Child and Adolescent Studies, Year 1 Units

This afternoon I found myself clearing out and filing the contents of a drawer with all my year one material. I ended up looking at some of my notes, unit contents, my old schedule, and mostly my assignments and their grades. Not horrendous grades, but in looking at the notes, I realised how the things that were picked up on by lecturers aren't a problem any more, and how much better my grading has become now in my second year. Sure, I'm not your A+ student, but it's nice to realise how far I've come and actually improved academically from one year to the next, and I know I will develop more in my final year. Having said that, in realising where I was a year ago, during the beginning stages of university and working at the same time, I realise I've developed in my professional capacity as well, with much more confidence in practice, understanding why we do certain things in the human services.

Some of the units in my first year were:

• Introduction to Working with Children, Young People and Families

The foundational principles behind working with individuals and families, respecting their choices and working with a person centred approach, as well as abiding by professional ethics.

• Academic Skills for Higher Education

A great way to get your head around academic referencing, note-taking, and (the biggie) plagiarism. 

• Introduction to the Human Services

Mostly a historical background and the reasons why we have the human services in this country, as well as some of the roles that are out there.

• Foundations in the Social Sciences

Not everybody's cup of tea, but personally a favourite of mine. I never really understood politics or how governments work, but this unit really help me to understand current events and things that are happening in the UK and other countries, and how they effect us. 

I think if I had taken the time to understand the units before I took them, I might have had a better approach to them at the beginning, as it were I was quite blank and naive initially, but hopefully this will help you get the better grades in your first year as opposed to your second.

A Reflective Moment on a Wet and Gloomy Day

Wet, wet, wet week this week. Amidst the perks and excitement of student life, lies the plain old hard work of assignments, lectures and seminars that sometimes I just wish I could miss. But here is the moment when a professional is born - at least that's what I keep telling myself.

University and the professional world isn't always going to be a walk in the park, sure there will be days when you wake up and you can't wait to get started, but then there are the other days when you make yourself get up. Sometimes you'll love your assignment/work and enjoy the exploration and new learning that goes with it, other times you'll just want to quit, and wish it was all over. You'll go into university/work and hi-five your mates and roll with the day, and others you'll just want to go back to bed.

But it's in these moments that you keep going that greatness becomes you. Just don't give up, keep going and keep climbing, and through the pressure and stress and hard work, a diamond will form and believe me when I say you will be glad you kept going. When you look back on your life/university years, you will see the person you wanted to be, who didn't give up, who believed in his/her cause and ability, and achieved great things.

Good luck!

Student Savers!

Yes - I will assume I know what you're thinking - that even with work and student finance helping (for those if us who are so lucky), there's always that period when you're just flat broke! So here are ten premptive tips to helping you squeeze that money just a little bit further (and if you're eco conscious like me add some brownie points to your conscience too).

1) Cook! The more you cook the better you will become - admittedly you will probably go through a long burnt, sad process before you get to that moment when you can just pick a few things out of your cupboard, go to the shop for a top up, and ta da! And when you do you'll produce something fabulous, edible and a whole lot cheaper than if you ate out or got a takeaway, and will prob end up saving a few pounds on your waist too while we're at it.

2) Shop around. Luton has a lot of Poundlands, 99p stores and just damn cheaper venues for your shopping needs. We've charity shops for the vintage lovers, and even your high street stores seem to always have a sales section. Admittedly I may spend twice as long shopping as the next person, but I know I have twice the money left in my pocket because of it.

3) Use your student card! You'll be surprised how many places don't advertise but have up to 20% off for lovely students like ourselves. Cinema tickets, lunches, high street stores, all add up in keeping you out of the red, and some places (yes, I will mention McDonald's choice of the 99p menu free) won't give you a discount but give you an extra freebie to make it worth the spend.

4) Turn it off. If you're bill aren't all inclusive of utilities, then make sure you're playing your part to turn off lights and heating when not using a room, or set the thermostat on a timer and a little lower and wear some snuggly socks instead. Don't overcharge your phone or electronics as it will cost you not just in bills but can damage battery life span also.

5) Car pool. If you commute to university then take advantage of Green Hub's own car pool connector online, take turns and save fuel, air pollution, and maybe even make a new friend.

6) Lotalty cards. Okay, maybe you shouldn't be as sad as me and have a whole wallet just for loyalty cards, but you'll be surprised how soon points add up. Pennies make pounds to spend in tesco's, subway give you points and additionally free cookies for your birthday, and Matalan gives you exclusive offers with their shop card. The university's own coffee bar on the mezzanine has a loyalty card giving you a free hot drink on your 8th purchase.

7) Save! Okay maybe a little ironic if you trying to keep yourself from the food bank. But putting £20 a month away, or even saving your bronzes or £2 coins. It's a little way to trick yourself into living carefully and then having some money when you really, really need it.

8) Sell and buy online. Amazon and eBay aren't the only places, there are local Facebook groups where you can sell your clothes, gadgets and what not, picking up a few bargains for yourself. Buying second hand doesn't mean wearing old, smelly clothes that are balling, most of the time it's clothes that have been worn one or twice if at all. Some even have the tags still on. And just because it's not edge of fashion doesn't mean you won't get some heads turned for your awesome fashion sense being liberated.

9) Don't be afraid of cheaper brands. Sometimes there really is no difference in the jumper from Primark or Next. Or the pasta from M&S or the Asda brand. But there is often a massive difference in price. Aldi is great for getting the same quality goods but in a less familiar packaging, check it out.

10) Give. All kinds of giving, money, time. Give to charity or a friend in need. You'll see there's always someone who needs something just that little bit more than you do. Give away your old clothes to a charity shop, your pennies to a busker, make a pledge once a month to a cause you believe in. Give one of your 11p noodle packets to the Food Bank trolley on your way out. Help out at a charity shop once a week. University isn't a pause on life, it's you becoming who you want to be. And I'm a genuine believer in karma and what you give away coming back to you.

Go Professional!

This week the university also held our 'Go Professional Event' - an opportunity to gain some knowledge and make some connections for your career future.

I'm unsure how this played out across other degrees, but for yours' truly we were honoured with a question panel on the morning of the 5th February. We had guests from the probational service, women's aid, and a few other human services, all sitting there for an hour just to answer any questions that we could think of to send some light on their jobs and how they got into them.

During our workshops there were speakers on some of the Postgraduate Degrees available in the university. I attended the Social Worker MSc and found her to be a fabulous speaker, not just letting us know that the course had to offer, but on some of the routes and specialities of social work. Very valuable information if you're like me and beginning to think about what you want to do rather than just a vague title.

Sadly I was too busy to take photos that day, but the main floor was packed with charities and organisations ready to talk to about their work and ways that you could get involved and gain some experience volunteering. Some of which were:

• Keyring
• Humanitas Charity
• Tokko
• Families United Network
• Access2books
• Luton Culture
• Khayaal Theatre Company
• Stagenhoe – Sue Ryder
• Bedfordshire FA
• Noah Enterprise
• SOS Bus
• Voluntary Works
• Alive N Kicking
• Save the children
• Enactus Bedfordshire
• Carers in Bedfordshire
• MS Society
• Community Resettlement Project (CRSP)
• HealthWatch Luton
• FOBE - Friends of Bright Eyes
• GreenHouse Mentoring
• Volunteer general stall
• Girl Guiding Luton
• Changing Lives
• Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Cancer Research UK
• UpRising
• Luton Borough Council
• Leonard Cheshire Disability
• Keech Hospice Care

So you can see how diverse the opportunities were! And all localised branches which makes it very convenient for students. If you're someone like me that feels they already have their plate full, then consider the summer when there are no lectures or workshops; I know that will give me two extra days a week for over 6 weeks when I won't be working, definitely an opportunity not to be missed. Or maybe that's the time you can use to look for an foundational job within the organisation you are dreaming about working for. Who knows what that time can offer you.