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Friday 6 December 2013

Welcome To The Real World!

Hello everyone!

It has been a month since I graduated from the University of Greenwich and I have finally moved back to Ghana. Whoop! Whoop! I must say, I left the university with a lot of hope and lessons learned, that I believe will help me in my future.

My graduation ceremony was short and sweet and I did note down a few wise words…Lots of pictures were taken and even more drinks and food downed!
Unfortunately, no one tripped on their way to collect their certificate as most of us were hoping at the ceremony…heheh…How evil! :D

Here is a picture of me and my combined course friends by the way…


Ghana is very very hot as usual (I am actually slightly missing the cold weather in the UK) and I am yet to get used to a few changes. Besides that, I am having quite a good time and searching for a job. Hopefully, I will have a lot more luck here!

Stepping out of school and into the real world, where you are expected to find your feet quickly is quite scary, to be honest. However, I have faith that all that I picked from university and working at the Enquiry Unit will give me some sort of platform; and I am truly grateful for the lecturers, employers and work/uni mates that I have had. THANK YOU ALL!

This is my final blog for the university, unfortunately :( …and so I would like my final words to the current and prospective students to be GOOD LUCK and continue to push hard in this daring adventure called life!


xoxo

Monday 10 June 2013

C’est Bien Fini!

Hello lovely people! We are in the month of June; it is summer, it is sunny….and I have finished all my exams!! I wrote my last paper on the 30th of May and I cannot explain how relieved I am right now.

I wrote three papers; one in Business (which I got a first in :D) and two in Law (I am yet to receive the results; and I do not feel very confident about them. >_<)…the law papers were quite tough for me…I had moments of blankness during the exams which were quite scary; but I managed to finish and I know I tried my best.


Anyway, after our examinations, my friends and I decided to go have a little fun in town; and so the next day, we went out for dinner and then to Funky Buddha in Mayfair. It was a very interesting night and we really enjoyed ourselves.


I also turned 22 on the 14th of May and had a little dinner with friends that weekend:


It has been fun so far. I still plan on having some more fun this summer (I have still got my trip in mind); however, I have also started my job search. I went for a Career Boost workshop last week, which was very helpful. I had my CV checked by a professional, who gave me some valuable advice and also went for a talk about work visas for international students. I would advise international students who are planning to work after graduation to talk to the international office about it, as there are some very important rules to follow and checklists to complete. I also decided not to limit myself only to the legal field, as that is looking quite complicated for me at the moment. I am considering HR as well, and I hope to start at an administrative position and work my way up. Wish me luck!

On top of that, I have finally gathered the courage to do my driving test. I have not booked a test date yet, as I want to be very sure of everything I have learnt before I do so; but it will be soon…I hope I pass!

Anyway, I know there are some people who are still writing exams; and so I would like to say Good Luck and it will be over soon! I am off to eat ice cream and watch Game of Thrones; and so until the next post, its bye!

Xoxo

Wednesday 1 May 2013

DE-MOTIVATED?


Hi guys! So I was in uni, talking to some of my course mates about exams and what a lot of them told me was that they have had quite a number of moments where they have lacked motivation to study and have had the urge to just give up…and it was a little comforting because then I realised that I was not alone.

Well the fact that I am not the only one who has to struggle sometimes to stay on track also means that there are actually a lot of students out there who simply can not be bothered to study, even if they want to; and so I found something on the internet which I wanted to share with you. It is called the Peak Performance Study Guide and it talks about why we get stressed, how to get over it and how to make the best out of our studies.  It is not a very long article and it comes with a free study schedule sample.  It can be downloaded on http://stressintofocus.com

For those who can not be bothered to go on the website, it just simply advices us to:
·         Get enough sleep
·         Manage your time with a study schedule
·         Use a to-do list
·         Take regular breaks
·         Eat properly
·         Prioritise

There is a lot more detail on the page; but this is the summary. I know a lot of us have heard this over and over again; but it does not hurt to be reminded…and I do hope it helps some one out there in one way or the other. Also, if you are having problems with your revision, do feel free to speak to your tutor/lecturer about it and I am sure they will give you some valuable advice. It is also advisable to attempt a past question before you see your tutor so that they can actually see how serious you are, where you are having problems and offer advice tailored to your needs.

In the end, it all comes down to YOU and how mentally strong you are; because no amount of advice and online guide can help you pass your examinations if you simply will not put in the effort.

Good luck everyone! I will let you know how my papers go. ^_^

xoxo

SOON AND VERY SOON!



33 more days till the last day of Uni and 188 days till graduation!! Whoop! Whoop! I am so excited to be completing my course soon…but also a little scared because I need to finish well…I do not want to have paid all the international fees and done all this coursework and studying for nothing…and so I’m putting my last amount of energy into the few weeks left…After that, I really want to travel somewhere new…the USA, Amsterdam, Cyprus or somewhere…I just want to go on a (well-deserved, I think) holiday.

A lot of my evenings these days are spent in the library or in bed with books…and I don’t remember the last time I went out to have some proper fun, apart from the spa day…but its all good! It will be worth it. :D For those who are interested in doing my course, here are a few details of my upcoming exams (note: they may be changed during your year): I have three papers to write; International Business Management (3 hours), Law of Torts (3 hours 15 mins) and Company and Partnership Law (3 hours 15 mins). What is usually done is that a number of questions are given (about eight) and then you have got to choose about three or four questions to answer. Its okay, I guess.

None of these questions are foreign. They are all based on what has been done in lectures, seminars and coursework; so at least you know you are not going to be slapped with anything totally new when you sit your exam. J

In terms of being ready for my exams, I am not going to lie…I do not feel ready at all. Hopefully, I feel more confident about what I have revised as the time draws nearer (I have 16 days till my first paper). So, until then, its revision! Revision! Revision! Wish me luck. :D

xoxo

Tuesday 2 April 2013

MY NOT SO GREAT, GREAT DAY



Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a restful Easter break! I am! I have been able to catch up on sleep, although I am still struggling to fall asleep at night…I am just happy at least I can use the daytime to sleep. I am considering seeing my GP about this…I do not really want to, because I am worried I will be put on pills. Hmm… :/

Oh! I have some good news I forgot to tell you in my earlier posts…I got offers for the Masters in International Commercial Law from both Aston University and Surrey!! I was really happy; however, after some considerations, I have decided to defer the offers and work for at least a year and make some money of my own…so that is the plan now. I really want to work as a paralegal-this position usually does not require previous paralegal experience, however, all the companies I have been looking at seem to have picked up a trend of only accepting people with at least 2 years experience…Now how am I going to get experience as a paralegal, if they only want experienced people? Any tips on anything I can do to improve my prospects will be appreciated, people…HELP!

Okay, I shall now tell you about my not so great, great day. My friend, Mel and I decided to give ourselves a treat and go to the spa…so not being millionaires, we decided to go the less expensive way and buy vouchers online. We got the vouchers, went for the spa appointment and had the nicest hot-stone and deep tissue massages. AFTER we had got the massages, the receptionist asked to take our vouchers...5 minutes later, we were sitting with the manager of the spa and she was telling us that the vouchers were not valid for that particular spa but for another one….and that we had to pay the full £95.


LOL. She was joking, right? No…and she could give us no tangible reason why our appointment was confirmed using our voucher reference numbers when we called to book, and why the vouchers were not checked BEFORE we went in for the massages….so to avoid embarrassment, we paid up, meaning we had paid a total of £140 each for something which was originally supposed to be £45. (Thinking about it, I should have asked her what she would have done if we told her that we had no money because we were relying on the vouchers, which THEY had confirmed over the phone).
Well, of course this did not sit well with us, so when we got back home, I did some research and I have sent a very long, detailed email to request a refund…hopefully, I get a reply with some sensible news, or else I plan to flood their inbox with emails (suggestions are also being accepted at this point).

Anyway, the rest of the day went quite well…we had some Nandos after…I love Nandos (everyone must love Nandos :D ) and then we went to church in the evening…because it’s Easter time!

I will end this post now…so until the next post, HAPPY EASTER!! HAPPY EGG HUNT!! And enjoy whatever you have planned. :D

xoxo

Friday 22 March 2013

THIS SEMESTER HAS BEEN TOUGH



Before entering my third year at Uni, I knew that the workload was going to increase and everything would be more difficult than in my second and first years. However, I was not expecting to get so stressed that I would develop insomnia. The earliest I have slept this whole month has been 5am.

I have had back-to-back pieces of coursework and seminar preparation work to submit, while still having to attend lectures and seminars; and I feel like I have not even had the chance to breathe. I was happy at first that we Law and Business students did not have to do a dissertation; however, after doing all this work, I suspect that I have actually done a dissertation; just that it has been broken down into different pieces of work. Lol.

Anyway, I submitted my final two pieces of coursework for the year today and words cannot describe the relief that has flooded over me! I can now try to correct my sleep pattern, concentrate on my May exams (which sucks because my birthday falls in between two papers >_<) and fix myself (my current state is enough to crack mirrors! True story…haha).

I really admire my course mates who still have jobs at this time of the year. I can imagine how tired they must be feeling right now.

I also want to say Well Done! To my fellow university students who have managed to pull through till now; it is not easy at all…and Good Luck to all those still doing coursework and dissertations…I feel your pain!

I am typing this blog post at 6am by the way, which shows how long I have been up doing work. L

Hehe until my next post…xoxo

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Belated Happy Valentines



Lol I am a bit late…but we are still in February so I think it should count a little. I hope everyone had a good day on the 14th…whether you were alone or not.  Luckily or unluckily, I did not have a valentine and so I spent my Thursday doing what I usually do on Thursdays- lectures from 9am till 5pm and then home to indulge in some cupcakes I received from lovely friends, do some coursework and watch a movie.

It was quite funny though, looking at those who had been anticipating the day. All the excited tweets and the jokes about single people (Single people never hear the end of it on Valentines day) and the 24-carat gold plated iPad someone got for her man…oh yes…that was the talk of Twitter the whole week! Lol lucky guy! Anyway, all the fuss was quickly over and the rest of us could breathe! :D

Coming back to reality…I am still anxiously waiting to hear from the two universities I applied to for the LLM course…I did call them; however, I was told that there have been a lot of applications and so I would have to wait a bit more. I am still looking for other universities that may accept combined students…which is quite hard, because most of them want only LLB students on the International Commercial Law course…so take note if you are planning to follow in my footsteps…you may want to consider doing an LLB instead of a combined course, if Law is really what you want to end up with. I have also started looking for jobs relevant to my degree and future…so wish me luck!

Anyway, I have to be off now so its bye for now!
xoxo

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Group work!

Of all the things I find annoying in university, group work is the one that takes the crown. Now I have probably made a prospective employer frown after reading the first sentence; however, there is a reason I say this.

Every year, in my course, we have some form of group work; both in business and law, which adds on to our grades for the year.  Now, I don’t mind working with other people; however, for some reason, I always manage to find myself put in a group of lazy, uninterested students, who leave me to do everything by myself. I try my best to get them involved but even when they do, the work they produce is not even worth submitting. 

I am ranting because I recently completed some complicated group work all by myself and my group members had the audacity to ask me what the results (which were online and which we all had access to) were and to help them with their INDIVIDUAL essays. I was so mad; and of course I said no. * sigh * I really hope in the real world, when I get a job that relates to my degree, I won’t be stuck with such people. Anyway, I know I am not the only one who has had this experience…I’ve got a couple of friends who complain about their groups too. Ah! Such is life, and after ranting, we have got to move on and find other ways to make life better. I hope you out there are not found too often in such groups; and if you are one of those that make group work hard for others, that face down there is for you.


                               
Until my next post! xoxo


Monday 4 February 2013

...AND JUST LIKE THAT, JANUARY IS GONE!


Hello once again!

January has gone by really quickly, hasn't it? Wow...I can remember New Years day like it was yesterday. This goes to show that very very soon, it will be May and I will be writing my final exams, ready to graduate! Whoop Whoop!

I am a little scared though, to be honest. It has been three academic years already and my future awaits. I hope I finish it well. Fingers crossed! It has been a good couple of weeks for me so far this year...nothing majorly disappointing has happened and I am surviving in my lessons, though I am finding Company Law a bit tough...I applied to two universities to do the LLM course I talked about in my last post; however, I am yet to hear from them....I am not too sure if I will get in though, as most universities want LLB students for that particular course (I do the BA H Law and Business)...but we will see what happens.

Talking about the weather, it has actually been quite nice this week...it stopped snowing, the sun came out sometimes and it has become a little warmer....but knowing the London weather, it is probably going to change back to negatives at some random time. Lol I don't trust London weather.


Yesterday was quite nice though, I had a long day at uni (I usually do not look forward to Thursdays, because they are my longest uni days); but my friends and I managed to have a good time yesterday. Lectures seemed more interesting than usual and in between lectures, we had a lot of fun having Shisha, eating and doing a "photoshoot". It was good. Hehe. I guess I can try to find ways to make my Thursdays more interesting then! Anyway, I will be off now, as I have some work to complete (I am not even going to complain about the workload anymore) and so until the next post, it's bye!

xoxo

Friday 18 January 2013

Doubts...


Hello everyone! Okay before I go into the reason for the title, I want to wish everyone a late HAPPY NEW YEAR! Whoop! Whoop!! Entering the new year was pretty cool for me...I went to London Bridge to see the fireworks with a friend. It was not a very good spot for the fireworks but that (and the strawberries and chocolate I had) beat staying at home while everyone else was out. Here’s a picture of us and the little fireworks we saw :D

And here’s a better picture of the fireworks I got from a friend who was in a better place. Nice!


Anyway....after all the new year’s excitement was over, I started thinking about life after my undergraduate degree. The plan was to do a short course of interior decoration during the summer and then the GDL in September (Oh I have got another conditional offer :D hehe). 

However, I am suddenly not sure if I want to do the GDL anymore. I know I want to end up being a solicitor...Law is what I want to do...but after getting my BA H in Law and Business degree and doing the GDL, I do not get a Law degree. The GDL only allows me to do the Legal Practise Course...and I want a Law degree. So I have been advised to do some research into an LLM course, which I am currently doing...we will see where that goes. 

I am not scratching the GDL off my list though...I am just looking at other options. Wish me luck!!

Well, so far, 2013 has been quite good to me. We have been back in uni for a week and I survived hehe...everything has been smooth so far. Wishing everyone else luck in whatever decisions you are taking, especially the final years who are thinking about next steps!

Until the next post, its bye.
xoxo