January 8, 2013, by Ollie

The Second Term Slog

First of all I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

It’s been a while but I’m finally back at my computer screen and preparing to write my first blog of 2013! In brief I’ve celebrated my 19th birthday, ate plenty of good food at Christmas and welcomed in the New Year in style… trust me!

2012 was undoubtedly a great year. Normally, people can’t wait for a fresh start, a new beginning, but for the first time the general consensus has been 2012 was so good… I don’t think 2013 will be better.

Indeed as a member of the class of 2012 I will be glad to be able to hold a special link with this famous year. Amongst many things there was, The Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee, cautious optimism surrounding English football and for me a major reason why I’ll remember 2012. Starting University. 2012 was a brilliant year but now is not a time to look back. It’s a time to look forward. To give 2013 a chance!

Immediately on the horizon is the onset of exams but that’s nothing new, year on year since GCSE’s we’ve been doing exams.  So lets not gripe, lets just get on with it and keep up the New Year optimism… yeah we all wish! Second Term Syndrome has struck. Another January, another January spent at a desk reading, making notes, panicking, riding emotional rollercoasters up and down up and down and down… and down. The excitement wears off dramatically after the first term and many people begin to question ‘Why?’ for some the luxury of a gap year has afforded time away from studying but for most it will have been our 14th straight year of education, of studying, of working, of doing things like revising when we don’t want to do it.

Some of you may be nodding in despair as you read this, some may be frowning or raising an eyebrow wondering how they’d got onto a Student blog that is apparently anti-education.

You haven’t finished reading yet.

University is and will be the time of your, of our lives, it’s not for everybody granted, life is and always will be what YOU make of it and don’t ever forget that. But now to answer the infamous question, ‘Why?’ I respond with ‘Why not?’ – looking back we’ve all complained before, GCSE’s, school on Mondays! being the last year to do SATS, oh the travesty! But then as we look back we also see the best years of our life. We’ve all laughed, we’ve all made great friends, through all the trials and tribulations here today we stand or sit, probably sit, it’d be weird if you stand up whilst reading from a computer, although I’m not condoning it, each to their own, but to the point, here we are! We have forged ourselves a life that we should all be proud of, we’ve made it to University, let’s not stop now! Carry on, battle through the exam season lows and remember oh wise Ronan Keating who delivered us the immortal words, life is just a rollercoaster, just gotta ride it. A degree, a job, new knowledge and understanding, new and old friends await us. So we’ll get through this exam period and fate will throw us many a curve ball I’m sure but seize the moment, accept the challenge and rise above it.

And if not Refresher’s week will be a great excuse to drown your sorrows! This is the first year experience and I look forward to telling you all about it!

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