do and half an hour before I go to Gatecrasher for a flatmate's birthday. As always, if there are any further questions or comments you'd like to make, my university email address is on this page on the right. I do my best to respond and help out anyone who contacts me. One more note on that, though: I have had emails from people asking for help on the finances side of University. Whilst I am a student so have contact with the people in those offices, the better thing to do in that situation would be to either phone the university or go on the website and look at the options available. I will still try to point whomever asks in the right direction if they can't find the right department, though. Go ahead, try me.
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Name: Vici Royle