-Whispers- "Kill... me......"
I would've concluded my last entry sooner, but I've been so busy.
To round up the events of Fresher's week, I attended the pole dance taster, which was obviously for those who hadn't done any pole before, but I always think it's good to review the basic moves. I ultimately joined the society, and am attending instructor-led classes. The moves are still basic there, but since it's been so long for me, I feel right at home to get my pole skin back so I can go back to all the other crazy shizz I used to do, then I'll give Spin City a look when I'm back to how I was. I'm just so glad I'm back into it after so many months.
I also attended a fencing taster, which I enjoyed loads, but I didn't join because I couldn't afford to, however, there is always next year.
Re-joined Campus Bands, where I met both of my good friends last year, however, I have given my notice in with my band from last year. Over time, the music became pretty acoustic, and that's not what I want to be doing. I will be uncomfortable for a while in between things, but hopefully things will work out.
I got my epic, soft throw-blanket back from Ollie also, who I asked to look after it for me over the summer, and because it is so warm and cuddly, he became rather attached to it too. Needless to say, it's keeping me alive until the heating comes on. Heck, it's draped around my shoulders as I write.
I saw a lot more of James over the rest of the week too, suggesting a heap of disturbing films that I enjoyed to him because we both like those kinds of films. I particularly enjoyed his reaction to The Loved Ones (which I enjoyed a lot more than I should, though I didn't like how it ended). He also took me to Wagamama, which I love, however, the ribs... oh my god!! Just thinking about those ribs... they fell off the bone and not a drop of fat on them... I would go so far as to say they were the most delectable ribs I've ever had.
After the week of settling in, however, came the work.
We're expected to do a lot of outside reading from the lecture material if we want to get a 1st (which I NEED if I want to get into medical school). So far, that's going okay for me. Until I get an essay back that I wrote based about 20% on the given article, I won't know if my outside reading strategy is working. Our January/June exams are, for this year, in essay format instead of multiple choice. In response to this, part of me is freaking out, and the other part is pretty excited. I haven't written an exam essay since GCSE English (despite those essays being totally shit, I still managed a B). However, I have a memory like a sponge for syllabus, so if I plan well enough, and well on time, I might be able to manage it. It'll involve a huge change from my classic revision strategy of overviewing EVERYTHING, and more of studying specific topics in huge detail and memorising it all.
5 modules this term. I spend most of my time now studying the lecture material after we've had the lecture, or procrastinating (such as now). I tend to do that more when I appear to have less studying to do, because I lose focus and structure.
Also...
NEW LAPTOP!! I honestly needed an upgrade desperately at the level I'm at now, because my previous one was 5 years old and had 60GB of hard drive (all used up, might I add). It took hours to do anything with it, but the difference between this one and that one is unbelievable. It takes about 10 seconds to shut down (as opposed to 10 minutes), and when I plug something into a USB drive, it connects right away. And (not that I've been able to use it more than a couple of hours a week) it has a dedicated graphics card, so DMO is like a completely different game... I can't even begin to describe. It takes half a minute to get to login (previously around 7-10), and maps load in around 10 seconds (previously anything between 1-5 minutes, or sometimes not at all), and in a map, not a drop of lag with not a single setting simplified (previously a frame a second was a high point with the graphics as simplified as they could get, and even a frame every 3 minutes in the worst of places). I'm looking forward to having the time to enjoy that more.
Also, due to improved graphics capabilities, I'm able to play Slenderman -shudders-. But I still can't get all 8 pages :P
However, the system seems to be too advanced to play one of my most favourite games, Tonic Trouble. Man... that's my childhood, right there... no 5 year old should be allowed to play that game, or they will be scarred for life like I was. I do actually blame that game for me being as messed up as I am now. But when I've got time, I'll be trying to make that run like it used to.
Back to my uni work, once again, I am terrified that I'm not doing enough. Despite having a comfortable grasp of most of the things I've been taught, I keep hearing others talk about the sheer workload. Yes, it's a huge jump from the 1st year, but even with 5 modules instead of 4, I feel like I'm just about coping, and even seem to find the time to watch movies every now and then, and I played DMO a lot last weekend, and I've even started watching Invader Zim. I heard one guy only today saying that he was 'so far behind', and had already done the same amount of work this year as in the whole first. I feel, actually, as if I have worked FAR more already this year than DURING my first (not counting any exam revision), however, I don't feel behind. There's a couple of general guidelines for self-guided studying, one being around 3 hours study for every 1 hour lecture, and another that says around 90 hours of study for the entire module. I tend to use the first rule, and I feel not at all behind on anything. Sure, I'm still waiting for Molecular Biology of the Cell to arrive from Amazon, which is hugely frustrating as it's the most IMPORTANT BOOK OF THEM ALL!! But for those modules all my outside reading is coming from outside searching right now. I think the best thing to do in this situation would be to talk to my tutor. She reassured me last year about the situation when, again, everyone else was freaking about the workload, but I was feeling none of it at all (not like this year). She said that last year, no one should be feeling like it was too much, so I was good. I wonder if things will be similar this time...
Oh dear... my lecture today was all about maths. Functions and all that. So I guess now I'm pretty much up to date with the blog, I should try and find some online tests to see if I really know what the lecture was on about.
Peace.
To round up the events of Fresher's week, I attended the pole dance taster, which was obviously for those who hadn't done any pole before, but I always think it's good to review the basic moves. I ultimately joined the society, and am attending instructor-led classes. The moves are still basic there, but since it's been so long for me, I feel right at home to get my pole skin back so I can go back to all the other crazy shizz I used to do, then I'll give Spin City a look when I'm back to how I was. I'm just so glad I'm back into it after so many months.
I also attended a fencing taster, which I enjoyed loads, but I didn't join because I couldn't afford to, however, there is always next year.
Re-joined Campus Bands, where I met both of my good friends last year, however, I have given my notice in with my band from last year. Over time, the music became pretty acoustic, and that's not what I want to be doing. I will be uncomfortable for a while in between things, but hopefully things will work out.
I got my epic, soft throw-blanket back from Ollie also, who I asked to look after it for me over the summer, and because it is so warm and cuddly, he became rather attached to it too. Needless to say, it's keeping me alive until the heating comes on. Heck, it's draped around my shoulders as I write.
I saw a lot more of James over the rest of the week too, suggesting a heap of disturbing films that I enjoyed to him because we both like those kinds of films. I particularly enjoyed his reaction to The Loved Ones (which I enjoyed a lot more than I should, though I didn't like how it ended). He also took me to Wagamama, which I love, however, the ribs... oh my god!! Just thinking about those ribs... they fell off the bone and not a drop of fat on them... I would go so far as to say they were the most delectable ribs I've ever had.
After the week of settling in, however, came the work.
We're expected to do a lot of outside reading from the lecture material if we want to get a 1st (which I NEED if I want to get into medical school). So far, that's going okay for me. Until I get an essay back that I wrote based about 20% on the given article, I won't know if my outside reading strategy is working. Our January/June exams are, for this year, in essay format instead of multiple choice. In response to this, part of me is freaking out, and the other part is pretty excited. I haven't written an exam essay since GCSE English (despite those essays being totally shit, I still managed a B). However, I have a memory like a sponge for syllabus, so if I plan well enough, and well on time, I might be able to manage it. It'll involve a huge change from my classic revision strategy of overviewing EVERYTHING, and more of studying specific topics in huge detail and memorising it all.
5 modules this term. I spend most of my time now studying the lecture material after we've had the lecture, or procrastinating (such as now). I tend to do that more when I appear to have less studying to do, because I lose focus and structure.
Also...
NEW LAPTOP!! I honestly needed an upgrade desperately at the level I'm at now, because my previous one was 5 years old and had 60GB of hard drive (all used up, might I add). It took hours to do anything with it, but the difference between this one and that one is unbelievable. It takes about 10 seconds to shut down (as opposed to 10 minutes), and when I plug something into a USB drive, it connects right away. And (not that I've been able to use it more than a couple of hours a week) it has a dedicated graphics card, so DMO is like a completely different game... I can't even begin to describe. It takes half a minute to get to login (previously around 7-10), and maps load in around 10 seconds (previously anything between 1-5 minutes, or sometimes not at all), and in a map, not a drop of lag with not a single setting simplified (previously a frame a second was a high point with the graphics as simplified as they could get, and even a frame every 3 minutes in the worst of places). I'm looking forward to having the time to enjoy that more.
Also, due to improved graphics capabilities, I'm able to play Slenderman -shudders-. But I still can't get all 8 pages :P
However, the system seems to be too advanced to play one of my most favourite games, Tonic Trouble. Man... that's my childhood, right there... no 5 year old should be allowed to play that game, or they will be scarred for life like I was. I do actually blame that game for me being as messed up as I am now. But when I've got time, I'll be trying to make that run like it used to.
Back to my uni work, once again, I am terrified that I'm not doing enough. Despite having a comfortable grasp of most of the things I've been taught, I keep hearing others talk about the sheer workload. Yes, it's a huge jump from the 1st year, but even with 5 modules instead of 4, I feel like I'm just about coping, and even seem to find the time to watch movies every now and then, and I played DMO a lot last weekend, and I've even started watching Invader Zim. I heard one guy only today saying that he was 'so far behind', and had already done the same amount of work this year as in the whole first. I feel, actually, as if I have worked FAR more already this year than DURING my first (not counting any exam revision), however, I don't feel behind. There's a couple of general guidelines for self-guided studying, one being around 3 hours study for every 1 hour lecture, and another that says around 90 hours of study for the entire module. I tend to use the first rule, and I feel not at all behind on anything. Sure, I'm still waiting for Molecular Biology of the Cell to arrive from Amazon, which is hugely frustrating as it's the most IMPORTANT BOOK OF THEM ALL!! But for those modules all my outside reading is coming from outside searching right now. I think the best thing to do in this situation would be to talk to my tutor. She reassured me last year about the situation when, again, everyone else was freaking about the workload, but I was feeling none of it at all (not like this year). She said that last year, no one should be feeling like it was too much, so I was good. I wonder if things will be similar this time...
Oh dear... my lecture today was all about maths. Functions and all that. So I guess now I'm pretty much up to date with the blog, I should try and find some online tests to see if I really know what the lecture was on about.
Peace.