Sunday Chores

What a busy and productive day!

Started at 10 at the gym for an hour (would have done more, but after the trials yesterday, I couldn't move). First time I had been there since I signed up on Friday, and it's so much cleaner/modern tat the one back at home, and only for £15.99 a month, so good!
Then I ventured onto ASDA to get some food, most of it vegetables because I can't stand eating pasta and tomato sauce anymore!
Thirdly, I got home and for the first time, used the uni washing machines/dryers, first time for everything! Pretty simple but forgot to put the fabric conditioner in, so my clothes aren't smelling as lovely as they would back at home if Mum did it for me!!

Onto tonight, Chase and Status and many more big DJ's playing at Oceana tonight, but can't be staying up too late otherwise I won't be looking too good tomorrow morning falling asleep in my lectures!

Time to get some food!

Trials day

I had Solent netball trials today! Successful alongside 4 other girls an through to the final round of trials on Wednesday! Only annoying thing- I have lectures on a Wednesday, so I may not be able to make the BRitish colleges games, which is really disappointing because netball is a really big part of my life! But we will see how things turn out I guess.
Spending the night in with the boys watching American football and currently having a VERY healthy dinner, yummy!!

BNO

Crazy night last night. Managed to get round most of the list! Incredible queues, fantastic memories. Oceana you will ever disappoint!

Surviving the first week of Uni!

So for many of us, it's coming up to the first/second week of being away from home and getting used to 'student life', but I can honestly say that I've had a great time so far!

Starting with our first guest speaker (who is also going to be teaching on our course for a few weeks) Jessica David, the beauty editor of Glamour magazine and also a freelance writer for other high end magazines. Jessica gave us an insight into her experience of doing English and Journalism at University, then moving onto work experience, where that led her to gaining a place at her first job! She had invaluable techniques to gaining the most out of the course, such as:

• Use social media- start blogging, twitter, facebook, anything that will start getting you noticed and gaining networks to gain the work experience that you will need.
• Choose essays and practical work wisely and really look into depth at the story/ route that you want to cover.
• Write in your own free time, either in a blog, a college/university magazine, as this will broaden your writing experience and help to influence your writing style over a period of time.

Jessica also had top tips for work experience and how to gain the best places:

• Start  applying around now (the start of your course) as many institutions have waiting lists of up to a year.
• Keep your cover page an email short (less is more) and straight to the point, editors don't like to read covers that go on forever and try to impress with their knowledge of the magazine (although this is always good to have)
• Always apply for internships during the summer, as editors like to see you for an extended period of time in the work place, the longer the better.

Jessica was a great inspiration to start working now, as the work really does start here. It's made me realise that this course is going to be hard, but if I do the work and push myself then it will defnitely pay off!

Secondly Farrah Storr- Editor of Women's Health Magazine UK visited us and just like Jessica has had a wirlwind of a career even though they are still quite young! It really shows that a career in Journalism is such a life changing job. Also like Jessica, Farrah spoke about gaining the experience in the work place and as the editor of the magazine she has had many work experience people joining her and she said that the ones who stand out, are the ones who WANT to work hard and stick around from 9 in the morning till 8 at night, commitment really does shine and she said that she always build relationships with her employees at this time because in the day, there really isn't any time to communicate on a personal level.

With plenty more valuable and amazing guest speakers inbetween, Thursday was the day everyone was excited about!

Stooshe, the English 3 piece girl band, who have had hit songs in the charts such as 'blackheart' and 'love me' came in for an hour long press conference just for the journalism students. WIth hands flying up in the air and people wantin to ask them questions, I finally had my chance right at the end. I asked them how they would sum the band up in three words, with the response "cool, raw and versatile", which really does sum them up. After 3 acoustic versions of their songs, and 2 new ones from their upcoming album, it was time for them to get back on their tour bus after being up till 5 this morning recording for the album!!!

So all in all, my first week at Southampton Solent Uni has been pretty awe-inspiring and magical. It had opened up so many oppurtunities and directions which journalism can take you! Let the next 3 years commence!

Interviewing stooshe

Here for first year magazine journalists interview and this is only my first week studying the course, so much more to come. Will update with full interview soon!

Freshers Fair

Freshers Fair began today and I have come home with more stuff than I bought with me to Uni, but the best things in life are always free, ha! Free Domino's pizza is the way forward!
But would defnitely recommend it to any upcoming Freshers :)

Apart from that, it's been a quiet day in the DMA residence, everybody doing their own thing, so I'm going to start on my 300 word blog that I have to hand in on Friday (about my introductory week at Uni). Celebrity guests coming in tomorrow for a press conference, not sure who they are yet though, so should be...interesting!?

So going to chill in my onsie and drink green tea whilst I do that, then going to catch up on some TV and skype Mum!

Hello there...

Hey guys!

I'm Grace, and I thought I'd start up a blog to enhance not just my social networks, but also to build a portfolio of creativity that will hopefully come from doing this!

I started Southampton Solent Uni last Thursday and I'm doing a BA Hons degree in Magazine Journalism and Feature writing, which entails all aspects of the magazine industry and how to grow as an all round journalist. Through out the course I'm going to be looking for work experience from all types of magazines and different genres, as I think this will boost my confidence when I finish my degree and start to look for a job in the big, vast world!! (So if anyone has any experience or knows anyone that I could get into contact with to help me with my quest, that would gratefully appreciated!)

But first impressions of Southampton are that it's a really nice and friendly place! I've met friendly and welcoming people, not just in my halls but around the town as well. The shopping experience here is amazing, nothing like I've ever been to before, WestQuay is EPIC! So I'll be posting reviews of different products that I will be buying, (both fashion and beauty).

Anyway, enough for now, will post sometime soon!