First week back!

The first week back was a mix of introductory lectures for my new modules this term and getting grades back from last term's modules!

I ended up getting a 1st in 5th Century Athens and a 2:1 in Ancient Song which I was really happy about because the lecturer was terrible for it so getting a 2:1 basically off my own back makes me feel incredibly proud. I also got a 2:1 in Practicing Archaeology but I was given that grade last term. I'm happy with those as my first grades of university!

I look back at my posts from last term and I already feel like this term will be better as I've proved to myself that I can do university and I can do it well! A levels obviously just didn't suit me and University does luckily! I just hope the exams go the same way! 

I feel so much more optimistic and I'm going to push myself to do more of the reading as I slacked a lot last term - I only really did the work necessary to pass and didn't do a lot of background reading which will give me a better understanding of the topics. I think it also helped that I'd done the Athens module at A level so I knew the information I needed to get the grades - this term I don't have that help so I'm going to need to work a lot harder to get the same level of grades! I just hope I do it as they're all really interesting subjects!

I'm having to balance University, work and various medical appointments whilst not becoming a complete recluse so it could be difficult to do as much as I want over the next few weeks but hopefully after that, I'll be able to really crack on with working!

I also applied again for halls next year so I'm going to actually have somewhere to live which is exciting! I'm going to be sharing with one of my flatmates from this year which is nice as we get on really well.

Jess xx

2015!

I've been horrendous with blogging over the last half of the year - it's been a mix of heavy workloads, getting used to uni life and just having no motivation or decent things to blog about. I have idea but when I come to write them I just don't know how to write it. I have about 4 posts that are in my drafts folder that I've been working on - some aren't even relevant anymore so will need to be deleted!

You may also notice that I've changed the title and description on my blog - I re-read them and found them rather embarrassing so I decided to change them a little instead!

It's the end of another year so I thought I had to at least post something now - it's always good to look back at the year and think about what I want to change and improve on. Last year I posted a 2013 vs. 2014 review which I obviously can't just add to as there's quite a lot of difference I feel! 

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Confidence

This year I feel like I've come to understand myself a lot better as a person and have consequently become a lot more confident than I was this time last year. The fact that I managed to get into University helped this fact I feel as it made me realise I was good enough and could achieve the things I wanted to if I tried hard enough. I didn't actually get the grades I needed for my course but because of the extra things I'd done outside of my A levels to do with Archaeology and Ancient History, they saw my passion and accepted me anyway! Due to this, I also ended up realising that just because you aren't the best at one type of education, it doesn't mean you won't be good at another so don't be put off if you aren't very good at A levels like I wasn't - I'm now doing well at Uni because the teaching style and the way you're graded works a lot better for me! Asking for help to make sure you get all the help you need for exams is also useful - I probably annoyed my teachers last year by how much I asked them for help! However, this is another thing I learned this year - don't be afraid to ask for help because the teachers want you to succeed and if you show willingness to improve, they will try and support you so you can get the results that you want.

Another thing I've noticed over this year is that I've also become more confident in my body. I'm not a size 8, 6 ft tall model with long, flowing hair but I'm happy with my body in its entirety as I'm the only one that has to live with it so why live hating it? I wear things that look good on my body shape and wear make up because it makes me feel happy and prettier. I already did a post earlier in the year about how I feel about lipstick and how it boosts my confidence! Of course there are things I wouldn't mind changing but for now, I'm happy with myself. 

Work and independence 

Last year, I said I needed to focus on my work but I may have taken that a little too far during the last few months as I've been known to not leave the flat for a couple of days and not sleeping until 3 to make sure I could finish essays on time! I think this year I need to prioritise better as I'm now living more or less independently so I need to balance work and looking after myself as well as remembering to save some time to see friends. 

I also need to organise my work so I have time to do more background reading as I didn't get a lot of chance to this term. This also needs to include planning essays in advance so I don't have a mad rush at the end of term like I did in the last week of this term. It will be a lot better for me if I do little bits along the way instead of huge amounts at the end that get me overly stressed and run down.

Health

I want to try and get a bit healthier in 2015 as I know I could vastly improve what I eat - I think I'm going to try and post recipes when I find ones that are healthy but still nice! I'm already trying to cut down the amount of snacking I'm doing and the amount of sweets/chocolates I'm eating. 

I need to start going to bed earlier which links with my organisation goal - if I do more work earlier in the day then I'll be able to sleep earlier which would be a lot better for me - hopefully I'll be able to get a proper sleeping pattern sorted by the end of this term if I can work properly!

One last thing I need to do is to learn how to take breaks from work and just wind down sometimes. I am constantly working at uni so if by organising my work and life better I can add in break every so often, that would be incredibly helpful!

What are your goals for the upcoming year?
I hope you all have a wonderful New Years!
Jess xx

Bring On Christmas!

I've finished my first term of University. It feels very odd to say that as it still doesn't seem completely real that I'm doing this! 

Since my last post, things have got a lot better as I've written 2 assessment essays, done a quiz that counted for my final grade, written three coursework essays and got all but 2 coursework marks back! I'm working at 2:1 and even got a first in my first assessment essay I got back which makes me really happy as that's the equivalent of Bs and As - my previous doubts about being good enough have diminished quite a lot luckily. It makes me realise how messed up A levels are as I was at B/C level for those but I'm getting better grades in a higher level of study?! I think I suit independent working a lot more as I like using a lot of books and finding my information from them which is exactly what is needed for University essays!

Even though I seem to be doing well in my work, it's taking its toll as it means that I'm up quite late at night finishing my essays off and I'm not able to see my friends or even my flatmates that much! I'm starting to feel a bit distanced from them which isn't too fun. Luckily I get to see my old friends in my month off so I get back into a good social environment with a much needed break from working, it will be a nice change! 

Christmas is easily my favourite time of the year so getting nearly the whole of December and the beginning of January off from Uni is so exciting! The fact that I'm going to have 2 weeks of nothing means I'm going to have loads of spare time to get presents and cards for people which is great! Hopefully I'll also be able to work more so I'll earn money that I can save up and spend later on next year! The time off also means I'm going to have loads of time to blog and read again so be prepared for more posts (I mean it this time!) - I intend to get back into the swing of things again as I haven't had any inspiration over the last couple of months as nothing very exciting has happened! I do however have a few things to catch you up on! 

Jess xx

I'm going to University?!

Since my not so good AS results last August, I've been working crazily hard to make sure I could get to University this coming September. 5 days ago, I got to pick up my results from college to find out whether I got in or not. 

I woke up at 7am and I had received an email from Reading University telling me that I'd been accepted into their Ancient History and Archaeology joint degree! I had to wait a couple of hours to find out the actual grades I got and I achieved BCC! It isn't as good as I wanted to get, but it got me into the University I've been wanting to go to since I started helping at Silchester in 2011 so it's good enough! For all of the exams I did resits for, I actually got at least a grade higher so I'm really proud of how I did, I also got a grade higher in Classical Civilisation as last year I got a C and I got a B this year! 

I've been helping at Silchester Archaeological field school for the last 2 weeks so I was actually with Reading Uni when I found out that I got in so I got to celebrate with my friends who I'll actually be at University with next year which was really special!

I've also got my accommodation sorted out so I have somewhere to live - it's a really lovely room and I can't wait to start looking for things to make it more homely and pretty! I've been looking at the different societies I can join which look really interesting so I'm looking forward to actually getting to Uni and starting to get involved with it! 

I can't wait to share this next part of my life with you all as it's going to be amazing! 

Jess xx

Summer Reading List!

I love reading but because of my A levels, I've had trouble finding time to read books not to do with my courses for the last two years! This summer is the longest I've ever had so I'm intending to use it to my full advantage and read as much as I can! 

I've come up with a list of books I either want to finish or at least start before I hopefully start University in September/October!

- Aristotle: Philosophy in an hour by Paul Strathern

- David Golder by Irene Nemirovsky

- Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

- Confronting the Classics by Mary Beard

- Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

- The Civil Wars by Appian

- Isis and Osiris by Plutarch

Most of these books are still to do with Ancient History/Classics or Archaeology but I'm reading them for fun instead of for classes (the books I read for classes were still good though!) so I'm excited to read them! Hopefully they will actually be useful for next year as well!

I know the list isn't huge but some of the books are quite big and I'm quite busy until mid way through August so I don't want to set myself too big a goal as I'm pretty sure I can read all of these by the time I get to Uni!

An interval.

Sorry I've been absent for the last week and a bit! As it's exam time and these are my final exams that will hopefully get me into University, I hope you guys will understand that I can't post nearly as much as I would like due to spending nearly every waking hour revising! I will post maybe once every week with quick little updates but I have loads of ideas for the end of June when my exams will be over and done with!

I hope you guys understand and will stick around for the next month and a bit, it'll go by in a flash!

You can always follow me via Instagram and Twitter (links in the side bar) where I can post slightly more regularly as I only need a minute or so to update them!

Jess xx

The University Chronicles: The final visit!

I have officially completed all of my open days and offer holder visit days! 

I went to my final one in Birmingham today and it was great! It started with talks about Archaeology and Ancient History, then we had a taster session about Sparta which was interesting to see how the methods of teaching varied from my AS Sparta module to University. It was a lot more relaxed and the lecturer even bought in a replica Spartan shield (minus the bronze plating...) which was really cool! 

We then got chance to ask questions and then we went to the Archaeology tech department. It was amazing. I haven't really been shown any of the technology that's used at any other university, only usual science style labs so it was exciting to walk into a room and come across interactive tables! They were basically massive iPads mounted on stands and it was incredible! There were loads of pictures of items they have in their museum and you could move them, enlarge and turn them which was quite entertaining - there was even an option to read more about the artefact! There were also videos showing different  artefacts that had been scanned and their 3D counterparts were being rotated and shown from lots of different angles to get a feel for the objects. 

They also build and use virtual models to get a feel for what a place would be like, such as Rome, and then create a programme so you can 'walk' around Ancient Rome and see what it would have been like! 

It was really exciting to see the sort of technology that is available to use in Archaeology and to see how it can improve learning as well as being just an awesome tool to be able to access! 

Even though I probably won't end up at Birmingham, it's still exciting to see it all!

Jess xx

I'm back!

Sorry I haven't posted properly for a while, the last week or so has been completely crazy! 

- I've had coursework due in for today so I was super happy to finally be rid of it and get some form of a life back! This weekend, I replanned and wrote my final draft and I barely went on my phone or computer which is really odd for me as I'm usually glued to it. It definitely helped though as I handed in my essay this morning completed and with all of the little extras my teacher says it needs! I've never been happier to get rid of a piece of work, I just hope it's good enough now!

- Over the last week, nothing has happened that is blog worthy apart from having a blood test done last week and having lots of driving lessons which is loads of fun! I'm really enjoying driving and I hope that I can actually pass when I have my test in early March! 

- I've been reading the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes and it's amazing! I love the original stories and I think Arthur Conan Doyle is a genius. I can't wait to read more once I have time!

- Even though I love Classical literature, I actually miss doing the art module in Classic civilisation because literature is so difficult!

- I haven't painted my nails in about two weeks and it feels so weird but my nails are stronger!

- I haven't been wearing lipstick for the last week either and I bought another today, I remember why I love them so much! I can't wait to show you!

I promise I'll post more now my coursework it out of the way! 

Jess xx

Results and disappointments

I got my AS results back today and to be honest I was pretty upset and disappointed when I found out my grades. I got BCCCC which I wasn't expecting at all. I was expecting an A in extended project (my B) and I really wanted Bs in Ancient History and Classics so I was quite disappointed and confused about what I'd done wrong. I expected a C in English lit so that was okay. The only result I'm actually happy with is Biology because I was expecting much lower. I'm still dropping it though so yeah...not a good day for me really. It also makes me quite worried that I can't do A level exams properly and that I won't get any offers from my Uni choices or get into the ones I do get offers from because my grades won't be good enough (if I get some). I'm having to re-think my uni choices at the moment to make sure I have myself covered if I do mess up next year too.
I guess the only things that I can do are revise earlier and make sure I understand everything. I will have to get more help with exams from my teachers so yeah.
I have to re take at least one module in Classics to try and get it up to an A but I'm not sure if I'm going to re sit anything else yet, I'll have to talk to my teachers.
I guess my problem is that I've always been quite smart so to now get rubbish results when they actually matter, it's not good!
It can only get better next year I suppose!
Jess xx

EXAMS ARE FINISHED!...for this year!

It's all over until next year! I'm so happy that I get to just stay calm and relax now, I'm not going to be stressing out and panicking every other day! (This weekend was NOT fun having to revise biology...but more of that below!) I'm feeling guilty for not revising and working so I'm doing the second best thing; writing this post that is well overdue!
I can't believe that my first year of A levels (and college) is over! It feels like I just started yesterday! It's actually been a good year and I'm really happy that I moved because my lessons and teachers have been great! I've already started some of my subjects' A2 courses and it's so interesting but there are so many books that I need just over the courses, let alone the books I've been told to get as extra reading! I have 8 books to get, and that's not even for the whole of next year! I'm so excited, but also sad that I won't get time over the Summer to read any books just for fun as I have to read the Iliad and Herodotus - The Histories (I'm going to imagine it's called Hogwarts - A History from now on...it will make it oh so entertaining) before September!
All of my exams were over before half term apart from biology so after my weekend free where I spend time with my friend (I haven't seen him for about a year and a half so that was really nice!), I ended up with 5 days of solid revision. Up until then, the revision, although it had been hard, was nothing compared to this! With the added problem of not really knowing much of the syllabus because it's all pretty confusing and detailed, I started to panic which meant that I couldn't concentrate at all, just adding fuel to an already growing fire. NOT a good thing to happen 2 days before the hardest and last exam of this year. But it ended up being okay and I got through the exam without thinking I failed too badly so hopefully it all pays off!
I've been spending a lot of my time looking at Universities in the lead up to all the open days that are coming this month and I'm getting so excited! I'm going to Exeter next Tuesday which is going to be awesome, it's such a pretty place and the course looks amazing! With the archaeology side of my degree, I might have the opportunity to go on a placement in South Dakota, excavating a Plains Indian village! It makes me so excited because I learnt about them at GCSE and I find it all so fascinating to see how America developed so it will be so amazing if I actually get to go! It's actually one of the main reasons why Exeter is my first choice now! (It was a toss up between Exeter and UCL but Exeter wins out from prettiness and awesome opportunities!) It'll be fun having a look around the place with mum and finding out more about the uni, there is only so much a prospectus and website can tell you, actually going there is a whole other story because then you can see how the words and pictures on the page fit together to make this place that so many people seem to fall in love with and want to spend 3 very important years studying at! It's quite a scary thought that in a year my A2 exams will just be starting and I will be heading off to one of these places; be it Exeter or somewhere else. Either way it's going to be a lot of fun and so much more different to what I'm used to which will be great!
Jess xx

I'M BACK!

It's been an entire month since I blogged last time but happily I only have one exam left right at the beginning of June so I can start blogging properly again hopefully! I've missed it so much, my life has been overrun by work, I've had literally no social life up until now! I finished my last exam this side of half term today so I decided to hop on a train after college and travel to Reading where I bought some new nail polish! I bought three bottles of Essie nail polish and let me tell you, it was SO worth it. I bought Tart Deco, Tea and Crumpets and Turquoise et Caicos. They're all such gorgeous colour that are so perfect for summer, whenever it turns up... either way, I love them to pieces. Im currently wearing Tart Deco and it's just amazing! It's a light solid peach colour and I love it! It was so quick to dry and it was really easy to apply with a really small amount of it going on the edge of my fingers which I'm really happy about! I'll definitely be buying more, totally worth the extra few pounds and the colours are amazing!

From Instagram - Tart Deco, Tea & Crumpets (left on right pic) and Turquoise & Caicos (middle on right pic).
How cute are they?!

I also treated myself to a Krispy Kreme doughnut to have on the train home today which was awesome, I had one that had what looks like little pieces of oreo cookie on the top and it's so nice! I've also been meaning to start The Paris Wife for over 6 months now but I've been so busy with college work that I haven't had time! I'm glad to be able to finally have time to be able to read a book that isn't related to college or Ancient Romans/Greeks though! It's a nice change! I've missed reading and I've ended up having to use every spare moment, be that a train journey or 5 minutes before bed, to do a little reading of something completely different from my courses. Over the last month or two, I've been reading The Great Gatsby off my kindle app on my phone and to be honest, I didn't really think it was that great. It might have been because I was having to read it in so many little dispersed bursts that the plot line was lost on me, but I don't really understand why it gets such high praise. It didn't really seem to go anywhere for me and the so-called big secret and mystery of Mr. Gatsby and who he is was quite dull frankly. Maybe I need to re-read it all in one go so it flows better or maybe it just isn't a book that I enjoy. There are plenty of other books out there though so I can live with not liking one!

Yummy doughnut and The Paris Wife; excited to get into it!

Apart from today, nothing interesting has happened in my life in the last month! My exams have been pretty good and I've also had minimal breakdowns which is always a bonus so all in all, it's been an alright month!! I can't wait for exams to be over though so I can get back to doing things I enjoy like blogging!
Talk soon! I have lots of ideas for posts!
Jess xx

Stupid snow

So it snowed again today! Yay. I don't really like snow much if I'm honest. It's so pretty when its actually snowing, but the second it hits the floor it's nothing but trouble and its horrible. It was really thick on the grass outside the classroom window and when we got out of our lesson, the ground was slushy and there were people throwing snowballs. I hate idiots that throw them at anyone, they're just being stupid because snowballs can actually hurt quite a lot. Fair enough if you're playing with friends, but don't get everyone involved. I love having fun in the snow as much as the next person, but I prefer it when it's not at risk of trapping me at college and stopping lessons, and it messes up the transport systems so it's hard to get anywhere because of traffic and delays. Plus it makes it super dangerous to walk anywhere so it's hard to go anywhere! Anyway! Rant over.

I GOT AN A IN MY ANCIENT HISTORY ESSAY I DID AGES AGO! I'm beyond happy! I worked really hard on it so it was hoping it was going to be good! This is the 2nd A I've got and 1st for Ancient History so I'm really happy that I've shown that I'm capable of getting As at A level! Yay!

I got a late Christmas present from my parents today too, it's the cutest pair of pyjamas! The top has a beagle on it! I have a beagle so I'm super happy because they're so cute! The bottoms are like lounge trousers but they're fleecy and so warm, and they're stripy which is so cool! :')
Jess xx

December

It's the first of december which means advent calendar and my grandma's birthday!! :3 we're going out for a meal and it's gonna be awesome ^.^ then I have to do loads of work when I get home D: a levels are getting pretty difficult now :( but it's fun :)
Anyway, I've gotta go :)
Jess xx