Summer Progress

I'd be so intrigued to read other peoples' blog posts about the summer directly after they've finished university. If you're not lucky enough to have a job lined up ready and waiting (we all know those annoying people!) then the summer can be a stressful and pressuring slog.

Having left university, I had 100% ruled out all possibility of doing a Masters degree. For me it seemed like too much of an academic direction to go in, when I knew I wanted to get into the publishing industry. It also just seemed like A LOT of hard work when I'd just finished my BA (Hons) degree, complete with dissertation! After a bit of searching around into the world of publishing, I noticed first that a Publishing degree was a thing, and second that lots of people seemed to have one, or were talking about it. I am told that it is not necessary to have an MA in publishing to get into the industry, but my attempts were clearly not working (many rejections - most likely on the grounds of not enough experience). I applied for the MA at Oxford Brookes, not really thinking too much of it (as I was still hoping a job might come my way!), but after the personal statement was written and telephone interview was held, I got in! As of now - the MA is the official plan! Mental!

I'm very much looking forward to living in Oxford for the year, as I've heard good things about the city!

I'd love to hear about anybody else's plans for the future, or how your post-uni summer is going?

Who Got Me Through

That's it. My final essay has been submitted today, and it's all done. There's a frenzied sense of finality in the air, but my mind is taking this in many different directions. I feel happy that the late-night, dreary-eyed essay slogs have finished, proud that I've managed to complete my dissertation and all my assignments and achieve the grades I have. But also I feel sad that the routine of work and lectures and deadlines has been snatched away. I feel odd that soon the living space I have called home for the past two years will soon belong to somebody else. Finally I will feel sad that the city I have loved will no longer be "mine".

That is my necessary 'homage' to uni, but that is not what this post is about. I wanted to say thank you, in my own little way, to the music that has got me through my degree. Mainly this was through the medium of albums uploaded to YouTube, which I would listen to through my headphones on my laptop or on the library computers.

First, and possibly most frequently listened to is the Ellie Goulding album 'Halcyon Days'. Only now, writing this post I have looked up the meaning of the term 'halcyon days', and it means 'denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful' (according to Oxford Dictionary). Ironic seeing as I was not feeling peaceful tapping out those essays! 

Next is a completely different genre, of the classical variety. The serenity of this music (although, it's not all serene) really got me through the hard times. Sometimes I just can't be bothered with the poppy-ness of mainstream stuff and so I found this! 

Finally (there are many, but I want to keep some brevity in the hope that my dear readers do not drop off to sleep), is the album by Lorde, who I have come to adore. What a wonderful voice that girl has. Track favourites include 'Buzzcut Season' and 'Tennis Court'! 

Best wishes to those of you who have finished your degrees and also to those of you who still have this wonderful journey to look forward to! 


x

Finishing University

The inspiration for this blogpost has come from my general fear and anxiety of finishing uni and being booted out into the big wide world of uncertain ends and questionable job prospects. 


I, like thousands upon thousands of other people, am having to come to terms with the fact that unless I get my arse in gear, I'm going to be sitting round watching Jeremy Kyle all day, every day (this is what I tell people now when they ask what I'm doing after university, because this question, as I'm sure you all know, is very wearing when you don't know the answer). 


I vainly hope that perhaps in a year's time, I can come back here and be pleased and reassured of the progress I have made! So, future self: congrats if you're not a homeless, jobless, Jezza K watcher (although if you are homeless, how are you watching JK?). 


Getting back into the blogging scene (not that it ever fully kicked off), led me to remember a quote by Plato that one of my friends told me the other day; "the unexamined life is not worth living". In my blogging endeavors, I intend to do some kind of self-reflection, and I suppose in that sense, you could argue it is an 'examination' of my life. Plato, are you happy with this - lemme know in the comments ;) 

x