This is the second instalment in my University Application Diaries, where I share the thoughts and experiences I had in the run up to starting University in September 2016. In this 'episode', I went to York University's Applicant Day, and learnt that non-stereotypical student types like me are more common than you'd think!

[Note: Extra comments I've made since writing are like this. 'X' refers to the University I actually attend, which I keep private]

17/01/2016

• I still love it there
• The library’s fab
• Shy, non partying types of people like myself do exist and are easily found (what were the chances of finding people like myself so easily - I only spoke to Laura !?!?!! As my Dad said, 100% success rate haha) 
• Witchcraft is a fascinating topic, put me down to take it as a module [I've since written an essay on Witchcraft - it is a FASCINATING topic, would recommend!]
• Still want to do ‘Languages For All’! Cause I apparently want to learn German despite being terrible at trying to learn French haha
• Bit annoyed they don’t do much to help find housing in second and third year. Ah well they seem to have lots of housing fairs etc so should be ok (touch wood)
• I need to find out where they bought the cake for us from! The lemon cake was sooooooooo good mmmmmmm. 

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not normally a New Year's Resolutions sort of gal. The negativity that surrounds them, in that few succeed, is hardly the most motivating thing in the world for starters, and then I don't know what I want to change when I do want to make one.

However, this year, as I set up my diary for the year ahead, I had a brain wave. A new way to do resolutions in a way that (hopefully) suits me. I'm calling it:

Mini-resolutions. 

Because, honestly, just saying: "I want to loose weight" gets you no-where. If you have never eaten healthily or done a lot of exercise before now, it's a huge change to attempt to make over night, and a massive shock to your body. It's also not very specific. Ignoring the lack of a numerical amount you want to loose, where's the how?

This, I think, highlights two of the main issues with resolutions - they are often too big, and ignore the how.

This is where my 'system' steps in. 

It's a project in development, granted, and if I do a follow up post at the end of the year, I'm sure it will have changed, but this is what we're starting with:

It will also look prettier once I get a better diary, instead of using a notebook I found from 2008...

Well, to start things off, you need to break down what you want to do into 12 steps. In my case, there is no over arching goal, but mini-things I want to change. I haven't even thought of them all yet, so I've allowed space for sparks of inspiration later in the year.

Then dedicate each goal or habit to a month. If you are aiming for an overall end goal, then start with the smallest in January and work your way up. If you have a varied list of changes you want to make, then choose and easier goal or what you are most looking forward to doing for January. If you can complete January, it will set you up in a more positive mindset for the rest of the year.

Next to each change, write how you are going to achieve each goal. Be as specific as you can, and be sure to write a detailed explanation, such as the steps of a new morning routine, on a separate piece of paper to put up near to where the new habit will be carried out, to act as a reminder. The more specific, the less thinking required when it comes to doing it - who hasn't done something because they're not 100% sure what they're doing so spend all their time thinking about a task instead of doing it.

Finally, create a tracker for the initial length of time you are doing the task, before you add the next one. This will allow you to keep track of your new habit, by ticking off even day that you complete.


It takes on average 66 days to form a habit. By giving you a month to slowly build up new habits and changes, you should have acclimatised to one habit enough by the end of a month to allow a new one to be added. Go for 66 days before adding the next habit if you wish, but I am very impatient so this should stop me from getting bored...

This method also paces yourself. Like I just said, I am very impatient and could go all guns blazing into this, changing up my hand washing, drinking gallons of water, and stretching before bed all in one day, but that's a lot of change to implement each day if it's all new, meaning it is more likely to end up in failure - hopefully this method will stop this from happening.



I hope this New Year's Resolution method will help you stick to any changes you are making to your life in 2019. Do share photos of your trackers with me on instagram (@rougebyjunekonrad) using the hashtag #miniresolutions and keep me updated on your progress - GOOD LUCK!


What New Year's Resolution(s) are you making this year?

June xx


Pin this post to refer to it throughout the coming year:

AKA The only inspiration you need for last minute Christmas and NYE Makeup looks this year.


Now I don't know about you, but if there is a make up product that is synonymous with winter celebrations, it's the wine lipstick. This dark colour screams high level glam, but can be tricky to balance with your eye makeup. Over this past year, I have created two looks that I always reach for when I want to use this beautiful lipstick by L'Oréal [See Below]. They are super easy, quick to do and look STUNNING! Keep reading to find out how you can create these dark lipstick friendly looks, ready for Christmas and New Years Celebrations (admittedly a bit late, but as many of you will have gathered by now, last-minute is my middle name).

The lipstick featured is L'Oréal's Color Riche Matte Lipstick in 430 Mon Jules.

Ombre Liner

Eyeliner: 

Black Eyeliner: Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeliner in Blackened Black [Discontinued - I cry 😭, this eyeliner is so good!]
Silver Eyeliner: Maybelline Color Show Kohl Eye Liner in Sparkle Show [This may be an updated version of what I used, I don't currently have access to the actual eyeliner I used]

Recreate this at home: 

This look works best using creamy, easy to blend eye pencils. Start by drawing the outer half of the wing in the black eyeliner. Then draw the inner half of the eyeliner in the silver pencil, overlapping it with the inner third of the black eyeliner. If you are worried about the eyeliner melting off, or smudging, go over each section using eyeshadow in the same colours.

Simples!

Sparkly Lids

This light-on-the-eyes look sits beautifully on simple, glowy, healthy looking skin. Therefore, skin-prep (think well-moisturised skin and dewy-finish primers) is key! For the eyes, just one eyeshadow is needed - something gold and glittery!

Eyeshadow

Now before we get started, this isn't me moaning that I'm not attending Cambridge or Oxford University. Similarly, this is not me trying to dissuade people from going to either uni. They are the top universities in the country, and some of the best in the world, so if you have the ability, why shouldn't you take on the challenge?

No, this is me explaining how I've changed my opinion of it over the years. (It also happens to be a cute case study in discovering what is (not) important when choosing a university to attend - who'd have thought it?!)

This may be the most pointless thing I have ever posted on here, but, alas, I promised it in my November 2018 edition of Dissertation Diaries, so need to get it up (albeit the day before the video goes live).




You could say I have experienced a bit of a tumultuous love affair with Cambridge. I say Cambridge, because, whilst Oxford intrigued me, Cambridge, for a multitude of reasons you will soon discover, truly stole my heart.

First and foremost, it was familiar. 

I visited Cambridge at the tender age of 14, when I had to interview tourists there for my GCSE Geography coursework. Besides terrorising the elderly by asking them about how far they'd travelled to see King's College, a question 3 other groups had already asked them, I fell in love with the old buildings, how easy it was to navigate, the history of the place, the fudge shop (Fudge Kitchen is an actual gem!) - let's just say I wanted to live there.


Fast forward a year and my school took some 'gifted and talented' (no you just rolled your eyes in disgust) students to explore Cambridge University. Following a talk in a cute lecture theatre, we got taken to look at some accommodation (I'm pretty certain it was Trinity, though my Cambridge friend was so shocked that I'd seen inside there that I'm starting to doubt myself). Basically, I had started to get to know Cambridge pretty well by this point, and so the romanticism began.

Enter Sixth Form. 

Near the end of year 12 I attended History and Classics taster days. Let's just say that I really. didn't. enjoy them. The lectures, besides an ancient philosophy one about turtles holding up the Earth or something, were pretty dull and it was massively off-putting. The main issue of course was that the lectures weren't on topics that I found interesting, and I was yet to discover that lectures are generally boring, wether you like the topic or not (or that might just be me, I dunno...).

One of the main reasons I thought about applying to Cambridge, and didn't give up on it despite this 'traumatic experience', was the familiarity of the place. I had visited it, I knew the city, I knew a little about a college. This fact calmed my anxious mind.





I still looked into Cambridge after this, rationalising that I might not even have those lecturers, and wouldn't take those courses anyway. However, upon looking into the course, I reluctantly decided against it. The majority of it was chosen for you, there were many exams, and you had to do Latin for a year if I chose to study Classics (which even the prospect of being taught by Mary Beard could not make look appealing - though, looking back at the end of my degree, I wouldn't have minded doing it).


However, the uni snob in me (error number 3) wouldn't let go of the Oxbridge dream just yet, and decided to look into Oxford. I knew the city and one of the colleges from a 3 day choir course I did there once, but I never got my head around the city and so have never warmed to it as much (as you can see, I like familiar things 😇). That being said the course was much better, covering all areas of history, including ancient. However, there was an entry exam, and (here's the killer) my AS grades were not good enough anyway (spoiler alert - neither would my A2 levels).

Here endeth my first encounter with Oxbridge. 

What I will now happily admit to, is that I have a very romanticised, opening-scenes-of-The-Theory-Of-Everything, view of Oxbridge. It's all cool gowns, exclusive and alluring culture, fancy dinners, and pretty buildings. Despite knowing I couldn't do my undergrad there, by the end of sixth form I had already discovered the medical and science history masters programmes that both universities offered. The dream just would not die!


Anywho, moving on to university, and some point in first or second year I discovered Cambridge's Health, Medicine and Society Master's degree which looks like a DREAM! Soon I found myself re-romanticising the whole Cambridge experience, and later discovered the NHS grad scheme which, through the most tenuous link imaginable, I used as a way to justify doing a £14,000 postgraduate course I really didn't need.


This brings us up to the beginning of third year. 


I remember looking through all the different colleges in order to work out which ones to look around at the post-grad open day, and feeling so out of place that I put off booking it til a week before, by which time, only one of the three slots were open, with only 7 colleges to choose from.



By this point, I'd had the reality check that made me face what I'd be hiding from. 

Having chatted to my Academic Advisor about the application and funding process; being told that doing a dissertation on beauty was not going to help a medical history masters application; and being asked if the reason I wanted to go had anything to do with it being Cambridge (which I sheepishly avoided answering 'yes' to),  I accepted what I knew all along - I was doing Cambridge for all the wrong reasons. If I was not willing to change my dissertation topic to get in, and the main reason I wanted to go was because of the allure of Cambridge and wanting to experience it, then £14,000+ was a waste of my money and extra debt I did not need (especially when I would qualify for basically no funding). I mean the relief I felt when my advisor vaguely understood the tenuous NHS link, only emphasises the fact that I knew how bad the excuse was, and desperately wanted people to believe me in order to persuade myself.

On to the Open Day. 

By this point I was well and truly over Cambridge (well, I still have hope, but y'know). I stayed with a friend who attends there, and remember feeling like this just was not the place for me, as she described her course and how many essays she had to do; how early her mornings were; how you can only do one society; and thinking how different the experience was to my university undergrad experience - and not in a good way. When walking around Cambridge this time, I discovered it had lost much of it's rose-tint, and I remember the conflict I felt with Murray-Edwards: a college I'd love to attend if only it was old and historic (and even in older colleges, you normally live in newer, separate accommodation as a post-grad). I have such great priorities.

It's time to accept that the best time to have done the whole Cambridge thing was as an undergrad. That the main reason for me wanting to attend Cambridge is to experience the unique culture of being a student there and to say I've lived in one of the cool ye olde colleges like Kings. To get access beyond the gates. The non-tourist access.

Basically all the wrong reasons. 

Yes, the course looks amazing (a good reason to go), but with no way to currently justify it and as someone in desperate need of a break from academia, the dream, if ever achieved, will have to be put on hold for a later, self-funded, convincingly justified, date.



So, what was the point in analysing my life story for you all? 

Well, apart from never romanticise anything if you want to avoid disappointment, I want to show you that Oxbridge is not the be-all and end-all. If it isn't right for you, that does not matter. I found the perfect university for me, with a great course and a location that I got to know and love: and it isn't even Russell Group! But I also want you to learn from this. Use this as a guide to how not to go about choosing a university and warning signs to look out for.


I hope this post was in some-way helpful.

I'll get back on to something with a bit more point soon, I just needed to get these thoughts off my mind first.

June xx

To read this again later, be sure to pin this post:

I am a modest person. And you know I'm modest cause I hate saying I'm modest in case it makes me look arrogant. But despite my modest disposition, the one thing I will never shy away from owning is the beauty of my student house. My university house is blooming fab and I will forever be grateful for stumbling upon it, cause most student digs are a 6/10 at best. Therefore, I feel like I am a pretty good person to be giving advice when it comes to finding a great house to live in once you leave your university accommodation. Below you will find my Top 10 tips regarding how to find the best student houses near your university!

1- Gather friends... early!

If there is one piece of advice I can give you about house hunting, it's this: start thinking about it early. Now I know this is hard because you are still finding your bearings and making friends, but begin bringing it up in conversations around early November (which means I'm a bit late to the game on this one, I know, don't hate me!). Think about which friends you've made so far that you could see yourself living with for the next year, and see if they would be up for it too. Don't worry if you haven't got enough friends to fill a house, start with a couple and they might have some friends to bring to the house as well!

Example Uno: 
My housing situation was a very strange one. My whole flat began discussing sticking together in one big house, but let me tell you, there are very few 8 room houses around, and honestly, a house that big will probably be quite claustrophobic. I live in a house of 4 and it is honestly the perfect number (but that's a preference thing). Anyway, my flat then split into separate friendship groups, but I was only friends with a couple of people, so between us we started asking around to find friends who could move in with us. This left us with a group of 7, which was too big. Therefore, we split into two, going into groups of people who knew each other best, and went from there. It was very stressful, but we got there in the end! Equally on that note, this year the girl who was moving in had to drop out last minute due to medical issues. After a panicked search on Facebook groups, we eventually found a fourth housemate - again, it might seem like it will never work out, but these things have a habit of getting there in the end 😊

But back to the point of this section. SEARCH EARLY! Houses will go fast, so try and aim to have it sorted by December. Not only does this mean you can forget about it for the year, but it means you will have a larger range of houses to look at, so you are more likely to find one you love, instead of one that is falling down and covered in damp.

2 - Research

Have a group chat of your chosen housemates so you have somewhere to send all the different houses you find. A quick Google search will find you local student housing agencies, or estate agents that advertise student properties for landlords.

Try and have group meetings to work out what you are looking for in a house: from price; to number of bathrooms; to amenities (although this will come as you look at houses); to amount of storage; and start booking all your house viewings. To save time, try and dedicate a day to just house viewings, and also be open to being shown other properties by an agency (that's how I found my house!).

As with Open Days, be sure to do lots of research about the house before you go. This means you can ask questions that you can't find out anywhere else, so as to make the most of your viewing.

Don't completely judge the images of the house, as they may be old or not fully represent the house: whilst the room sizes won't change, the actual decor of individual rooms will, once you've moved in and made it a home. I know I dismissed my house online because the images of the room didn't make it look appealing. That being said, one sure-fire way I found to judge a house was by it's...

3- ...Kitchen!

You may be laughing and thinking I'm completely crazy, but honestly I feel like a kitchen will tell you a lot about a house. My beauty of a house had the best kitchen we looked at, so if that doesn't convince you of this handy tip, I don't know what will! But in all seriousness, a kitchen will tell you the general standard of the house, how much the landlord has invested into it as a whole, and how well they take care of it. A newish kitchen, tells you they take care of it, an old kitchen tells you they might not. Obviously this might be proven wrong when you view the house, but it's a good way to rate them online.

4 - Think about the Area

One thing to think about when looking into houses is where they are located. Are they central, far from campus, close to campus (distance from campus may affect the price). Is the area safe or a bit dodgy (something you may only get a sense of when you visit)? What are transport links like (i.e. is a bus stop near by if you're going to have to use it a lot)? If you know the answers to these questions before you look, this will help you reduce your area of search so you have less houses to trawl through.

5 - University Accreditation

Many universities now offer accreditation systems when it comes to student housing. Mine does, and it gave us peace of mind when we chose the agency we're with, that the university approved of them. This may also be where houses listed by independent landlords, and approved by the uni are listed, so you may find a gem that isn't listed elsewhere!

Your university may also offer advice regarding contracts, organising rent etc, so be sure to find out what's on offer to help you in your house renting journey. This is most likely your first time doing this, so don't be afraid to ask for help to be sure you get it right.

This brings me nicely onto my next point...

6- READ THE CONTRACT PROPERLY

Make sure you aren't going to be pulled into any dodgy deals if things go wrong, such as your guarantor has to pay for anyone who cannot pay their rent, not just you. Yes it may be in complex jargon, so be sure to ask questions about anything you are unsure of at the contract signing. Don't be afraid to say no if you are unsure about the contract, it's better to turn away from the house now than lose thousands of pounds to the small print.

7 - Ratings System

This was something my housemate had us do and it was amazing! At the end of every house viewing, we would mark the house out of ten. This way we could see later on which one we had all thought was the best - you will see many houses, and forget what they were like, so this is a great way keep note of what you thought of them.

8 - Ask around

If you have friends in upper years, such as from societies, ask where are good areas to live, and good agencies to go with. You never know, you might be able to grab the house of your third year friend who is about to move out! Local knowledge is key 😉

Equally, if the current tenants are in when you look around, don't be afraid to ask what the landlord is like. You may need to hang back to ask once the person showing you around has moved onto another room, but this way you can find out how good the landlord is at dealing with any issues that arise. You don't want to have a great house, but a landlord that won't fix things for ages (if at all) - this is simply extra stress you do not need on top of your studies!

Equally, if there is no bills package or bills are not included, ask how much they pay in bills to work out the house's extra costs.

9 - Don't be afraid to ask any and all questions: you have to live there for a year!

Leading on from this, ask the person showing you around everything you need to know. From a break down of the costs and the procedure for if things go wrong, to if you have a gardener (and if not, do you get a lawnmower - cause I know people who don't have either) and what type of heating you have, don't be afraid to ask every and every question under the sun. If you have to organise the bills, find out the energy efficiency rating; if they're included, then ask if there's a limit on the bills package before you have to pay extra, and how many people have had to pay extra in the past, if that's the case. If they don't know, then, unless it's a very technical question, this is a warning sign about the landlord. I know of one agency where the lady showing us around was not very good, and then months later I saw a post warning against using them. Of course, it might have been her first day, but it's something to think about.

10 - Check the little things.

Try all the taps to check the water pressure. How easy is the oven to turn on - is the gas hob easy to ignite? What are the sockets like - old or new? Sit on the sofas and beds of comfort. You will likely be looking around when it's cold - is the house warm (i.e. is the heating good cause there is nothing worse than a cold house. If it's off, ask a current tenant what the heating is like if they are in). Again, you have to live there for a year, so don't feel silly checking for things, or have a more confident friend check if you don't want to. Just make sure to ask permission before you start testing everything out, especially if a tenant is in the room and you want to test their bed.




I hope this guide to finding your perfect student house was helpful. If you have anymore questions about hunting for university housing, then leave them below and I will try and answer them as best as I can.

June xx

Save this on Pinterest to read another day:

I can't tell a lie: I love an Open Day I do. I visited 7 different universities during my A-Levels, and was so disappointed when my travels around the country came to an end. Add to that three applicant days, a choir audition and, more recently, two postgraduate open days, and you're looking at an open day pro. Along with the fact that I ended up choosing a university that I LOVE, I thought it's only right that I write a guide to open days to help you get the most out of them.

1) Research before you go!

I can't stress this enough - you will get so much more out of an open day if you have researched the University before you go. This is because you will be able to ask questions which you can't find the answers to online or in prospectuses, making travelling there so much more worth it.

Researching beforehand also allows you to plan your day to a tee. This means you know exactly where you are going, what's on, and which accommodation you want to visit, ensuring you don't miss anything you want to see, and you work your way around the university in the most efficient way.

2) Go to all the talks and stands

This ties in to your research, but make use of all the talks and stands available. The stands are great for answering any questions about specific accommodation that you weren't able to visit; qualms about finance; and general queries about your course that the talks didn't answer. Similarly, the talks are such a good introduction to the course you are enquiring about. If you aren't sure which course you want to do, maybe consider going to talks about the different subjects you are interested in, to find out more about them. You don't have to go to an open day with a particular course in mind: in fact, I know of someone who went to a talk on a different subject to the one they were inquiring about and ended up studying that subject instead!

3) Don't judge taster lectures - to an extent...

Talking of talks, some universities will offer taster lectures on their open days, and most will offer them as part of their applicant days. Whilst these are a great insight into university life, and give you a feel for their teaching style, don't judge your whole opinion of the university on them. I know that I did, and looking back I can see that that was a mistake. For one, they can put their most charismatic lecturer on display to make you love the uni, but not all the lecturers there will be charismatic. Equally, the lecture may be boring, but not all you lectures will be boring at uni. One lecturer does not represent the whole course. The main thing is to work out whether you'll be taught by them enough for it to matter, and take it from there :)

4) Take All the Pictures

They are such a good reminder of the day, helping you remember what the campus, facilities and accommodation looked like, when you are reviewing your visits months later. Furthermore, they are great for comparing different unis, as well as for taking pictures of slides when you forget a pen and paper. Talking of which...

5) ...Bring a pen and paper to take notes - you are going to be given so much information!

Seriously, even bring a spare pen - you'll forget most of the information otherwise. Having a pen and paper to hand is also a great way to make notes of questions you want to ask. Oh, and don't forget to bring a bag to take the copious amounts of leaflets you will pick up, home with you.

6) Pick up all the freebies ;) Cause you can never have too many pens!

Nuff said.

7) There is no such thing as a stupid question

You are there to find out about where you could be living for the next three years, and the people from the university are there to help you make your choice by answering questions. Don't risk putting your £9,250 into the wrong uni, by being too scared to ask a question that is not as stupid as you think it is. If you're really worried, ask whoever is with you to ask for you, or email the relevant person after the open day (which goes for things you forget to ask too!).

8) Tour the area, not just the campus - you are gunna live there for three years after all 

After an Open Day, I would nearly always go out for a meal in the city, or at least go for a wander around the town. What you can forget when looking around universities, is that you are not only moving into the university accommodation, but most likely the accommodation in the city too (if you have to move out after first year). You will also be doing things within the town, such as the weekly food shop, clothes shopping, sight-seeing, clubbing etc. Ask yourself whether you can see yourself living in the city. Is it big or small enough for you? Does it provide everything you need, and is it easy to get to? What's transport like (including for travelling home)? Is it safe? I know that a 'turn off' for one uni was that the surrounding town had very little to offer, because it was so small.

9) Look at the library! 

You may not like to accept this fact, but the library will become your second home whilst at uni. Therefore, be sure to take a tour around, to see what the facilities are like. How many study spaces do they have (once you stop living on campus you will need a place to study in between class, and smaller libraries will get full fast, leaving you with nowhere to study)? How many books do they have (including online resources such as ebooks and journals)? What other facilities do they offer - group study rooms? Printers - do you have to pay for printing?

You may dismiss the library as a factor in making your university choice, but one campus had a teeny library, which just was not gunna be enough for studying history.

10) Talk to current students more than the lecturers!

They will know the course and uni experience better than anyone. There are normally ambassadors at the relevant course stands; giving campus tours; and giving talks. Whilst they are there to promote the uni, they are the best insight you will have about studying there. Ask them about the societies on offer (which will probably make up a large part of your uni experience, so do find out what sort of things you would like to join!); what the student culture is like; find out about the city and off campus accommodation; the work load; how they've found the student support system (I didn't even think about looking into this side of it, but have ended up needing it, so do find out about this, whether it be medical, counselling or therapy services). Whatever you want to know about university life, they are THE people to ask, even more than the lecturers.




I hope you have found this article useful! University open days are honestly so much fun, and such a good way to find out about the course, the university and the student culture. I know that they have completely turned my opinion of universities on their head, and have stopped me making the wrong decision when it came to firming my offers. Whether it be the size of the library, the city, the student culture, or the size of the hill it's set upon, these are all university 'turn-offs' that I would have never got from a shiny prospectus.

If you have any more questions about university open days, do leave them below and I will try to answer them as best as I can 😄

June xx

Pin this guide to read it again later: