Hello,

I have been M.I.A lately because I am STILL getting used to the workload of 2nd year.

First year was easier to get used to as everyone expects first-years to be overwhelmed and people give them a warming-up period. So y’all in first year now, trust your seniors when the only advice they give you is to “enjoy your life while you can”.

I don’t mean to make second-year sound so scary. But I just underestimated the increase in workload. Assignments are fine, but it’s just that there are so many more things to do. Things like looking for a placement (more about that later), dealing with the tasks that naturally come with renting a house, looking for or working at a part-time job etc. (P.S Just as I was writing this sentence, I remembered that I had not emailed my landlord about fixing my plumbing yet and had to go do that first.   -.-‘)

I am on a sandwich course with a placement year, which means that I have to start applying to placement positions. Honestly, I have not sent in my CV to any companies yet. Partly in fear of rejection, and also because I am not confident in my CV yet. It takes up a lot on my mind as well as my time. I am a master procrastinator. I could (and have) Google how to stop procrastinating while procrastinating on doing my Business report.

Luckily, there is a lot of support provided to us right here on campus! There is the Employability and Careers Centre next to Accommodation Services. They provide support from CV checks and mock interviews to just sitting down and having a chat with you about your placement woes. A very important resource that they put a lot of effort into making is Surrey Pathfinder! https://www.surrey.ac.uk/employability-and-careers/resources/surrey-pathfinder

I recently emailed them and they gave me a lot of pointers and resources to help with my problem. I have also booked a one-to-one session with an advisor so that I can focus my efforts into looking for a suitable placement.

Besides that, we have Professional Training Preparation seminars to help us. Honestly, we get so much help that I feel like we are cheating just a bit! Hehe. But at the end, of course, it all boils down to your own effort. You could attend as many placement-related seminars as you want but if you don’t put the effort in, employers will see through that in an instant.

I hope this helps any fellow student out there who is struggling and worrying about their placement year. Although I might not be the best person to give you advice, feel free to email us at malaysia@surrey.ac.uk about anything and I will at least try to point you in the direction of help.

Bye!