Why I chose to go to university

Some of you will know from my previous post that I was never one of those people who knew what I wanted to do with my life.

At the age of 16 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity of working with a wedding and events company who provided venue decor and also any floral pieces for a wedding such as bouquets. I had never considered doing anything like this before, however I thought why not!

During my time there I got to be apart of creating some amazing pieces and helped make couples' dreams come true. I got to see some amazing venue transformations and fell in love with the whole idea of weddings. I loved the beauty in them, the happiness they can bring to a family and the fact that each one is different! I learnt so much more when attending wedding fayres about the wedding and events industry and just how big it was.

By the time I had finished my first year at college, I decided this is what I want to do with my life. 

Yes, I could have stayed on with the company I was with, but I wanted to learn more about events and the different elements of it. By doing this, I felt I could open up more opportunities to both explore other events but also learn the right skills for if I wanted to go solo and be my own manager. So, I began to look into university.

I was quite late to the whole university exploring game as many people I knew began attending open days at the end of first year, but I started looking at the start of second year around October time.

Quick note: If you are thinking about going to university I would strongly recommend attending open days to get a feel for the university.

I looked into both events management and teaching as I had thought about teaching for a little while as something I may want to do, but was unsure on specifics. However, as my work within the wedding industry continued, I fell more and more in love.

After viewing more universities, looking into the courses and speaking to students I felt this was defiantly the right move for me. 

But remember, the fact that it was the right move for me doesn't mean it is the right move for everybody. You have to do what is right for you.

University does cost a lot of money! So, I wouldn't suggest going for the sake of it, as I'm not going to lie, you will come out with a huge debt at a very young age. Yes, the experience is great and I do know people who went to university purely for the social experience. But, personally I think you should go to gain the knowledge and skills you need to get to where you want to be in the future.  It is not for everyone, and if you don't want to go that is okay! There are plenty of other opportunities out there you can do. But for me, university was the right move. 

After attending around 5 open days, I found the one for me!

I chose to go to a university quite far from home (around 2-3 hours) as I had the attitude that if I'm going to go to university, I may as well go away and learn life skills as well as events management skills. After 2 years there, I am so glad I made this decision. I can now cook, clean and wash clothes for myself and just feel I have grown as a person. I have become more confident and independent in myself.

Yes, it can be hard at times when I feel homesick, stressed or am having a bad day. But in life, especially as I become older, I am going to have to deal with these things by myself like an adult. My family are all very supportive and are only a phone call, facetime or drive away. 

I am so glad I made this decision as I have learnt so much and can't wait to put it all into practice someday. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post and that it has helped some of you who may be considering going to university make the right decision for you.

What happens next?

Every path in life is different.

People may take similar paths, but none will be exactly the same.

Some people know exactly what they want to do with their life and have known since they were as young as 7. Others have a rough idea of what path they want to take but are unsure on the specifics. Then, there are those who have no idea what they want to do with their life.

I have always been one of those people who were unsure on what they wanted to do with their life and would flitter from one thing to another. I didn't know if I wanted to go to uni, or whether to travel and if I travelled I had no idea where to go!

I found it frustrating at times as I felt we had to know exactly what we wanted to do with our lives in year 9 when picking our GCSE options. I would think to myself, I can't choose what I want to do with my life yet, I can barley decide what I want for dinner!

When at college, I found it was almost forced upon you that you had to go to university. This wasn't so bad in my second year as I had then decided this was what i wanted to do. But I know for some this was hard, as it wasn't what they wanted to do next. Now a days, there is so much more you can do after college.

The time after exam results are released can be a weird one for many, especially those who don't know what they want to do with their lives. The feeling of not knowing what to do with your life can be scary. Trust me, that was once me.

I think everyone will come across this feeling of not know what to do next. And that's okay. Yes, it's not nice, especially when it lasts a long time but good things come to those who wait and who knows what's around the corner?

Remember, it's your life and you determine your next move.

Don't worry if you don't know what that is straight away, it will come. If you do know what's next, go for it full force and I wish you the best of luck!

The results are in!

Hi everyone!

I am writing this blog post on a day that some of you may have been dreading...

RESULTS DAY!

This is a scary time no matter what you are hoping to do next. I know that exams and coursework has been incredibly hard this year and so before I continue, I just wanted to say that you have all done well no matter what!

I got my A Level results 3 years ago now and I remember being so nervous I didn't want to go and collect them! The morning of, I was up at silly o'clock after getting little sleep the night before.  I turned my phone off to avoid the "what did you get" messages; I even refused to look on my laptop all morning as I was too scared to look online and see if they were out. Then, the time came for my mum to take me to college to get the envelope!

I went to a fairly small college, so I knew my teachers well and as I arrived I had a few smiles but  was still very unsure. I was shaking like a leaf and took my envelope over to a corner to open with my mum and away from everyone else. Soon after opening it both my mum and I were in tears... I had done it!! I couldn't wait to tell my dad and the rest of the family and friends.

I hope many of you got to have this amazing feeling this week too, congratulations to you all!

However, I know that some of you may not have received the results you desired. But don't panic. It's okay.

If you haven't got into your first choice university, there is always your second choice or third choice even! I know it's not the university you may have really wanted, but I am a big believer in the saying "everything happened for a reason." Who knows, there could be something AMAZING waiting for you, whether that be at university or not.

Clearing is also another tool that can help you find another place to study if needed. UCAS has a lot of information on their website about what it is and how it can help you. So, if you didn't get the result you had hoped for I would defiantly check it out.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will try and help as best I can.

Here it goes...

I have been thinking about writing a blog for some time now and I have been told I would be quite good at it. So, when the chance came up to write a blog for my university I jumped at the opportunity and I soon found a new passion!

Having done this for the past year, I thought even more about setting up my own blog. However, I am an over thinker who gets rather nervous about these sort of things. After getting some encouragement from friends, family and my university, I decided, why not!

If you don't take the risk, you will never know what could have been. Sometimes I think you have to take the chance while you can, to do the things you love.  It can be scary and if you are anything like me, you will have thought about every possible thing that could go wrong. However, I also try to think about all the possible things that could go right! Let's face it, there is a 50/50 chance of it going right or wrong.

So why not just go for it!

If you feel strongly about taking a risk whether it be moving house, a new job or completing a challenge like a marathon, you should just do it! Yes, the thought of it will make your stomach flip at first, but when you start to progress or even better succeed, the feeling will be unimaginable!

I know not all risks pay off. You may not succeed and get that amazing feeling. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. If you don't do it, you will never know what could have been and may regret it.

I have often been one to avoid trying anything too new and have followed the flow of the crowd taking what could be seen as the easy road. This is okay to do sometimes and if that makes you happy, carry on. However, I have felt this has meant I haven't stepped out of my comfort zone and taken that risk.

But now, I have decided to take a chance, buy the car, go on that holiday, start a blog and do so many more things I normally would have thought twice about. I have decided to just go for it and if it goes wrong, oh well, I tried and if it goes right, that's great!

I'm not saying I am never going to follow the flow and take what can be seen as the easy road. I am simply saying it's okay to do those things, but if you want to do more don't be afraid to step out and do what you want. Remember, its your life, don't be scared to try something new. Stop worrying about what could go wrong and think.... what could go right?

That is exactly what I am doing by starting this blog.

So, here it goes....