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New Creative Writing & Publishing MA at the University of Lincoln w/ Guardian Live. | #ad

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Friday, 14 September 2018

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Nearly a month ago now, I received an email from the University of Lincoln, inviting me to an upcoming event in London to promote their brand new Creative Writing & Publishing Master’s degree to both fellow academics as well as potential students. 
So, two weeks down the line, my friend Amy and I headed up to London for the day ready to see what it was all about. We had a great time traipsing across the city, eating wonderful vegan food – By Chloe, you forever have my heart – and buying too many books than we needed. At about three in the afternoon, we headed over to King’s Cross where we hung around for a bit before finding the House of Illustration and settling down to hear the speakers. 



After a brief introduction by the Head of Guardian Live, Michael Harris, we heard Associate Culture Editor at the Guardian, Claire Armistead, who we had briefly spoken to at the start of the event, talk about the course. Claire spoke primarily about the changing professional landscape, of how now, and in the future, individuals are becoming more and more likely to have more than one element to their career. This particularly applies to creatives, who are needing to splinter their endeavors in order to make a living. Some examples she gave were creative writers branching out to become ghost writers for celebrities, screen-play doctors, columnists, podcasters, bloggers, journalists… The list goes on, especially with the new platforms which advancing technology has allowed. Leading on from this, she discussed how Lincoln and The Guardian’s new course will be aimed at helping writers adapt to the changing nature of the job market. 

The course itself is honestly incredible. I actually found myself getting a little jealous of everyone who will be able to take part as the speakers discussed it, and if I had already finished my Bachelor’s (which I start in about a week and a half) I would certainly be applying. 

The collaboration with the Guardian has meant that students will attend lectures from prominent writers associated with both organisations, including art historian Andrew Graham Dixon (who gave a speech at the event), Chris Packham, columnist Stuart Heritage and poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy (I had a bit of an ‘OH MY GOD!’ moment when I saw this last name on the list). Much can be gained from each of these writers’ experiences, individual stories and craft. You just need to try to not to freak out if you’re a big fan of their work.

The lectures and workshops themselves are split between The University of Lincoln and the Guardian headquarters in King’s Cross, London, with one workshop every fortnight. This could be awkward if you don’t live near either of these cities, or even if you live near one, so make sure you take into consideration the travel options available to you before applying.



As the department leader Prof. Jason Whittaker highlighted, the course provides a wider knowledge of the ‘interlocking’ aspects of writing: the theory and the practice. Thus, the course focusses equally on the ‘branding’ side of the writing industry, to help you understand the business role as much as improving and refining your writing skills (and these range through a variety of different genres).

As a blogger, I have had to learn about professional presentation, working with brands and promoting myself and my blog in a memorable way through time and experience only. I still feel like an absolute novice in this area nearly 4 years later and to me, that’s a huge part of the appeal of Lincoln’s course. 

Now, I thought I probably ought to let you know a little about the actual nuts and bolts of the course itself: 

The cost of£12,000 for the year sounds very intimidating, and I’m not going to make this post about my views on the current state of tuition fees in the UK because you’d be here for a long time reading me practically shouting through the screen, and I may well end up breaking the keyboard on my laptop. However, there are some scholarships and loans available. The loans are non-means tested, so you’ll get the full amount no matter what. Two scholarships are also available: one for Lincoln alumni and another for anyone who has taken part in a Guardian Masterclass previously. Both of these scholarships provide a reduction to the overall cost of the course. To find out more about finances or any other aspect of the course contact Claire Mann, the postgraduate admissions officer at Lincoln, or take a look at their website here. 

The course begins on the 26ndOctober, so if you’re interested, then you’ll need to make your decision pretty quickly. 

Thank you to everyone at the University of Lincoln (especially Sophie who invited me along to the event and made sure Amy and I felt at ease and welcomed when we arrived) and the Guardian. Hopefully this post has proven helpful to any of you reading. I truly believe that this course is an amazing opportunity which should not be missed if you it interests you and you have the means to take it.

 If you want see more of what Amy and I got up to on our day out, please go over to Amy's YouTube channel to watch her vlog of the day.

If you liked this post you might like: My Advice to New A Level Students

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Let's Talk About Results Day | Life Update

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Monday, 27 August 2018

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A lot has happened in the past week and a half. Well, I say a lot. In reality it’s mostly been watching literary documentaries on BBC iPlayer, drinking soya chocolate milk and sneezing almost non-stop for 3 days. 
However, in a more figurative sense, a lot has, in fact happened, and you can probably guess why.

Two Thursdays ago was A Level Results Day – a day when thousands of 17 and 18-year-olds wake up at dawn after hardly any sleep (at least, in my case) in order to find out where their immediate future is taking them.

I am so glad to say that I got into my first choice university, and in less than a month I’ll be packing my bags and heading to Newcastle. It’s a bit surreal to think about to be honest, especially knowing that my friends are going all over the country as well, but I guess it will hit me at some point, probably on my birthday which is 2 weeks into my time at uni. 

Results Day itself was a mixture of emotions for me. The moment itself was slightly underwhelming. I saw my results, I found out I got into uni, and that was that. I was happy but a bit dazed, and, to be honest, I felt kind of disappointed. It was still 7:30am after an awful night’s sleep, so I wasn’t exactly with it. It took me at least 10 minutes to realise what had happened and to feel proud of my achievements. After shouting about how proud I felt on social media, doubt and insecurity then set in. I felt like I should have and could have done better (bearing in mind I worked myself practically sick for these grades) and ended up seriously considering deleting the tweet I’d put up saying my grades.

Later on, I came to a much healthier conclusion about my grades, after having reasoned with myself for a while. For example, I have always known that I am much better at coursework and research projects over exams, and exams never show what I truly know, despite how much effort I might put in. I am fully aware that my knowledge in the subject which had my lowest grade in is at a much higher standard than what my grade portrayed, even though that was still a pretty good grade. Although it wasn’t necessarily what I hoped to get, I’m still trying to focus on the fact that it did what I needed it to do: get me to the next stage in my academic career. 

It can be difficult sometimes to separate yourself from the toxicity of the competitive atmosphere, even if you’re painfully aware of it and want to celebrate your friends’ successes instead of fixating on your own insecurities. Everyone should be proud of what they got, even if it wasn’t what they were expecting or wanted. A Levels are bloody stressful and it’s a huge achievement to have even taken the exams. 

I am looking forward to learning again, hopefully this time more on my own terms, and in a style that I prefer and know works best for me. 

Here’s to what’s to come.




If you liked this post you might like: Opportunity, Judgement and Self-Growth



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How To: Use a Planner for Study

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Friday, 3 November 2017

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People generally have the perception that I am a really organised person who has her shit together. And that’s partly true; I am really organised (in the day to day planning, though not so much in physical objects and messiness) but there is no way that I have my shit together. I am a metaphorical mess. However, the one thing I can do is organize my workload.
I swear by my planner. I use it for absolutely anything: college work, deadlines, blog posts, my job and any babysitting I may be doing, social events, birthdays and everyday tasks and ... All sorts! There’s nothing that is too small or insignificant to go in a planner.

My planner is the ban.do I AM VERY BUSY planner, which you’ll see used by many different bloggers (that’s certainly how I became aware of it), and I love it. It did cost me 20, so definitely more on the pricey side, but I think it was worth it and I understand that I am coming from a place of privilege that I am able to afford this planner, but it’s not necessary, I just wanted to say how much I love mine. My planner lasts for 18 months, which is annoying in some respects as it leaves a 6-month gap in between (I need to buy a new cheap planner son for that gap), but it does mean there is better value for money. However, this planner is suited to me in its layout – it may be completely wrong for you. Once you find your perfect planner, you’re on the right track.

So, you’ve got your planner. Great. But how do you actually use it? Well...

As I said before, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING!!

With each of your subjects, write down every bit of work you are set – whether it’s a long essay or something you need to print off or bring in to a lesson. This way you are a lot less likely to forget something, which will make your life a lot easier. I bullet point my work according to what subject it is. So I’ll do a heart bullet point (and colour it in with a pink highlighter because I’m cool), write the subject on the right and the due day on the left. Then, I’ll use an arrow for the different piece of work I have to do within the subject in lines. And so on for the next subject if I have homework for it. On the due dates for any work, I also write down in the bottom right-hand corner of the day ‘Politics due’ or whichever subject it is, so that I have a reminder on both days. This way, if a piece of work is due on a different week than it was set (as they often are) then I am reminded by that the week that it is due and won’t forget about the notes I made of it before.

Use your planner to prioritise your work: do the more urgent things first – and by this, I mean the stuff that is due in first. Of course, if you have coursework due in in a month, still keep doing your coursework so you don’t have a mad rush at the last minute.

A planner is also a great place to write down your daily to-do lists. I make a to-do list every day, sometimes for individual frees. Say I have 2 frees in a day, I’ll use the arrow system (except listing horizontally) so that I get what I need to be done, even if they’re little jobs like typing up some notes.


So, that’s how I use my planner for study. But, as I said, this may not work for you – you may prefer a completely different system, but as long as that system works for you and helps you keep up with your workload, that’s completely fine.

If you liked this post you might like: My Advice to New A Level Students

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5 Ways of Dealing With Exam Stress

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Friday, 15 September 2017

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The past 2 years in my life have been plagued by stress from exams. While still being stressed, I’ve done a few things to help minimise that stress and keep going and I thought I’d share them here. I want to say out right that there’s no way to avoid stress completely if you care about your exams. If someone out there has found a way to being completely stress-free but still caring and doing well then please tell me as that would be the end to all my sorrows! (Slight exaggeration but you get the picture.) I warn you that you will be stressed no matter what and will probably have a few (if not many) breakdowns and moments when you think you can’t do it. But I want to let you know that you can. Those are words I need to hear quite a lot to keep going with my A Levels so I’m putting them here for anyone else in need of encouragement. These tips wouldn’t eradicate your stress, but I hope they are ways that will help reduce it.

1. Do revision in advance


Like way in advance. Get your shit together early, do little bits here and there to help build up your knowledge. Find out when/if your teachers run revision sessions and start attending them regularly and from the get go. For this, revising properly for your mocks definitely, helps. I had mocks at the end of Year 10 and half way through Year 11, revised properly for both sets and came out with a good set of GCSEs. I’m sure I wasn’t panicking so much by the time I took my GCSEs because the knowledge I needed was already stuck in my head from revising for mocks previously – and the same goes for my AS exams, although it does become more difficult as there is more information and less time (not with linear A Levels, but the sheer scale of learning you have to do becomes the difficult part). Spread out revision works better than crammed in general and is definitely less stressful.

2. Have a regular (as possible) sleeping pattern


My ideal sleeping pattern would be 11-12ish to 8/8:30 and I do tend to stick to that to varying degrees during the holidays. However, it’s not so convenient when I have to go to college/work. So, when it’s college time I have to go to bed earlier in order to get enough sleep. Sleep is vital to the effectiveness of your learning. It’s so noticeable when you haven’t had the sleep you need. Your brain can’t process the information it’s trying to take in so well, and how are you meant to revise something you couldn’t learn in the first place?

3. Try and be as healthy as possible


Eat your fruit and veg and have a balanced diet. I know people bang on about this all the time and ends up just being a bit of a jumble in your head, but it really does help. I’m not one to be all high and mighty about this. I often buy cakes at college, particularly if I’m craving some when pre-menstrual or actually on my period. At those times, they’re the only thing that will make me happier. But in the long run, a healthy diet will do you a lot of good in loads of different areas. You’ll feel better within your body and therefore be able to be more productive and ready to learn.

4. Organise your time


Once you learn to manage your time well, you will be able to get everything you need done, and once you’ve got those done then you will worry less. My advice is always to get a planner and to use it for everything. It works well for me. Make to-do lists and stick to them. Believe me, organising your tasks makes them seem less daunting. Get yourself organised to get your work done, but make sure you don’t sacrifice the things you love – they’ll keep your identity afloat separately from your studies.

5. Take breaks and relax in ways that suit you


We all need time to breathe and to think about something other than exams. You probably know best how you rewind, so do what works best for you. You could read, watch films, a TV series or YouTube videos, the list goes on. Do something that will distract you for a while and lift your spirits. Then, you can go back to revision with a clearer head.

Good luck.


Jemima.

If you liked this post you might like: My Advice to New A Level Students
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How To: Wider Reading for A Level

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Monday, 28 August 2017

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Wider reading is a key part of A Levels and any education level beyond that. Your teachers will hound you about doing extra reading, reading around your subject, and that sounds really daunting at first. We’ve got enough work to do already without doing work that isn’t required, right? At first, I just put wrote wider reading off completely because of that reason, and, to be fair, I know people who have gotten through AS year with great grades and haven’t done any wider reading, but personally a little bit here and there has definitely helped me understand my subjects better. There are ways to do wider reading that doesn't add to your stress and it’s not necessarily just thick academic text books.


1. Documentaries are everything


Who doesn’t love a good documentary? Exactly. You could have it in the background while you get on with something else, even if it’s just something like tidying your room. I watched so many documentaries relating to Russian history before I started my History A Level and it definitely helped me understand the content once I was actually started being taught it. If you watch a documentary in class, then rewatch it again at home to reaffirm the information in your brain, or if you didn’t finish it in class, finish it at home.

2. Make use of podcasts


There are loads of academic (and not-so academic) podcasts out there that you can use to dig deeper into your subject. From the wealth of lectures available on iTunes U to book club podcasts, you can gain so much from podcasts and there are podcasts available for every subject you could possibly study. Seriously. Some podcasts I use for wider reading are What am politics? History Hit, The Guilty Feminist and the Banging Book Club (feminist literature pals, it counts). You just need to have a browse.

3. Use reading for leisure as a tool for learning


Reading books is something I’ll always be a huge advocate for, no matter what it is. If you’re reading for leisure you may as well make sure that what you’re reading in some way connected to your studies. For example, I read We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley-Wollstonecraft in relation to my English coursework, which was based on The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks, which is of the gothic genre. It was short and helped me get some background.

4. Only do as much as you feel possible.


A Levels are stressful as they are without wider reading. Your only priority is your mental wellbeing. Yes, your studies are important but they always come second to your mental health. Never compromise on that. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stop doing so much. It’s not always necessary. Only do a little if that’s what’s best for you.

5. Find your own way of doing things



Figure out what’s best for you. If podcasts or documentaries don’t work for you, then find another way of expanding your knowledge that suits you. There are loads of different ways of learning, you just have to figure out what works best for you.

If you liked this post you might like: My Advice to New A Level Students

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My Advice to New A Level Students

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Monday, 21 August 2017

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I am about to go into my second year of A Levels, having struggled my way through the first year. I hope I can help any of you who are starting sixth form this September. Good luck to you all!


Use your frees wisely


At the beginning of the year, even at the end of the year now that I think about it, many people in my year spent their free periods socialising then having to do their work at the last minute. I then watched as they stressed out later on and panicked. I don’t want to blow my own trumpet or anything but I’m quite happy with the way I’ve used my frees this year. I tried to do all the work I had whilst I was in college so I could have the evening to relax. This stopped later on as revision started, but I think it really helped me keep calm at the beginning. Obviously, there’ll be days when you want to go outside and socialise and you should – just make sure you get your work done as well as taking breaks and being mindful of your mental health.

Get a planner


My planner is my lifeline. I honestly don’t know how I would last more than a day without it. I get it out at the beginning of every lesson and I have my life in there. I use it for planning blog posts, homework, coursework, monthly goals, making notes of events in my personal/social life, my D of E (when I did it) as well as paid work and the day to day to-do lists I use to keep myself productive. Time management is a key skill you will learn when you start your A Levels and a planner is something that helped me (and my friends) a lot with keeping on top of everything. It doesn’t have to be expensive or even a physical object, some people prefer to use apps like Reminders or Calendar to help them manage their workload, you just have to figure what suits you.

Speak to your teachers


They’re there to help. Ask the question you think is stupid, it might help in your exam. Give them practice answers you’ve written and make sure you have something to work on. Ask them for help on any areas that you’re stuck on, They’re there to help. They’re literally getting paid to help you. Obviously, don’t go to them constantly. You are meant to be more independent at A Level but your teachers will still help you when you need it.

Do some sort of wider reading


A Level requires a lot more than GCSE did. Read around your subject in any way possible to give your background information which will improve your understanding, your coursework (if you have it in your subject) and your exam answers. For example, in A Level Government & Politics, a lot of examples are required and wider reading provides the examples that are needed. In English, reading lots of texts in relation to the texts you actually study helps you understand those curriculum texts better and develop your interpretations of them.

Wider reading doesn’t have to be daunting or stressful. It could be in the form of documentaries (for politics, documentaries such as Meet the Commons and Meet the Lords), TV shows (e.g. Question Time or the News), the newspapers, apps (for languages etc.), books (both fiction and non-fiction), films, podcasts, YouTube videos. The list is endless. Don’t take on too much at the beginning, you can build it up and change the amount you’re doing to suit your workload. Keep a note of what you’re reading, you could mention it in your personal statement.

Secure work experience early


Believe me, you’ll need some sort of work experience before you finish sixth form. Get as much as you can (obviously within reason, don’t spend your whole time doing work experience and manage your A Level work, that’s your priority) in the relevant field. You can use it, and what you’ve learned from it in your personal statement if you want to go to university. If you don’t want to go to university, it will still be useful as experience when applying for jobs or apprenticeships. Any experience in the right area will do you a lot of good in the long run. Get it organized early on then you won’t have the extra stress of finding a position late along with everyone else who didn’t think about it earlier.

Take your learning into your own hands


You are given a lot less support by your teachers at A Level – it’s a fact no matter what school or college you attend. You become a lot more independent and whilst your teachers should provide you help when you need it, you shouldn’t be relying on them. Look up the mark schemes and extra details for yourself. Look ahead at what you’re going to be studying. Revise the content without being prompted by your teacher in homework. Once you take proper control of your studies and learning, you will benefit most from your own individualized approach.


I wish you the best of luck if you are starting A Levels – they’re going to be very hard, stressful and you’ll probably have a few breakdowns at the least, but you can pull through it still. Support your friends, help your classmates and talk to your family.  Remember: your mental health is priority – it’s okay to take the odd day off here and there to help you cope with the stress you’re under.



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My Experience with Classics AS

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Monday, 15 May 2017

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When I started doing an AS level in Classical Civilisation in September, I thought I would be learning all about the Greek and Roman gods and mythology, with a bit of more factual Ancient History thrown in there. Boy, was I wrong! Well, mostly. Partly.



Classical Civilisation is the study of the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome – the cultures, languages, literature and societies – and that encompasses a whole lot of stuff other than the different mythologies.

There are two components of the qualification: the first exam being on the women of Ancient Athens and Rome, the second on Homer’s The Odyssey, which I already knew having researched the course beforehand (always do that!), but there were elements I didn’t expect.

When we studied women of Athens and Rome, our work was based on different sources from the time, the majority of which being transcripts and accounts from law courts - cases involving women. In fact, 5/6 of the Athens sources are on the law courts. I find this aspect in particular to be fascinating, as the people we learn about were real with real lives and real issues. I just can’t get enough of that. It’s kind of annoying as we don’t know the outcome of the cases, although we can probably guess reasonably well for some of them, but others there’s no way we can guess. There’s no doubt that if you’re feminist in any way, then you’ll object to much of the content of the course, but it’s great to interpret the different arguments and to better understand the lives of the women of the past.

I think, out of both sections, the Odyssey was the one that surprised me most. We studied the poem in great depth - so that it was like English Literature in a way, yet not as we didn’t study the exact wording in most cases due to the nature of translations. From this section of the course I have learned about plot and plot devices (in media res anyone?), how to create tension and suspense, showing not telling when writing and how that is more effective and a bunch of other things I would never have thought would be included at the beginning of the year, so I would therefore recommend it to anyone wanting to hone their craft in film or writing - any kind of storytelling really. The questions for this paper dig deeper into the poem - the story and even the morals of the characters. For example, I don’t know a single person who likes Odysseus. We all agree he’s a bit of a dick, but for Ancient Greek standards he’s great - a hero.

My time with Classics is drawing to a close, as I finish my last exam in early June, but this may just be the beginning for you if you’re starting your A Levels (bear in mind you can’t do AS now, at least I don’t think so anyway). If you’re considering this as an option I hope you found this useful!




If you liked this post you might like: How To: Physics and Maths A Level 
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How To: Physics and Maths A Level | Not a Typical Teenager

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Monday, 6 February 2017

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I'm Ashleigh and I am an A Level student in studying Maths, Further Maths and Physics. These subjects are really enjoyable, but also quite challenging, and today, I want to talk about a few things about them and possibly answer a few question and respond to statements.

What skills do you need for your subjects?


Numbers are essential. I do hardly any writing of words in Maths and only a little bit in Physics. It's so important that you can work with numbers, but a lot of it is just expanding on work I did lower down in school, so that makes it not too bad. For Physics, I would say that the ability to think logically is pretty important. It can also be quite difficult to sit through 2 hours of theory because it can require a lot of intense thought. I have 2 hours of physics followed by 2 hours of maths, and so my brain was a little frazzled when I first started, but now I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me so much.

What misconceptions are there about your subjects?
1. Science is for boys.


Lies. my physics class is one-quarter girls (9 boys, 3 girls) and my maths class is all girls (there are only 3 of us). I suppose that boys are more likely to pick up physics, but more girls take up further maths in my school. I certainly don't feel at a disadvantage because I'm a girl.

2. Physics is the hardest A Level

This isn't strictly true but it can be true. For me, the hardest a level would be something like history, because even though I enjoy learning about the past, I can't write essays about it without being bored out of my skull, and even when I try my best, I scrape a B. If you're good at maths, you'll be good at physics. Also, I have the tendency to overthink my physics a lot. It's really easy but because I think it's hard, I convince myself that it is harder than it is. It's all about perspective

3. All people who take science are super smart.

I took science. I rest my case.

People who take science tend to be good at science, but my class last year for Physics contained 26 people. This year, that has been cut down to 12 after people didn't get the grades they wanted, and so that is not the case.

Does your school treat your subjects differently to others?


Yes. The sciences are treated as superior to any humanity like English or History, and they are treated as superior to Art and Music. It's really strange. We are helped more with regards to personal statements and summer school applications. One of my friends was told she wasn't allowed in an advanced PSE class because, even though she had the grades required to get in, they told her that she hadn't taken any academic A Levels (she took Art, RE, and English), science students are taken a lot more seriously.

How can you revise for your subjects?


Past paper questions. All of the questions you can possibly get your hands on, answer them. My Maths teacher once told me "I took Maths because I'm a lazy learner. I don't want to learn fact after fact. I want to be able to practice something and then know it. Maths is for lazy learners. If you understand something, little practice is needed." Sometimes, you need to do questions to gain an understanding, and so they are definitely my recommendation. You can also try podcasts from websites like Audiopi.

I hope this has been helpful. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them on Twitter, via email, or Instagram and make sure to check out my blog.

Ashleigh xxx

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I hope you enjoyed this! I know I enjoyed working with Ashleigh. If you want to see my post on studying humanities, head over to her blog and check it out!

Jemima x



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