Anti-Bucket List: August

I had one of those oh-god-where-is-the-year-going-help-I'm-failing moments the other day. It's the middle of August, I thought, and August is practically September and September is basically Christmas! Cue a spiral of panic. I know that's not exactly true but I'm still very much stuck in the academic calendar from years of schooling.

On Being a Stay-at-Home Student

I've talked a lot in previous posts about the trials and tribulations of being a uni student and the process of finishing a degree, but what I'm not sure if I've mentioned before is that I was a ~special~ kind of student. No, not a mature or international one but a stay-at-home student (did the title give me away?) Yes, I was one of the few kids (although probably not as few as you think) that decided against moving across the country to study and instead chose to remain in my family home and enrol in my closest university town.

Now, there's a lot of articles, info and advice floating around the internet for soon-to-be freshers, especially with the dreaded A level results day looming, but these almost exclusively focus on what to pack and new housemates and moving away. That's really great, and us home birds know we're in the minority, but I certainly found when I was preparing to start my first semester three years ago that there wasn't much in terms of reassurance for someone like me, which is why I think now's the perfect time to share my thoughts and experiences on being a stay-at-home student.

When I Grow Up

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" That's what they always asked when we were little and that is what I've often found myself asking when I'm faced with a child (the horror!) The thing with kids is that they know. Almost without thinking, they have a response: Teacher, Doctor, Fireman, Hairdresser, Policeman, Builder, Vet, Shopkeeper, Footballer, Popstar. It's like there's a list of professions that they've come across in their lives thus far and they just pick one. In many ways it's great that real life is more than a list of ten options - it means there's something for everyone, even those that don't fit in the obvious boxes - but in other ways I envy those kids that have it all sorted out. I'm applying for me first grad job at the moment and I still don't really know What I Want To Be When I Grow Up.