10 Things I've Learned in Final Year So Far

As you might expect, the final year of university is a stressful one. Coming back from a year abroad can be daunting as it's almost as if you're returning to reality after a year of travelling, socialising and having a bit of a break. Many of my friends have found it difficult to jump back into the world of CATS and the holy 2:1. But ultimately, I've had an enjoyable four weeks so far and I thought I should reflect on this and write up a blog post, similar to my 10 things I wish I'd known before starting a year abroad. 

How to Prepare for Exam Season

It's that time of year again. Time to hunt down the huge chunky textbook you should have been reading throughout the course, attempt - with little success - to translate your illegible lecture notes and invest in a year's supply of coffee. It's the time I like to call the pre-exam freak out. Don't worry, we've all been there. I still have one more year of exams to look forward to but as I'm currently on my Year Abroad, it's the one year I can reflect on my exam experiences with complete rationality. So here are my top ten tips that I either swear by, wish I'd done or have almost definitely stolen from my friends. Take from it what you will!

1. Cut the home visits. It seems a bit harsh but when you go back to university after Easter, it gets all too tempting to go home and curl up in a ball and watch Netflix. I'm not saying cut your family out completely, they can be a lifeline, but unless you know from experience that you study better at home, it's a lot of time wasted travelling.

2. Set yourself goals and rewards. I can't speak for everyone but nothing motivates me more than food and other little treats. It doesn't have to be anything too expensive but it's nice to have something in the back of your mind when you're spending long hours in the library.

3. Allow yourself breaks. As much as you should try and reach your goals, your brain isn't designed to spend hours studying without a break. The key is to split up your revision into manageable chunks, switching up the topics every now and again for some variety. Even if you only schedule in a quick coffee break or a walk around to stretch your legs, it'll help to give your brain a rest.  

4. Limit your social media time. I was the worst at the this as I'm 100% addicted to my phone but last year some of my course friends swore by an app called Forest. Forest is a cute little game where you plant a seed and it grows into a tree over a 30 minute period - but only if you stay off your social media apps. Alternatively you can always put your phone on flight safe mode or on silent. 

5. Invest in stationery. This idea might not be for everyone but I think if you have a nice set of pens, a quirky pad of paper and a few highlighters, you're definitely more likely to want to use them for your notes. Nice stationery doesn't have to be expensive, though, shops like Tiger always have an amazing selection that's really affordable. Colour coding is also a great tip to memorize key topics and vocabulary and I highly recommend this to languages students especially. In summary, if your notes look neat and easily readable, your brain's going to be happy and you're going to feel #prepped.

6. Use your contacts. When it comes to exam season, it's not just what you know but who you know. If you know people in the year above you, why not ask for some advice or even - if you're brave enough - some notes. The chances are they'll have documents still saved on their laptops that can be sent over straight away. This obviously isn't a substitute for your own notes but it can be great to have a read over a fresh perspective you might not have thought about.

7. Schedule group revision sessions. If you have a few friends doing the same modules as you, why not book a room and go through some ideas and identify any weaknesses you have in the syllabus. If you're all struggling with the same topic, it's going to A. make you feel better and B. be a lot easier to divide up the research. Revision doesn't have to be a lonely laborious task, you should share opinions, test each other and it will help you decide which areas you need to focus your revision on. I will warn you, however, that group revision sessions can often get a bit too relaxed and chatty so make sure you pick people you know have a good study / chat balance. 

8. Learn when to say no. I will be the first to admit that I went out a couple of times in the run-up to exams and I don't regret that for a minute but you do have to learn the right time to say no to invitations. On one hand I think it can be motivating to have an event to look forward to and you might work harder a few days before it but sometimes you have to decide if you can really spare the time. 

9. Buy all the frozen food. I might be alone in thinking this but food shopping (other than snacks) was pretty much the last thing on my mind during exam season last year. I never felt in the mood to cook anything too adventurous, probably because most of my brain power was drained at the library. I heavily relied on frozen vegetables, frozen fish and even frozen fresh pasta because it's convenient, you don't have to worry about sell-by dates and you can relax or study while it's cooking away. Win win win.

10. Utilise your commute. If you live on campus this tip is totally irrelevant but if you take the bus or train to the library, there's always an opportunity to go over some vocab, key words or even read some secondary literature. I didn't do this often enough but sometimes it helps to bring your tablet or iPad with you on your journey with pre-downloaded articles or vocab tests so you don't rely on WiFi. For languages students you could even listen to some foreign music or a foreign AudioBook if you're feeling extra studious.

I hope you enjoyed this post. The most important thing is to remember that although exams are important they're not worth suffering from stress! If you'd like me to write a post about how to destress during exam season, please let me know. Do you have any exam tips to share?

xxx

Festive Haul - Primark, H&M, Ciate

Happy December! I hope you're enjoying the start of the Christmas season and looking forward to spending time with friends and family. It's been quite a spendy month for me as my Erasmus grant finally came in and I thought I'd treat myself to a few bits and bobs before I go home to England at the end of December. 

November Favourites

 

Halloween Look 2 - The Vampire Diaries

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween last night, I certainly did! This Gothic vampire look was inspired by The Vampire Diaries - Caroline Forbes, specifically - and it was very simple to create. I used a water-based white face paint (higher quality than previously) and red lip liner and purple eyeliner to create the creepy under-eye Vampire veins. My favourite Halloween costumes I spotted last night were Sims-inspired characters, broken dolls and Black Swans but the night out was so packed my main focus was not to lose our group! My outfit is quite simple and although it isn't particular vampire-esque, I didn't want to buy a full costume - this is when Halloween can get expensive! A lot of my fellow student friends were very thrifty and creative with their outfits, which I think is more impressive!      

Top - Topshop

Skirt - Miss Selfridge

Bag - New Look

Necklace - New Look

What did you get up to this Halloween and what was your costume?

Also, check out my first Halloween look here.

xxx

Halloween Look 1 - Zombie Daphne

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone has some great plans for tonight, whether it be a gathering with friends, a wild house party or simply watching the all-time classic Hocus Pocus. This Halloween makeup is from last night's uni house party and my costume was a Zombified Daphne from Mystery Inc. I really wanted to wear the Daphne costume yet I also wanted to attempt a scary look for a change. The dress and necktie were part of a set bought on Amazon, the headband is from Claire's and the makeup is listed below. Personally I wouldn't recommend the face paint I used as it was from a discount store but I was trying to be thrifty! My advice now is to spend a little more on high quality face paint and that's exactly what I've done in preparation for tonight's Vampire look which will be written up as a post very soon! 

Collection Lipstick - Scorned

Lipliner - Rimmel Red Diva

Sponges - Boots

Purple Eyeliner - Barry M Shade 5

Cream Eyeshadow Pencil - Collection in Vanilla Sky 1

Black Eyeliner - Avon

Horror Face Paint - £1 shop

The House Party was great fun and there were some amazing costumes - among them Maleficent, a Zombie Nun, a Zombie Hipster, Sean Connery, a 'Lad' and Ron and Hermione!

What are your plans for Halloween?

xxx

How to Style a Dirndl

As you may or may not know, I study German at University and am really involved in the 'German Society'. This means that I have to help run events, look after the freshers and regularly style out my definitely-not-authentic Dirndl. This post is about some of the events we ran so far this year. For any true Germans out there, we love your culture and understand that Germans don't typically dress in Lederhosen and Dirndl's; it's simply a Bavarian tradition! I'm also going to write briefly about some of the reasons why you should visit the dream-land of Deutschland. 

Promoting German Society at the Annual Freshers Fair!

First German Social: Bar Crawl

Oktoberfest with 3rd year George 

Count the Bier!

Another Night Out Selfie with my fellow 'Bavarian' friend!

More Lederhosen!

To finish off, here are my top reasons to learn German / go to Germany..

• The food and drink is amazing. If you're not a fan of beer (myself included), try a 'Radler', it's a mix of beer and lemonade which makes it sweeter and more like a soft drink.

• There's so much history in Germany and although it's not exactly uplifting, there's so many different places to visit and explore. I'll be going to Berlin in February if you'd like me to write some Travel Posts!

• If you have an interest in business, Germany is one of the biggest trade partners the UK has. Any level of German language skills would be impressive on your CV and help you get a job.

I could go on and on about my love for Germany but I'll end it here with a recommendation to take a trip there at some point if you can. It will really be a unique experience! Prost!

Have you ever been to Germany? Where abouts?

xxx

Cosmo on Campus: My Promo Job!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that over summer I applied and was accepted as a Cosmo on Campus Brand Ambassador for my University. If you'd like to read about how I came to get this job, read here. It was a fairly stressful but rewarding experience overall and I thought it would be fun to write about the crazy day that involved rain, a few awkward encounters and giving away lots of free stuff. 

 

I was teamed up with two other Uni students, one in third year and another in second year too. We were given hoodies which were supposedly 'one size fits all' but quite clearly XXL. In hindsight I'm really glad to have been given this size because I might actually sleep in mine - score! The job was quite simple: give out a truck-load of magazines to as many Uni students possible, using the freebies to draw attention to the stall initially and create a campus-wide buzz. (The products were Missguided Nail Polish, St Tropez Instant Tan, Sunglasses and Vera Wang perfume samples) It was really easy in the first few hours because who doesn't want free product samples, however in the final hours of our shift we had taken to being really pushy saleswomen and distributing the magazines further and further across campus. All in all I really enjoyed the job and would advise any students to apply for Brand Ambassador positions when they become available - your Facebook friends may get a bit tired from seeing your ten-million promo status updates but the hours are flexible and the day will definitely be memorable. The funniest moment was when a male Uni student came over to the stand thinking we were selling a magazine targeted at guys *rolls eyes*. Additionally I ended up in a strange conversation with a male International student about how he "didn't like the cover". Paloma Faith, if you'd like to tweet me with a thanks for defending you, my account is @Melissa__Kaye.

Find out more about Cosmo on Campus here http://campusindustries.co.uk/posts/pad-2/

xxx

University Room Tour

Following on from my University Room Inspiration under £15 post, I thought it would only be polite to post a University Room Tour. I've been really looking forward to writing this post as I'm always intrigued about how people organize their bedrooms and storage systems. As you might expect, there is a definite Audrey theme going on here - my collection is forever growing and I have no intention of stopping! I can't say my room is always this impeccably tidy but I'm now making a real effort to keep it looking nice. I'm really happy with the way my room's turned out and hopefully any other students reading this might possibly gain some inspiration. I'll make a list at the end of some of the shops I bought items from but feel free to comment and ask if I haven't included something. 

Duvet Cover - House of Fraser Sale

Throw - Dunelm

Cushions - Dunelm

Calendar - House of Fraser

Audrey Postcards - Paperchase

Storage Drawers - Tesco

Mirror - No7 Boots

Hope you enjoyed this post, is this room style your cup of tea? What are your favourite stores for interior design / homeware?

xxx

October Student Haul - Fashion and Beauty

It's officially been two weeks since I moved back to my University town and what better way to celebrate than to have a little shopping spree?! I'll admit this isn't *everything* I've bought recently, however many of the clothes I've invested in will be featuring in future OOTD's (including a Co-ord as promised!). The shopping trip wasn't a particularly sunny day, which is why the items are more suitable for the A/W months - I was definitely in the mood for darker tones in my wardrobe. 

Firstly, the Jeans are from Next, a necessity for any student! This particular pair are dark toned High Waisted Jeans, priced around £30. The Boots Christmas Catalogue and Glamour Magazine are this month's Must-Reads for me - I am a huge fan of Keira Knightley! The umbrella is from Boots, £13.

The shoes were the basis of the trip as I've been lacking some nice going out shoes that won't ruin my feet; also as a tall girl I don't feel particularly comfortable going out in massive high heels! These black ballerina flats were £32 from Monsoon and come in half sizes (so happy about this!) and a variety of styles.

This eyeshadow is one of the new Loreal L'Ombre Pure eyeshadows and the shade is 602 'Plume de Paon'. I've been really impressed with the quality so far and the colour is beautifully versatile - I've worn it during the day as well as nights out. Even the till assistant at Boots commented on the lovely colour!

What have you fellow bloggers been purchasing recently - do you prefer fashion purchases or are you a makeup junkie? 

xxx 

An Exciting New Opportunity

This week I received some really great news about a new job opportunity to work with Cosmo on Campus magazine as a Brand Ambassador at my University. My role is to help run the promotional campaign so that as many students as possible know that Cosmo are coming to Warwick on the Thursday 14th October! 

The process of getting this job was similar to any other: I had to write a killer CV, explain why I would be a suitable candidate and complete an interview. The interview, however, was a video interview which is something I'd never heard about. It was a somewhat stressful experience as you are asked questions by the computer and your answers are recorded via webcam. My tips for remaining calm in this situation are as follows: 

1. Don't learn your answers word by word as your personality won't shine through. 

2. Try and look into the webcamera as much as you can - you would never avoid eye contact with a real life interviewer. 

3. Remember that the other candidates will be just as freaked out as you are. It's ok.

A sassy selfie before the video interview!

I hope you enjoyed this post, it's more personal than my fashion and beauty related pieces but I really wanted to share my good news with the blogging community because talking about how passionate I am about my blog in the interview may have been that finishing touch to get me my dream job - even if it's only going to last a month! This job, however, means that 'The Modern Audrey' will probably have to take a backseat in terms of my priorities for now but I've already written some posts for next month and I'm going to try and post as much as I can.

Thanks for all your support and for keeping reading. Also, if anyone has had a similar job to this I'd really appreciate some advice!

xxx  

University Room Inspiration - All less than £15

As I have probably mentioned only a million times, I'm heading back to uni in less than two weeks and cannot wait to start the new academic year. Starting my 2nd year also means that I'll be living in a student house with my lovely eight other flatmates and all my time until then is being spent packing, shopping and thinking about shopping. The thought of decorating a new room is so exciting and even though I really don't need everything on this list, I thought it would be fun to share some of my current online finds and hopefully give any soon-to-be students some home decor inspiration...

1. The Statement Cushion

Dunelm Mill, £9.99

2. The Duvet Set

Tesco, currently £12 but orignally £20

3. The Throw

Wilko, £12.00

4. The Storage Solution

Sainsbury's, £10.00

5. The Cute Photo Frame

Dunelm Mill, £6.99

I can't wait to post a Uni Room Tour once I get back, but until then my focus for the blog is fashion, beauty and lifestyle.

Are there any fellow uni students out there? How are you planning to decorate your new space?

xxx

Things I'm excited for in A/W

As the summer is coming to a bitter end, I thought it might be fun to write a post about all the things I'm looking forward to the latter half of 2014.  
1. Going back to uni, of course. Long distance Skype friendships have been difficult this summer but I know it's going to make the big reunion even more special. There's less than three weeks to go now and I've already had an invite to the first society house party of the year! Cannot. Wait. 


2. Decorating my new uni room. I must have been an interior designer in a previous life because nobody goes crazy about colour schemes and poster artwork like I do.

3. Getting back into the 'Languages Mind-Set'. I haven't spoken a word of German in three months and my brain - thanks to Netflix - definitely needs re-booting.

4. Living in a town rather than a village. My uni house is a fifteen minute walk away from Topshop!

5. Wearing scarves and boots. There's nothing I love more than walking around campus in my tan long boots, clutching a fresh cup of coffee. Unfortunately in many cases this journey leads to the library *sigh*.

6. The Birm ingham German Christmas Markets! Yes I know it's waaay too soon to be getting excited about Christmas but the Germans have this holiday season covered and the Glühwein there is gorgeous! This year the market is scheduled for the 13th November to the 22nd December.


7. Autumn Winter Makeup. Dark nail colours and berry lipsticks will be my go-to everyday look and I can't wait to write blog posts about my favourite A/W beauty products!

 8. I'm really excited about the new album 
'No Sound without Silence' by the Script - I already love the single 'Superheroes' and in my eyes, Danny O'Donoghue can do no wrong *swoon*.

9. The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay. 
Peeta Mellark needs to be back in my life. It's been far too long. 

10. Season 6 of The Vampire Diaries. The season 5 finale was just too much. Any TVD fans?

What are you all looking forward to this Autumn Winter? 

xxx

The Liebster Award

Thanks Emma Lou for the Liebster Award nomination! I love the name of this tag because 'Liebster' means darling / sweetheart in German - which I know because I study German at University! 

The rules are as follows

1. List 11 facts about yourself

2. Answer the 11 questions chosen by the blogger who nominated you

3. Create 11 questions to ask other bloggers with under 200 followers

4. List the nominees

5. Link said bloggers to your post

My facts

1. I have been studying German for 9 years. If anyone wants to know about my experience learning a foreign language, let me know!

2. My first year at University has been the best year of my life. I've met some amazing people, done a bit of work (joking, it's hard!) and I'd recommend the experience to anyone - if you can, go!

3. I am a total cat lover. 

4. My current TV show obsessions are Suits, The 100 and Pretty Little Liars (any PLL fans out there??).

5. I am desperate to visit Barcelona.

6. My choice of cocktail is a Peach Bellini.

7. My favourite perfume is Dot by Marc Jacobs.

8. I love drinking tea, but once I'm at uni I become a coffee addict (need the caffeine!).

9. I can't sleep without an eye mask. 

10. My favourite books are The Great Gatsby and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

11. I've never broken a bone *touch wood*.

Emma Lou's questions

1. Your dream location to live?

Dream location would be Italy! But right now I'm looking forward to my year abroad in Germany 2015/16.

2. Song that means the most to you?

It's Time by Imagine Dragons. 

3. Who inspires you the most?

Audrey Hepburn, of course! But also, Keira Knightley.

4. Favourite shop? 

Zara. They just know how to do 'effortlessly sophisticated'.

5. Favourite animal?

Cats.

6. Your biggest dream?

To have a book published / Have my own business.

7. If your house was on fire and you could save one thing (apart from family / pets) what would it be? 

Probably my laptop - wouldn't want to risk losing anything important! I am the worst person ever for backing up my files.. 

8. Favourite film?

Breakfast at Tiffany's / Roman Holiday (predictable, I know).

9. What is your dream job?

To intern at a German fashion magazine on my year abroad.

10. Favourite holiday? (e.g Christmas / Halloween)

Christmas Eve / New Year's Eve.

11. The reason you started blogging?

I love writing, photography, beauty and fashion. Added together they equal a blog!

The nominees

1. She's Tabassum

2. Beauty by Brittni

3. Kneel to Heels 
4. The Rabbit Hole

My questions

1. Never have I ever..?

2. My most treasured piece of clothing is..?

3. Drugstore or High end makeup?

4. Favourite celebrity?

5. My favourite magazine is..?

6. If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be?

7. Any career dreams?

8. Do you have a favourite blogger?

9. Do you have a holy grail beauty product?

10. Favourite TV series at the moment?

11. Describe your blog in three words

Have fun, bloggers! Hope you enjoyed reading this

xxx

How to throw a Gatsby Party on a Student Budget

For my 19th birthday earlier this year I decided to have a party at my University Halls to celebrate finally turning 19 as well as the impending start of the summer break. I also decided that I wanted to have a theme - The Great Gatsby (one of my favourite films). The only problem was, I was quite limited budget-wise and felt that it would be a challenge to replicate the opulence of Jay Gatsby's soiree's when there was no chandelier, waiting staff or caviar. However, I took this challenge and now have a few pointers on how to achieve a Gatsby party that's sophisticated, people-pleasing and affordable.

Step 1: Create a Facebook event about a month in advance so that everyone clears their diaries for that date. It's also good to get an idea of numbers relatively quickly. Be realistic about how many you can invite, baring in mind the space you have available and your budget for drinks.

Step 2: Decide whether you're going BYOB or providing drinks. I went with the attitude of 'I'm making a few cocktails but it might be best if you bring something too'. There's never such a problem of too many drinks. If you're making them yourself, I'd recommend a jug of Pimm's and a jug of a fruity cocktail. (I used this recipe, which went down VERY well. The brandy was substituted for Archer's Schnapps http:/http://www.thekitchn.com/pitcher-drink-recipe-sparkling-white-peach-sangria-the-10-minute-happy-hour-174445 )


Step 3: Tell your guests to dress up, the more 20s the more fun! Everyone loves a fancy dress party. 

Step 4: Little snacks such as pretzels and cupcakes are a really cheap way to serve with the cocktails without taking the effort to make canapés - who has the time!?

Step 5: Make a Gatsby playlist. Mine included the catchy songs of the film soundtrack and a few chart songs that fit the Gatbsy tone. 

Step 6: Decorate the area! Silver bunting and a few Gatsby posters can make an incredible difference - enlist the help of fellow flatmates and it's not a hard job. My bunting was left there for a week because it looked that good. (Plus, effort to take it down)

Hope this helped and provided some inspiration for throwing a fancy party without the scary price tag.

xxx