Tattoos

'iya

Thought it'd be a very convenient time to write a post about tattoos and reactions to them, since this week I very spontaneously decided to get two new ones. 

I have 5 tattoos in total, it sounds a lot when you say it, but to me it doesn't seem that way at all. After getting them I get very different reactions from different people, as I'm sure everyone else with a tattoo has experienced. Some people love them, some people aren't bothered either way and some people hate them. My dad for instance.

I totally understand that some people dislike tattoos but I think people should really think about the way they talk about and react to people getting them. What does my nut in is how people can get away with being so prejudice and discriminating, it's ridiculous and shouldn't still happen. After getting my latest tattoos I was told to be careful where I got them in the future because people may be less likely to employ me.

My reaction: fuck them.

If someone wasn't to employ me solely based on the fact that I have two small tattoos on my wrists then they can stuff their job. I wouldn't want to work for such prejudice people. So because I have markings on my wrists I apparently now give off a 'bad and unprofessional impression', just like that. Just because somebody isn't a fan of what's on your body doesn't mean that they have the right to display discriminating behaviour towards you. 

My main issue isn't what other people think at all though. My main issue is when I'm told I shouldn't do something because somebody else MIGHT judge me for it. I'm not going to live my life scared of what other people's reactions are to me or what I want to do, and this doesn't just apply to getting tattoos. With anything. Live your life how YOU want to, not how others want you to. I know my life doesn't revolve around keeping other people happy, or making sure some prejudice person will employ me!

*DEEP BREATH*

And with that out of my system I'll get onto the fun bit.

1. My first tattoo.

My nanna (my dad's mum) is from Greece so I wanted to get something that somehow symbolised that side of me. In Greece (and Turkey), 'lucky eye' charms are sold - usually on bracelets -  in order to protect you from the curses of the 'evil eye'. If you want to know more about that then research away. The design for this tattoo was actually taken from a necklace I found online and I knew it was what I wanted straight away. It looked amazing when it was first done but does now need touching up, so that'll be the next thing I have done, but that probably wont be until next year when I save some pennies.

This is positioned on my right thigh and was done on my 18th birthday.

2. 

A couple of months later I got two roses done on my upper thigh (left side). There's not much to say about these, I just saw a photo and I liked them. But after getting them done I decided I needed something else to add to them because the tattoo looked too small next to my massive arse. So just under a year later I then got...

3. 

...a vintage fan! I think a friend suggested the idea for this (cheers Jasmine). All I did was emailed the tattoo artist saying I wanted a vintage style fan on my hip, and she designed this for me. There are so many things I could say about the detail on this that I just adore - the white polka dots on the bow, the lace-like trim at the top and the little jewels hanging. I just love it so so much!

4 & 5.

My most recent editions. Again I just saw a photo of someone else's moon tattoo and wanted it. However, I got mine slightly bigger and also added the other part. My idea was that I'd have a sun and a moon on each wrist as a sort of 'where there's darkness, there's light' because I was having a very crappy time but I'm hopefully done with that! I then couldn't think of a cool sun design so I went with a plain circle, and I really like it!

That's it (for now)!

TTFN

x

In With The New

'iya

It's around that time of year where the freshers of 2014 are constantly checking too many Facebook groups and pages in the quest to find their new flat or housemates. Or is that just me?

For me the most important aspect of university is meeting people. This is one of the many reasons why I'm transferring universities - I didn't join societies, I didn't approach people in lectures and I didn't mix with many people in my block. I stuck with mainly my flat and a select few on my course, so when I fell out with my flatmates I didn't have many people around me. Don't make the same mistake. You'll hear it from everyone but do join societies, do have the guts to go and speak to people, do have the confidence to do the things that you want to do, even if it means going along on your own. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to start again and definitely will be taking my own advice.

With the serious bit out of the way, I'll get back to finding out your accommodation. I really think that this is the most exciting part of uni; most people will get to find out who they're living with and who they're living near. These may be people from not just all over the country but from all over the world, and you wont get this experience anywhere else, apart from at university. However, depending on your institution, some people unfortunately may not have a clue who they'll be living with until moving in day. 

Every university is different in the way that they organise accommodation. You may not get the room that you requested, especially if you got a place through clearing and you also may not be able to find your flatmates until you arrive at university. This is what happened to me in 2013. At Lancaster I was only told which college I was in (not many universities have colleges so don't worry about this), and whether I was in catered or self-catered accommodation; I didn't know which flat or block I was in so I was unable to find my flatmates beforehand. This is really annoying when all of your friends that are going off to university are already in contact with their flatmates and you're still clueless and more anxious than excited. From experiencing both situations I can say that I much prefer knowing who I'll be living with and near before I go to uni. Not knowing who I was living with scared me. I was scared that I'd be living with people that I didn't have anything in common with, and people who I wouldn't get along with. If you're one of the unlucky ones like I was, I feel for you but remember there's not a long wait to find out! Time will go so quickly and you'll be moving in before you know it. My advice would be to use Facebook groups to find people on your course instead. I did this and I found someone who was so like me that people genuinely thought we were friends before university. Yes a few of the people I spoke to before moving I didn't even meet, but I met one of my closest friends at uni this way (hey Phoebs).

Even though I hated being at Lancaster the last few months, I'm glad I went because I met 4 people that I had a great time with and I really hope I keep in contact with. Like I said, the best part about uni is the people that you meet. It was just unfortunate for me that there were more people that made me feel like shit than people who I enjoyed spending my time with. 

But now I'm so happy because I love that I get to have two totally different freshers week experiences, at two universities, at different ends of the country. I can get rid of the people that made me feel crap and meet a load of new faces who will become a massive part of my life. It's a scary thought talking to this many new people, but enjoy every minute of it. I plan to.

TTFN

x

I'm Poor

'iya.

It's been a bit of a hectic week! Over the past 7 days I have been told:

1. I have to completely reapply for student finance 

2. I wont be entitled to any money from the university that I'm going to because I'm entering at second year.

Long story short, I'm probably going to receive my loans late and will have to take out an emergency loan to pay accommodation fees and I'm also going to have £2000 less than I thought I would. Good. Good.

So, I've been sat staring at my computer screen writing an updated CV, emailing various people looking for jobs and filling out applications online. SO MUCH FUN. I've not heard back from any where yet, but fingers crossed! Otherwise I'll be sat starving in my flat for 40 weeks straight. Good diet plan I guess...

If you're worrying about money either for uni or in general, my advice would be to do some maths and work out how much you have and what you will need. 

My money plan:

STUDENT LOAN - ACCOMMODATION FEES = TOTAL AMOUNT LEFT OVER

TOTAL AMOUNT LEFT OVER/40(amount of weeks in the academic year) = AMOUNT PER WEEK

I then listed what I have to pay for, for example:

Phone contract

Contact lenses

Gym Membership 

I worked out how much these things cost me weekly rather than monthly so I knew how much money I had left for food, drink, toiletries and going out. As you can imagine, not much. But I worked out that working a couple of shifts a week will do me fine. Just taking any shifts I can get before I move next month, for example 3.45pm-1am on Saturday. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

I hate working which is why I didn't get a full time job over the Summer, but now I'm kinda wishing that I did! I didn't have a job at university last year because I had enough money to live on, and was able to do everything I wanted to do without one. However, this year seems to be a completely different experience! But I'll figure that out. 
University will be one of the best periods of your life so if you want to join societies or go out a lot then make sure you have the money to do so. Not being able to afford to do the things you want to do will put a downer on your time at uni; ensure that isn't the case!

My tips for saving money:

1. I find having an overdraft really useful at the start of the year - you receive a larger amount of your student loan in term 3 rather than term 1 and 2. Most students need an overdraft so if you do think this is the right thing for you make sure you aren't being charged for it.

2. Look for perks when setting up a student account. For example, I received a free railcard for 4 years which saves me a lot of money when travelling home from uni, or to uni from home.  

3. Share products with flatmates. So, take turns buying milk, bread, washing up liquid etc. When I moved into halls last year we all brought washing up liquid with us; we had 8 out at a time and nobody shared, it was completely ridiculous. 

4. If you drive don't take your car to uni or get insured on it for that period of time. Yes it's nice to be able to drive into town if you live on campus or the other way around but it's money you don't have to be spending if you are struggling. 

5. Invest in a NUS card. They usually save you 10% at a variety of places so check out where you can get discounts.

Hope this helps a few people out!

TTFN

x

Results Day

'iya.

I'm sure many of you are very aware that the results days for GCSEs and A levels and whatever else are coming up in the UK; I thought I'd take this opportunity to share my experiences and hopefully ease a few nerves.

If you've read my first post then you'll know that I could only apply for one university after declining all five of my offers, so I had no insurance choice. As I had no institution to fall back on,  I genuinely convinced myself I wouldn't have achieved the grades to get into Lancaster University and would be going through clearing. I spent hours of many nights during the run-up to results day researching different universities to contact if I didn't get into my firm choice. At this point I didn't care where I went to university, I just wanted to go.

For as long as I remember I've wanted to move away from home and explore different places. The last thing I wanted was to stay in my home city, purely because I've been bored of it for years - I want to visit more cities and do bigger things. However, I know a lot of people who feel the opposite to me and have stayed close to home, got full-time jobs or attend a nearby university and I totally understand that too. I know people want to be near their families and that people enjoy living in their home towns, but that's just not me. Everyone's different so don't let anyone pressure you into doing anything that you don't want to do. Some people want to move away from home and go to uni, some people want to stay at home whilst going to uni and some people want to get jobs or apprenticeships - it's totally your choice. If you're still unsure about if you want to go to university you can defer your place and have a gap year to make up your mind, or you could try it out and you always have the options of transferring universities or onto a different course or leaving all together. There are so many options and you can change your mind at any point. Don't do something that you know you'll hate to be 'safe' or to make anyone else happy, but also don't be afraid of the big wide world. I'm lucky enough to have a family who support whatever decisions I make (even if my dad is STILL trying to convince me to stay in Nottingham), so doing what I want is pretty easy but I know everyone's not in the same position. Have the confidence to do what your gut tells you so you don't regret doing something or more importantly, not doing something!

...ANYWAY!

The morning of results day I got up extra early, had breakfast, got ready, woke my mum and told her I was leaving early to catch the bus with a friend to sixthform to pick up my results. So I left the house, walked round the corner and got into a parked car - yes, I lied to my mum - off I drove towards Derby to take my driving test...

I can't really remember how I felt the night before results day and the day of my driving test, but I don't remember being nervous. When I look back I think I felt prepared for both. I had a plan to go through clearing and I had been driving for over a year before I took my test so I was more than ready to drive for a short amount of time with a stranger. Most people probably think I'm crazy for arranging my driving test on results day but I think it actually distracted me from being nervous about one or the other. I wouldn't advise anyone else to arrange two stressful situations on one day, I'm incredibly laid back about these sorts of things unlike a lot of people. I would however advise you to prepare a plan if you feel like there is any chance that you wont get the grades you want. Doing this may kill your nerves a bit because if you already have a plan you wont go into the 'WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!?!' stage. You'll already have it covered and under control. That certainly helped me anyway.

Back to my results day story: Before I knew it my driving test was over and done with, I passed first time with three minors (which I got when I pulled back into the test centre) and began calling my mum. She was out walking the dog when she answered and was expecting me to tell her my results. I simply said 'Mum, I have no idea what my results are but I passed my driving test!' you can imagine how confused and shocked she was. I called my dad afterwards and he told me he found out I had my driving test when he overheard me and my driving instructor talking about it the day before (damn it). Then eventually I checked my emails as my instructor drove me to sixthform and saw that I had a confirmed place at Lancaster University! When I got to sixthform one of my teachers actually hugged me and congratulated me before I had even opened my results, so I had a good idea that I did well in that subject! I actually achieved AAB plus a C in 'general studies' (and a fail in 'finance' - I couldn't be arsed to read the paper so made a pretty pattern with the multiple choice boxes and then didn't go to the retake because of a snow day - priorities!). I achieved the grades that Lancaster had asked for, which I was not expecting at all so I was over the moon.

Remember that if results day doesn't go the way you wanted it to, it really isn't the end of the world. Yes everybody wants to do well, but there is always still a way to get to where you want to be. You can't change what's already happened so try not to stress yourself out before you go to collect you results.
If you're worried about getting into university: remember that some universities let you in with lower grades than they originally ask for, clearing is available to get into a different institution and also if you do better than expected you can go through the 'adjustment' process to apply for another university that asked for higher than your predicted grades.
A lot of universities will actually email you before you collect your results so I would check your emails and UCAS in the morning. If you do hear that you've got a place at university, you probably wont mind what your grades are anymore!
Whatever the outcome, celebrate with your friends. Collecting your results also marks the end of a chapter of your life and you may not see the people you spent literally every day with very often anymore. So go out and have a damn good night together.

Good luck to everyone collecting results soon, whether they're GCSEs, AS/A2 levels or anything else! Hope I've helped in some way.

TTFN

x 

The First Post

'iya.

Thought I'd just write a general post today to tell you a bit about myself and to let you know what to expect on my blog.

1. About me
As you've probably guessed my name is Charlotte Emily Howard, I'm 19 and I'm currently a university student. Born and raised in Nottingham, lived in Lancaster for a year and will be moving to Kent in September.
Typical interesting facts: I'm a quarter of an inch off 5ft (so close!) and I'm a quarter Greek.
I never know what to write in these 'About Me' sections because I'm literally just a normal teenager with nothing extraordinary to tell you. Most of my time is spent doing cliché student things (sleeping a lot, watching crap TV and spending money I don't have) and I like it that way. Uni and the lifestyle that comes with it is expensive so I work in a bar when I'm home for a few extra pennies. I might start doing something more productive when I'm no longer a teenager, but that can wait until January 2015 when I no longer have that excuse.

2. What to expect on my blog
UNIVERSITY:
My university journey so far hasn't been what you'd call 'straight forward' which is why I thought blogging about it might interest and help a few people out.
I applied for university in 2012 ready to start in September 2013. 5 universities (all in the South of England) offered me places to study either English literature or Comparative literature. However, 2013 came around and I realised that even though I've always loved reading and writing, studying literature was not what I wanted to do anymore. So, I declined all of my university offers.
UCAS have a system where you can apply for one more university after this so I applied to study psychology instead. And for some strange reason I ignored my main plan to move down South and applied for Lancaster. I have nothing against Lancaster, it's really high in the league tables and I enjoyed the first half of my first year there, but it just isn't the place for me. I wish I did stick to my original plan of moving South because that was all I wanted to do, but at least I'm doing it now! It would have been easier to stay at Lancaster but I know that I would have regretted it in the long run and I'm so glad I had the guts to move.

FASHION/BEAUTY:
One of my habits is online shopping, even though I am particularly skint at the moment! So I own a LOT of clothes/shoes/jewellery - a lot meaning I have to use my brother's and my mum's bedrooms to store my clothes; it just wouldn't be possible to fit it all in one space. I may not blog about fashion items or cosmetics frequently, but if I find anything that I'm loving enough to write about then I just might!

LIFE:
Lastly, whatever thoughts are worth sharing I'll write here. So if you're interested in finding out what I get up to then keep an eye out. Expect low quality photos.

Feel free to tweet me any questions you have about university or about anything else.

TTFN

x

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