Hi everyone!
I have been away from the blogging scene for a long while (… since the beginning of my 2nd year!) but… I am back now. It is very lovely to be blogging again… especially because I have some very exciting updates to share with you.
A quick recap: My name is Anne Arum, I am in my 2nd year of studying Economics and Mathematics, most interesting of all… I am an international student from Kenya.
As I write this, the first week of March is coming to an end… we received our semester one results just 2 days ago… my placement search came to an end just yesterday… my midterms begin just 2 weeks from now… I handed over my post on the Karate committee exactly 2 weeks ago… as usual… the semester is ever-busy. What a time to be alive indeed!
Let’s start with my academics. I can now comfortably say that I absolutely enjoy each and every one of my modules. Looking back at my first year (… if any of the keener readers of this blog can recall…) I found my modules quite complex and the theory felt so far from anything I could apply in the real world. First-forward to today and it is so much easier to go to my 9am lectures because I look forward to them. I can finally see the bigger picture and it looks great! This, however, does not mean that any of the concepts are easy. I have found that I have to work much smarter and harder to ensure that my grades reflect my genuine interest. There is so much more material to cover – each day is a journey through fields and fields of seemingly never-ending information. At the moment, I am working on some new study techniques to help cope with the work-load. The University has a great mentoring system that helps with this as well, showing you methods of timetabling and prioritising your study-time to maximise success. This fundamental skill is often looked-over but is incredibly important in this dynamic environment. Here is a picture of me studying in the Hive. It is one of my favourite study spaces because it is never crowded and always has a relaxed atmosphere…
Moving on to the more exciting news… I finally received a placement offer! I began my search in October 2019… and after a long road scattered with rejections and demotivation… my cavalry arrived! My Monday of this week was very sad. Until that point, I had not yet received a solid offer. That morning, I received a rejection, but that was not the worst part… it was a company I wasn’t even too keen on being a part of because I thought it was an easy/sure bet. It felt like even the companies I did not want, did not want me either. I nearly gave up because the light at the end of the tunnel was dwindling … my goal looked further than ever. That evening… I applied to three more companies. I felt like I had started the process again. The psychometric tests… numerical and verbal… then the video interviews… the same questions … ALL OVER AGAIN. But I kept to it… because my biggest fear is quitting right near the finishing line.
The next day, I received an email early in the morning letting me know that the first application I had sent out was successful! WOW! A great company with great people too! There it was… finally!
I am super excited to join the team… I cannot believe I am finally going to work in the real-world… to earn my own in a field I am genuinely passionate about. It feels like just yesterday my greatest priority was attending sixth form assembly. How quickly time flies…
Anyway…
That’s all for now folks,
Best,
Anne
