Back to Uni: Academics

Hello Lovelies,

Hope you've all been well! Today's blog post in my Back to Uni series is going to be about the academic side. The real reason we all attend uni is to walk out with a piece of fancy paper that we show to other people with fancier papers (or plaques) to get ourselves jobs. We all want a bunch of letters and abbreviations under our name on our office door to give us credibility. But with so many new jobs these days, and so many fading jobs, and so many jobs you don't even know exist, how do you pick what you want to do?

Well I'm going to begin by explaining what I study and why I chose to study it. I'm currently doing a double degree. I study a Bachelor of Business with a major in Marketing Communications and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a country major in France. I will soon begin a second business major in Sports Management. I chose this because my passion is sport and I thought the best way to pursue a career in sport was to team it up with business. This works out well for me because I am quite business minded. I have a dream to increase fan involvement, commitment and passion in various sports around Australia and gaining these qualifications will definitely help me secure a job that will allow me to do this. I want people all around Australia to feel as connected to their team and sport as I do. Hopefully an education in marketing and sport will help me do this. Furthermore, I'd love to increase female participation in sports around Australia. This is partly the reason I applied for a double degree. A second degree, which gives me language and global cultural experience, puts me a step ahead of other graduates and gives me a greater chance of being awarded the position. Getting myself in the industry is the first step to getting more women in the industry.

So how are you going to decide what to study? Well, you have to find your passion. I don't expect you to be passionate in accounting, or nano engineering or macroeconomics. But think of a big picture and narrow it down to what degree you need to gain a career in that sector. If you are passionate about helping people, you can look at whether your prefer working with adults or children, then see if you prefer education or medicine and keep narrowing it down until you find your perfect degree. Perhaps you may be a passionate foodie. Think about what you like about food. Is it the preparation? The experience? Talking about your adventures? The health side? Choose your area and decide if you are going to become a chef, a journalist, a nutritionist or a restaurant owner. You need to find something you love and think of what careers may branch off that. And then what degree you need to get that career.

Chances are there won't be a degree that suits your career exactly. You may need masters or PhDs or a side diploma or even simply on the job experience. But, if you are going after something you are proper passionate about, you will do what it takes.

DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER ENTER A FIELD BECAUSE OF EXTERNAL PRESSURES TO DO SO. Never let your parents, siblings, friends, teachers tell you what you should study. Study what you are passionate about, not what is safe or what is expected. And I can guarantee you, you will find university much more enjoyable.

So I hope you get some guidance out of this. If you have any questions or want further advice, comment below or contact me on my social media!

Happy studying lovelies,

Back to Uni: What's In My Bag?

Hello lovelies,

This week, thousands of people in NSW are heading back to university to begin their Spring Semester. So I thought I would take the chance to do a couple of posts on university: life, style, academics etc. I'm beginning with a post on what I take to university each day.

I recently bought this bag: It is from Equip and I think I paid $37.50 which was 25% off. It's a plain black faux leather bag with beautiful gold detailing and the inside lining is actually leopard print. There are a couple of inside pockets too which is handy. What I really like about this bag is the flat bottom and studs which help the bag sit up on its own, not fall over, and the flat straps as opposed to those rounded ones, which I find sit much more comfortably on my shoulder.

So now, what's in my bag? Well of course, firstly I'll have to put my books in. I have exercise books from Typo and of course my textbooks. I also bring a 2014 planner or diary to record my homework or any catch ups or events I plan. This is also from Typo. I then have a small pencil case. Mine is just a black tube pencil case from A Brand Called Ed at Officeworks. I also like to bring a bottle of water, sunglasses and chewing gum or mints. Of course I carry my wallet. Mine is from Strandbags. I also take a makeup bag (mine is a gold sequined bag from Napoleon Perdis) with my lipstick of the day, some tissues and sanitary items, a chapstick and sometimes a powder. I'll also bring bobby pins and a spare hair elastic. Finally I bring my phone, iPod, headphones, USB key and house keys.

One thing I don't take with me to university is my laptop. I have a rather old laptop and it is quite heavy. On top of that, the battery doesn't last nearly as long as it needs to for me to use it all day at university so I'd have to carry extra weight by taking the charger. In my mind, it just is not worth it.

But that's basically it! Sometimes I'll bring a spare jumper or a hat or scarf depending on the weather but otherwise I try to keep it pretty simple. My buildings are very spread out at uni so I do a lot of walking and want to keep my bag as light as possible.

Do you take anything else important to uni? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a wonderful semester lovelies,