Thesis Writing 101
August 8, 2017
If you’re currently writing up a thesis of some descript, the chances are you’ve found yourself doing some serious staring into the abyss, hoping for some prophetic wisdom to emerge out of thin air and manifest itself as a discussion chapter on your laptop. After extensive and rigorous scientific testing and academic scrutiny (aka …
Preparing for university: First Year vs Second Year
August 7, 2017
As results day approaches for some of my younger friends who are preparing to go to university for the first time, I started thinking about how my own preparation for going into second year is differing from last year. Academic First Year: I was busy scanning the reading list, trying to decide whether I should …
4 ways post-grad research life is different to that of under-grad
July 25, 2017
If you choose to go into post-graduate research, be it MRes, MPhil, PhD, etc. you’re going to notice a few things change pretty quickly, compared to your time as an undergraduate. Here’s a few observations/occurences I’ve noticed as an MRes student: If you’re lazy, you lose out. Now, hopefully as an undergrad you were attending …
Things I didn’t expect to miss about university life
July 20, 2017
Student life is great for so many reasons – the diversity of the people you can meet, the topics you can study, the new places you can go. Those sort of things are what you expect to miss when at home, for summer or permanently. Yet what has surprised me the most about being home …
A day in the life of a postgraduate research student.
July 11, 2017
Now then, I’ve chatted before about improving time efficiency, waking up earlier, considerations when choosing a post-grad degree, and things to do in Nottingham, so I figure it’s about time I provide a little insight for those of you who might be considering post-grad research (MRes/MPhil/PhD, etc) to take a glimpse into my day-to-day. Of …
Choosing a Summer Job
July 6, 2017
Most students will find themselves looking for work over the summer vacation period, if they don’t already have a job. The benefits of working during this free time are obvious – money, experience, something to take away the boredom. After all, there’s only so many days of Netflix anybody can realistically handle. But how do …
Cheap and easy vegan protein sources
June 27, 2017
‘But where do you get your protein from?’ ‘You must be so iron deficient!’ ‘Doesn’t it cost you a fortune?’ ‘I couldn’t live without meat; I need it’. Blah, blah, blaaah. I’m not here to lecture to you about the pro’s and cons of meat and plant-based diets, and I certainly won’t unleash an ethical …
Two Easy Student ‘Recipes’
June 22, 2017
A reoccurring theme in my most frequently cooked meals is that they don’t involve specific ingredients or measurements. That’s because I hate cooking from recipes. I prefer just to assess what I have in or what I’m in the mood for and then just chuck it all in the pan. I buy a lot of …
The definitive guide to picking good housemates
June 13, 2017
I once lived with a guy who left a tray of lasagne on the kitchen work top for 6 weeks. I once lived with someone who would sleep all day and then play Xbox at full volume all night. Whether you’re a first year or you’re finishing your PhD, there’s no way you’ve avoided having …
Reflections on University Exams
June 8, 2017
Currently, I’m writing this blog post to procrastinate revising for my final exam of my first year. Reflecting on nearly reaching the end of my second exam season at Nottingham, here are some of the things I wish I’d known before starting exams: Past papers are not as great as they used to be During A-Levels …