Month: September 2018

Last week, I officially started University. The week before was our induction where lots of different lecturers spoke to us about the course and provided us with lots of information which will be vital for our four years here at the University of the West of Scotland .  The most helpful source of information, in my opinion, came from the BA2 students. They provided us with the most honest perspective on what the year will entail and how best to prepare for it. They also provided us with some more practical info about things like car sharing, etc. 

However, last week was when the real work started. This was when the lectures began and everything started to feel very real. I had imagined for months what it would be like and how I would feel during it but to be completely honest, it felt like being back at school. We were all sitting in groups round tables copying notes from a powerpoint. This felt so familiar and comfortable that it made the transition to University feel easier and not as daunting.  

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Throughout my first week of university i have had many mixed emotions. To start off i have had a great laugh and actually looked forward to attending which is a great start and makes me feel very motivated knowing i can come in and enjoy university. The experience so far has been very surreal as it is very different from school. One of the things i love about university so far is that it includes a lot of practical work for example in Angela’s workshop for situated communication we learned the various types of communication from doing them ourselves which makes the theory work to follow much easier as we can relate with our own experiences. Through this work shop i also learned my own little habits i have whilst communicating such as fidgeting as i listen to others which i now know to work on.

I am also really enjoying Mathematics and Literacy which i didn’t expect as at first i was really nervous as i didn’t enjoy mathematics during my time in school. For example getting the opportunity to do pre study before lectures is really good as i feel prepared and more aware of what i am learning in the lecture. These lectures have also reminded me how we often forget the simple steps in life that we began with and proved to me how much we have to break down information to the very root in order for primary children to learn and understand.

Overall this week at university i have realised how much i actually have grown as a person and how much the education system has changed even in the slightest since i attended primary school. I have been able to identify challenges i might face further down the line such as explaining number systems in mathematics as this is not my strong point and for situated communication my stance as i often stand cross legged and fidget so i can now see where i need to improve for the future weeks to come to set me up for my placement and the rest of university.

The lead up to starting university was daunting to say the least. The fear of not knowing what was ahead was the worst part, would I make new friends? Would I be able to navigate my way around the university? Would I have made the right choice of modules?, I can happily say every single one of these questions have been answered within my first two weeks on campus.

The induction week was a great opportunity to not only gain an insight into the modules i would soon be undertaking but also to form friendships with the people i will be spending the next 4 years alongside. The induction week also allowed me to get to know the lecturers i would be engaging with during my time at university.

I am looking forward to my next four years at university, to get to know my peers better and to grow as a professional.

My first week of university was very busy and action packed. I enjoyed it a lot and experienced a lot of new things along with making new friends which has been brilliant. I got to know lots of people and started to settle down more as the week came to an end as I began to come out of my comfort zone. I would still consider myself to be rather shy and sometimes i seem to hold back but hopefully with the help of university i will start to open up and talk more in a larger group without the constant fear of embarrassing myself. The ice breakers and getting to know you group and individual activities have really opened my eyes to being a more confident person and ask more questions when I need to. This week has eased me into university gradually and I feel as though i was never thrown into the deep end once which was great, I know feel extremely prepared for what has to come at university and i am extremely excited for it!

I felt so nervous about starting University but my first week went so well and I felt very comfortable in my new surroundings.  Although I understand the huge challenges that are ahead of me, I believe there is so much support offered to me as a student from University staff to my fellow students.  Understanding that everyone is on the boat and we can all help each other whenever we can.

The ‘getting to know you’ workshop with Angela was very enjoyable and gave me the confidence to open up more and meet more people on my course.  Something that is hard in the larger class setting.  I also believe each workshop will help give me the appropriate skills to produce an effective lesson when I (hopefully) become a fully qualified teacher.