Overreacting? I think so...

A little snow and the whole of King’s Lynn falls apart.
School closures and snow days were just a few of the dilemmas faced last week due to the weather.
Over reacting? Just a little, in my opinion.
It has become clearer to me over the past few years that Lynn cannot deal with the cold wintery weather.
There are some who walk around, not fazed by the white wonderland, going about their everyday duties.
I was one of these people earlier this year; I dragged myself out of the warm, cosy, safe house that was my bed, layered myself up and walked the two miles to college.
When I got there, I was told that my lessons were cancelled and my tutors had not turned up.
Of course not everybody is going to be like me and put some effort in (It was a tough call between a duvet day and college work).
But this was when everywhere was an ice rink and snow was foot deep.
Now, the snow has made a small appearance yet again and everybody seems to take cover in their house.
I understand that people have to travel long journeys and may not feel safe driving themselves.
But I would like to point out that I still managed to have both driving lessons and remain in one piece.
I understand that buses may be delayed or cancelled which cannot be helped.
What I don’t understand is why a light dusting of snow caused so much dilemma when it is only the start.
People in Greenland live in the snow and ice, carrying on with their day to day chores.
So why are we so afraid of the winter weather?
Car crashes, slipping over, freezing to death? Possible but very unlikely.
We read the stories about those who freeze to death or get snowed in but is that really likely in a small town like this?
I would say the only ones at risk here are the obvious; the elderly, the young and the pregnant.
We all need to just get on with things like normal, last week was a practice for whats to come.
The worst is yet to come with the after mouth; we will be facing pot holes, cracking roads and for some, January exams.
So, just pull on your wellies, grab some gloves and throw a few extra layers on and you’ll be fine.

Why are parents so shocked when they realise their precious child has discovered alcohol?
To most it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise, they have all had the been-there-done-that experiences.
But some parents are still deluded into thinking their little angels will never grow up.
Unfortunately for them, they do.
And it happens sooner than expected in most cases.
Teenagers as young as 14 sit there on a Saturday night with their friends, having a swig of bacardi breezer.
When you’re 14, its the coolest thing ever to have a bottle in hand in front of your friends.
When you’re 16, you can’t go to a party without a case of beer or bottle of spirits, it just becomes the “norm”.
You read about under age drinking, wild student parties, and “broken Britain”, but I am pretty sure it is not as bad as it seems.
I remember the first time me and my friend got drunk round mine while we were looking after the house.
Music up loud, dancing around the garden, not even thinking about the consequences.
I think I can safely say that dancing around on an empty stomach full of vodka and orange juice was not the best of ideas (I still can not stand the smell of cous-cous since that night).
I know parents that have gone out and brought alcohol for their 14-year-old son and not even battered an eye lid when he asked.
Some parents have come to terms with the fact that if they don’t buy it, their kid will only go pay somebody to buy it for them (AKA big brother/sister).
But when big brother/sister aren’t home, you’d be surprised at who would buy a teenager a case of beer for a few quids profit.
And then there are the parents who blame the older sibling for their drinking influence.
Universities are yet to shake the image of being a three-year party away from home.
In reality, it is three years, working part-time, attending lectures and having a drink at the end of the week to chase away the stress.
To me, I think it is a bad stereotype, these are the future doctors and teachers who are being called party animals when they are most likely busy studying.
I’m not saying there aren’t people who do spend the three years away drunk but there are some bright sparks that know their limit.
As for “broken Britain”, what country doesn’t have problems?
Just because a girl flashes her knickers on a night out while not being totally sober, Britain is seen to be broken and have drink, anti-social behaviour and drug problems.
Fair enough, in the main  cities such as London and Manchester, but in Norfolk? I am very doubtful.
The truth is, teenagers are going to drink, no matter how much you try and prevent it,
they are young after all.
As my mum would say, “let them learn the hard way.”

So, it’s come to that stage where I’m let out on the roads, free to roam where I please (as long as it covers the junctions and round abouts, and  is the same route my driving teacher has chosen).
After passing my theory test back in September, I thought driving would be fine, after all, I would have a giant L on top of the car.
If only I wasn’t naive.
I started learning to drive around the start of October, it was so exciting being in a car, knowing that I was the one in control, making the car go vroom.
There was such a buzz about having a lesson that I would wait eagerly by the door for my instructor to turn up so I could have the full Hour behind the wheel.
Of course, this was all before I went out on the big, busy, bustling roads.
What do you do when you see a learner approaching?
Speed off to get away? Overtake? Take no notice of them? I’m sorry to say that other drivers have all done this to me.
We’ve all been in a car or bus or taxi and had a learner in front and cringe, thinking its the end of the world.
But all of the drivers out there have been in the same position.
Learners stall, go at the exact speed limit, will be slow pulling off but how else are they going to learn?
I was proud of myself that I managed not to stall on my first lesson, I was proud that I was learning so quickly, I was proud that I hadn’t caused any accidents (yet).
What I’m not proud of is the drivers around Lynn.
I’m sure that I am not the only learner out there that has suffered a bit of road rage or frustration thanks to other road users.
For Example, a male driver saw the need to over take me along A149. Fair enough I wasn’t going at 60 m.p.h., but I would say 55 m.p.h. is no slow coach.
It did not help that this was one of my first times in 5th gear and was already a bit scared thanks a massive lorry was going to be passing me.
Road users really need to be a bit more considerate when they see a giant L in front of them.
Most learners are not very comfortable being out on the roads for the first time, I wasn’t the first time I drove myself to college.
Now that I’ve been on the busy roads for a while, I have started to notice the glares from other drivers.
You just know they are saying, “get off the road”.
But just remember, we all have to learn some time.

“What are they for?” I hear this question frequently at work when children see the poppy box on the counter.
A poppy has been an iconic symbol of Remembrance Day, but how many know the real reason behind the flower?
My guess is not very many these days.
It is nice to know that the younger generation are eager to know what things mean and represent.
The disappointing side is that their parents ignore them or change the subject because they can’t answer their simple question.
I was shocked when this happened right before my eyes; parents have clearly forgotten the meaning behind Remembrance Day.
It is even more disappointing when they can’t explain to their young one’s what “Poppy Day” is or what it is represents.
A poppy has been worn every November since 1919 to mark Remembrance Day, or as it is sometimes known, Armistice Day.
Unfortunately, some people just wear the poppy as a fashion statement without meaning or cause.
We all see the judges on Xfactor walk out with there special made poppies as to complete their outfit.
Poppies were the only living thing to survive in Flanders’s field which saw some of the bloodiest fighting during World War One.
Perhaps introducing this part of history in to schools at a younger age might help.
It is sad to walk around the college campus and see so few without the red flower, students and lecturers alike, surely they should be setting an example.
Jon Snow, a reporter for channel 4, has been refusing to wear a poppy on air, branding it ‘poppy fascism’. Some have said he is ‘dishonouring the dead’ by refusing to wear the emblem.
After all, we were fighting for freedom; perhaps more will follow by choosing not to wear a poppy until the eleventh, like Jon has.
How people showing respect is seen as poppy fascism I’ll never know.
So why have so many of us forgotten about the hundreds of thousands of people that lost their lives in two world wars when not even a hundred years have passed?
Personally,I think people don’t realise how big or how much was sacrificed for them to live how they do now.
 I think it is disrespectful not to wear a poppy, even if it is not the eleventh.
The World Wars are a big part of our history, it should mean a lot to us who live around here, knowing that there are relatives and friends out fighting in Afghanistan, it won’t be long before the poppy represents them as well. 
A minutes silence and a small donation isn’t much to show respect for those that have died for us, is it?

“Alright Dumpling?” Would you class this as a endearment or an insult?
I got called this last week as I was walking from the Saturday Market and I still can’t decide if I was insulted or not.
In the end, they are calling me a round pastry ball that you normally eat.
Or They are calling me something they would use to call their grandchildren.
But I’m not short and to be fair, I don’t look like a little girl.
There are loads of endearments that the man could have used (probably not a leek like it was suggest in the office) but either way, I’m not fond of being called a dumpling.
We all get called something on a daily basis, be it “love” in a bakery, “darling” in a take away or “hunny” in a supermarket.
But why is it that us teenagers rarely call people by anything but their name?
Personally, I never call anybody ‘love’ or ‘sweetheart’, its just weird calling somebody older “sweetheart” when you are the young one.
But then you see it all the time, out and about. My mum does it, always calling people “darling” at work or when she sees someone in Morrisons.
Are they just forgetful and don’t remember their names so they use a pet name instead?(saying that, who would call their pet “darling”?)
Maybe that’s why we young ones haven’t developed the name replacement skill.
It is the same with men as well, apart from their common phrase is “mate”.
Clearly another nice way to say, “thanks but I can’t remember your name so you will be known as mate” (commonly seen in pubs and in work places)
I’m sure I’m not the only teenager to feel like this, wanting to call someone ‘love’ but bottling out at the last moment.
Old people really can get away with anything; telling you off, chat to you for hours, and forget your name.
Looks like I need to age a bit first before I can get away with it.

Future pieces

TWO new ideas i want to write about.
At work, we have a box of poppy's and it happened quite often last week, "what are the Poppy's for?" asked little children and most parents just said for poppy day.
Its shocking how the meaning of a poppy is lost among youngsters who only know that we wear Poppy's because its 'poppy day'!

The other thing was pet names. We've all experienced going around the market or in a shop and being called "love" or "darling" or other impartial names. But where did being called "dumpling" come from? i was pretty offended at being called a pastry ball.

SO NOW the government is worried about underage drinking?
Last week, a report was published on how the coalition government is planning on reducing underage drinking and related problems by increasing the price of alcohol to pub charges and blocking promtional packages on cases of beer and bottles of wine.
Responsible for around 33,000 deaths a year in the UK, the substance is avalible at any age in over 15 countries world wide but causes economic problems world wide.
Looking at laws surrounding alcohol, there is a very obvious factor which has caused teenagers to enjoy a drink when out with friends, linked to their younger life.
Kids as young as five are allowed alcohol substances in thier homes and supervised by parents.
Why parents would feel the need for a 5 year-old to have alcohol, i’ll never know.
Britian has been branded one of the worst places in the world for alchol abuse, in some places charging less that 30 pence for a pint of lager.
So, charging 50 pence a unit is meant to solve the underage drinking problem? I’m sorry to say that I very much doubt it.
The more a teenager is told not to do something, the likely-hood is, they will only do it more.
Sadly, alcohol is factor in half the crimes committed by under 18’s such as drink driving and vandalism, which is only set to increase if new forces are enforced.
The legal age to buy and consume alcoholic beverages is 18, however, a glass of wine or pint of beer is allowed for 16 year olds when they have a meal out with an adult.
Locally, we have tackled this problem significantly with regular patrols around certain teenage hotspots, such as Lynnsport and The Walks,
Due to the patrols, anti-social behaviour has decreased significantly over the past two years, but what will happen now police forces are being limited?
There are signs in restricted areas, warning of heafty fines, but do they really have much meaning if there isn’t a police officer around to enforce the rules.
All of the benefit cuts and new laws are supposed to create a “safe haven” and save the youth of today.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that is sat thinking how much this new plan is going to fail, soon alcohol will be prohibited in an effort to make England a “safe haven”.
Up to £30,000 debt after university and jobs becoming gold dust, I think it’s safe to say that this snowball is soon going to melt.

Really need to remeber to do something about the recycling at college, its terrible the amount of plastic and paper we waste.

WITH budget cuts set to be revealed within the next few weeks, education is set to be hit hard.

Less places, possible £7,000 tuition fee's and UCAS points rising to an all time high, is there any wonder the younger generation is voting against universities?

The new coalition government has tampered a bit too much with higher education, what with their plans on saving money to rescue them from the “shambles” labour left them in, it wont be too long until higher education is only available for the elite members of society.

In other words, the younger generation are now paying the price for the pointless wars and ridiculous MP expenses.

Universities are set to split in to a two-tier hierarchy; a place for the elite (or those that can afford it) and a place for everybody else (those that have hard working parents), if plans go ahead.

Proposed plans of doubling tuition fee's to breach the £7,000 mark are a serious concern for both students and parents.

And the bad news continues as we now face market interest on student loans instead of the low interest loans they stand at now.

And this is just the start of their save the economy plan, with cutting child benefits on the table as well, how can they expect students to afford their price for an education.

There has been a real crack down on higher education, last year saw thousands of students, who were offered a place at their chosen university, rejected without reason.

In the near future, we could see a substantial lack of professionals such as doctors, teachers and lawyers.

Personally, I haven't seen a improvement since the election and can see the country is digging a hole too deep. The cut backs should be made gradually instead of the governments approach of save as much money all at once.

Locally, this has made a big impact. The College of West Anglia had a record amount of applications in many courses including NVQ courses and Degree courses.

Coincidence? I think not.

Many of the younger generation are now under an enormous amount of pressure to succeed at A-levels and secure a place at university despite the entry tariffs ranging from 240-380 (that would be anything from BBC- A*AA at A-level)

As an A-level student, I know the pressure on some students who are applying to universities like Oxford and Cambridge for English and Mathematics degrees. The amount of work required to get the grades for those courses is ridiculous.

We are commonly criticised as rebels, causing havoc, as teenagers do but that is not the case for those students, constantly working to succeed, giving up their social lives.

But what about those that can't get the grades? Many students have gone straight into work after GCSE's and are skipping A-levels altogether, linking to the unemployment crisis last year.

Nationally, we have seen a rise in apprenticeship applications, opting for practical experience in plumbing, carpentry and electronics, jobs which are always in demand world wide.

Despite the “best of friends” appearance, Nick Clegg has gone against the Conservative proposition, signing pledges opposing the potential fee rises.

But is that enough? He may be the deputy prime minister but will only get crushed by the Tory train if he was to stand up to them.

Personally, I think the government is cutting way too much, way too fast. If they would like to save money, why not take a couple of thousand off their pay check and expense accounts, we would be out of debt in no time.

If a little girl can offer her £1 tooth fairy money to help with the deficit, surely the government can do without Mayfair flats and gardeners.

Dull, boring and unimportant?

I walked past some people the other day, clearly from London thanks to their accent and style, saying how Norfolk is so boring and has nobody important related to thsi area. Im sorry we are not the Capital City of England, we are in the country side so what do you expect, parties every night and drunken celebrities falling out of cars at 4 in the morning? I beg to differ.
As for we have nobody "important", Have they heard of Sandringham? The Queen retires to her palace here every christmas, attending the church in West Newton along  with the rest of the Royal family. If they aren't important then i don't know who is? The Queen is the only person that can declare war on another conuntry, her face is on our money and she is seen as a national treasure. Not only is she the Queen of england, Australia also classes her as their ruler. She has ruled for over 50 years, and if i do say so myself, nothing bad has happened during the time i have been her that she has ruled.
I don't know who they define as important but from the look of them, one clearly a teenage mother with a trashy magazine hanging out of her bag and walking around in jogging bottoms that look like PJ's, but i would think they meant somebody like Jordan or a BB reject.
Not meaning to be judgemental but those names did appear in there conversation before remarking on "Boring Norfolk".
As well as the Queen, we are also home to the most followed person on Twitter, Stephen Fry! How is he boring? Unimportant? He may not do much now but host QI, but he was once a great actor on Black adder, he has written a autobiography, he was a journalist, comedian and film director. Most recently, he is now the director of the canaries (AKA Norwich City Football Club). How is that boring? He is recognised world wide but degenerated from the good old countryside.
And what about Nelson? If it wasn't for him, this would be in french right now! He is a national hero, his flagship has been restored in Portsmouth historic dockyard and thought many wars. losing an arm in one battle but continuing to fight. How is that unimportant? I think they would have a different opinion on the matter if they knew all of this.
There are various other names (Ed Balls, Bernard Matthews and Myleene Class amoungst many other) that are proud of their roots. I'm proud of Norfolk Myself, we are even home to a Nudest Beach! (Holkham) There are so many lovely sites to see here, i was pretty insulted when they commented saying it was dull and boring, obviously they haven't gotten out much.

Exercise time!

Tried and Tested by Hannah Allen

We all know as we get older and leave school, it becomes harder to exercise regularly (or we just become lazy). I found this out when I first went to college. No more PE lessons outside in the cold, running around with traffic honking and other students staring at us seemed like heaven. Instead, it was running five flights of stairs to make it to media on time which wasn’t so bad. I considered myself young and healthy until there was fast food available every lunch time and no compulsory exercise.

Now, with Christmas months approaching, it only means one thing. Food. Every year my mum goes overboard buying anything that is on offer, and with nights closing in quickly, who would say no to staying in with a tub of Pringles and a hot chocolate? Last year, I paid the price for those cosy nights in by the fire by not fitting in to my usually comfy jeans for a couple of months due to extra pounds I had so easily gained.

I know I’m only 17 and shouldn’t be worrying about this now, I can only imagine how many of you reading this, what you are thinking of me. At the moment, I’m a healthy size twelve but leave me to feed myself for couple of months and I can see that size doubling (I enjoy cooking rich deserts and would have a portion of chips without thinking of the consequences). This is why I’m doing something about it before I become another statistic in the overweight category. With obesity levels rising, I have offered up my relatively healthy self to try some of the exercise classes available which will include running, circuits and aerobics.

First on the list; spin 45. This is an intense cycling class available at various times at St.James, Lynnsport, Oasis ect...

Their description of the class; Indoor group cycling sessions are 30 and 45 minute classes respectively of aerobic exercise performed on indoor stationary cycles to an upbeat sound track.

When I saw this, I thought, “I could do that, no problem”. I had heard of the class and people said how intense it was but I assumed they were exaggerating. Unfortunately for me, they weren’t.

Boy was I in for a treat. Intense would be a word I would associate with this. My poor legs struggled to carry me to the train station after 45 minutes of fast-paced cycling. Respectively, this was only my first class and I am told it takes two or three sessions to get used to the exercise.

For starters, I was not happy that my water bottle did not fit in the space provided and required me to stop every five minutes. Admittedly, it was partially my fault. But besides that, I was pumped to get going. I had so much energy at this point that I wasn’t intimidated by the super-fit members that attended 3 times a week.

And then we started. I think I lasted about ten minutes before my legs slowly became a pile of throbbing mush. I do bike often, at least 3 times a week, for about 20-30 minutes, but nothing could have prepared me for the amount of perseverance and energy you needed to keep up. Push-ups on a bike, variation of speed every ten seconds, and trying to keep in time with the music? Despite the instructor saying to go at your own pace, you can’t help but get competitive with the others who carry on without a drop of sweat.

About half way through the class, I struggled to keep going. I was glad to see that I wasn’t the only person to be tomato red in the face and struggling to keep the pace. It didn’t help with people staring from outside, I can only imagine what they thought looking through that window.

Eventually, time ran out and it was time to go. Note; remember to have feeling in your legs before dismounting. I made a fool of my self nearly falling off the bike thanks to my jellified legs. This class really isn’t for the faint hearted, it is great for those who enjoy a real work out, want to burn fat and don’t mind a bit of perspiration.  Assuming it get easier the more you, this properly is a great workout but unfortunately, I don’t think I will be returning in a hurry (my legs are just far too wimpy).

Sibling Rivalry

After the latest labour party leader conference which resulted in the two Miliband brothers battling it out, it really made me think about sibling rivalry.
It’s one thing arguing with one another in the safety of your home but when its broadcasted on television and plastered across newspapers, it’s a different matter.
For example, David Miliband has today decided not to be part of his younger brothers, Ed, cabinet, not only effecting his relationship with his brother but also could have a major impact on his political career.
Looking back over my childhood, I’m amazed at how much me and my older sister bickered, fought and screamed at each other, it fits the stereotype for sisters quite well though.
We had many incidents over the years but her slamming the gate in to my head ending, with me in A&E for 4 hours with a lump the size of an egg on the side of my skull, was around the extent of them.
Anything could get us started, whatever each one of us had, the other one always wanted, there is a video of when we were on holiday and we argued for hours about a stupid little receipt for something I don’t even know what it was actually for. I was only 2 and half at the time though so it was a big deal to me when my mum just threw away the trophy which we had fought/hit/cried over for an hour. Just want any parent wants walking around a big steam fair. In the summer. All afternoon.
Of course, not ever argument was over a stub of paper, there were the usual arguments as well about toys. Every year we would get the same things at Christmas so we couldn't argue. That didn’t really work out as planned because as soon as my sister’s present broke, she would replace whatever it was with mine. I have a feeling this may be part of the reason I was a tomboy from the ages of 4 until about 9.
She never wanted to steal my Thomas the Tank Trains, they bored her and she knew what would happen to her if she did. It wouldn't be pretty.
I remember one argument in the kitchen when I was about 8, I always had a bad temper, and she aggravated me about something so I hit her in the face with my plastic cup.
It may have been plastic but it was still good enough to give her a nice bruised cheek for the week.
I think we must have driven my mum made when we became teenagers, the screaming fights we had when i wanted to go to sleep but she continued to have her music blaring. The fighting over her taking my clothes and me taking back what was rightfully mine (she insisted she hated my fashion sense all these years but my clothes were always worth stealing, much to my disapproval).
I even had a lock put on my room to stop her but she always got what she wanted in the end.
At the age we are now, me being 17 and at college and her being 19 and living in the South of Wales, you would think we get along just fine, but you are very mistaken.
I recently moved in to her bedroom, the biggest bedroom in the house, which was mine but was an idiot and got conned out of it when she started high school.
I didn’t see the point in staying in my little room when she only comes back home for a week four times a year, even then she isn’t home most of the time.
She didn't appreciate my face book message telling her of this recent move either, which ended up with horrible text messages and silence from her for a few weeks.
Admittedly it wasn’t the nicest message in the world, ‘By the way, I’ve moved in to your room, see you soon’, but I couldn’t face calling her and being deafened in one ear.
She is coming back again in November for 2 weeks, during which I’m guessing we'll be friends for about 3 days before coming to loggerheads once again.
I’m not heartless; I do miss her being away for so long but I’m always thankful when she goes back.
We just love to argue, we are sisters after all, but I don't think it helps that we both have to win and won’t give up until we have.

Light Up Lynn

How often do you look over your shoulder while walking home? I can assure you it no doubt increases when the sun goes down.
Personally, I hate not knowing what is in front of me or who could be close by, but what I really detest about walking home is the vast lack of lighting around this town, just what we need as the cold, wintery nights are beginning to close in.
I frequently have to walk or bike home after I finish college at half four, when the sun has already vanished, the grey clouds cover the sky and cars have already switched on their headlights.
My parents cannot always come and pick me up so I have two walking routes home; I could take the route which includes a never ending walk up Wootton Road but cars have no respect for pedestrians, escpecially in the rain. Or take the cycle route which passes the populated Lynnsport but has no lighting along half the path which boarders North Lynn and is surrounded by bushes.
A little ruffle in the bushes is enough to make the hair stick up on the back of my neck and put me on edge until im home.
I can remember being taught at primary school about stranger danger and always being told not to go out after dark but there really is not anyway around it when it is dark at about 5pm.
Either way, it really is a lose lose situatiton, especially for me being a vunerable teenager most likely listening to music and carrying a bag full off books that slows me down to a crawl most of the way.
We have all seen the scary films, girl out alone in the dark, guys hiding in the bushes ready to pounce, girl gets attacked and usually left for dead.
In summer, time never really crosses your mind, the sky is still light around 9pm and there are plenty of people around the streets.
But now, once people are home from work, there are only groups of rowdy teenagers around which does not exactly fill me with confidence if something did happen.
But I am not the only person that does not feel safe, a national survey recently revealed that the majority of young females do not feel safe walking at night due to the lack of lighting on streets and cycle paths.
It must be a parent’s worst nightmare when their child does not answer their phone and they are half an hour later than they said they would be (my mum has given me “the lecture” many times about not answering my phone when im out) but it was around this time last year that two young men were stabbed along the cycle path between King Edward VII school and what was Park High school.
So, how can you escape the darkness? Simply, you cannot. Unless of course you only leave your house between daylight hours or stick to the rare heavily lit areas.
But that is impractical for most people, myself included.
With winter already starting to close in, I have already started planning on how to stay safe in the dark.
First on the list is start driving as soon as possible.
And second, avoid being outside alone - I know I am going to be roping in some loving friends to walk me home from now on.
Or failing all that, sweet talk my parents round to picking me up.

I've decided that i really must write to the council, the lighting on cyclepaths near me is terrible, its only a matter of time before somebody gets raped or murdered down there.

Universities

You may think GCSE’s and AS Levels are hard, but just wait until you have to decide on a university.

It’s now time when you are in your last year of sixth form or now leaving the nest you’ve known for the past 18 or so years to explore by yourself.

Or you have just entered the wonderful world of A Levels.

I’ve already decided after looking at numerous amounts of prospectus and university campuses that it’s not really for me, I know I wont sit there and work for another 3 years without something pushing me to do it but some people can and I wanted to share my experience of university choosing/deciding.

First thing you have to know, every university is going to say they are the best; “you will love it here, everyone is so nice”, and sell themselves to you like never before but try and remember to focus on the important stuff like where you will possibly have to live for the next year or so of your youth and most importantly who with.

Also now would be a good time to learn to cook and use the washing machine unless you have a lot of money to pay somebody to do it for you (if you do decide to go.)

Second, ask yourself if you can see your self at whatever campus it is you are view and do you really want to study that subject, so no pressure then.

It’s good to talk to people already at university who can tell you what its really like, the cold hard truth, not those that are there to show you around the campus because likelihood is they got something out of it or do just really love university.

That is a very important thing to do.

Every prospectus will have the students from the course you want to do that have succeeded and go on to bigger and better things, but remember to ask about the average Joe’s and what happens to them.

Third, don’t just follow your friends. Its hard to leave behind the people you have grown up with and become so close to but don’t settle for a university because it is close to you, go to one which will be best for you.

Try not to freak out when you see how many UCAS points they want, it’s mostly about your personality but try and aim for those but don’t be disappointed if you don’t get the grades you want, there’s always resits or other options which may only become clear when you think you cant get in to the uni of your choice.

I’m not saying all this to put people off going to get a degree, I just know from experience that High Schools tend to spoon feed students and when they leave they end up like a fish out of water, which to put it frankly, won’t help in the long run.

You need to hit the ground running if you get what I mean?

Obviously, university is good for a lot of things and is one of those things that lots of people do to get life experience.

You get a degree at the end of it which is crucial to getting some jobs in the economy these days.

It’s the place where most people make their friends for life, not that I know myself, but my older friends that are at university have told me.

You get a taste of the real world, no mum’s to do your washing and ironing and pick up after you or drive you around which is freedom for some people and really does help.

My friends love it where they went, it was a shock for some leaving a small little village for the big city life but everyone wants to get something different out of university.

Even if you are unsure of what you want to do, who says you have to decide straight away, apply in a few years time so you can travel, save money or just take a break from education which has been your life for about 12 years.

Saying all that, starting to order prospectuses now or even thinking about options after A Levels is a very good idea, I didn’t for until earlier this year and regret it now because I could have saved myself time and focused on what I want to do which is becoming a journalist.

I just think young people need to prepare themselves for what’s ahead; sample a bit of everything, go to all the higher education fairs, see the universities for yourself (not just the pretty pictures they put in the book) and eventually something will stick, I did!

End of summer 2010

The time has come to say goodbye to summer…

It’s a bit sad looking back at what I have been doing since the start of July, pretty shocking to see how little work I have done for college as well.

Since I started my holiday 2 months ago, I thought that I would be very bored with nothing to do but now it’s nearly over, I have like a thousand more ideas I want to do.

When I finished college, I can remember trying to get a job in Lynn, I spent most of my time doing housework and hanging out with friends and sleeping and moving rooms in my house.

I loved it! It made me feel like a desperate housewives star, minus the scandals, children and well rich husbands.

Then it was August before I knew it.

The sun was out, I had a job and still had time to do stuff like go to the beach and just be lazy, which is problematic now I have to wake my brain up again and put it to work.

I’m still struggling to figure out what I did for about 10 weeks, which is very bad for a 17 who is taking A Levels.

I also had a great work experience placement at another paper for about 2 weeks which I enjoyed and helped me get up in the mornings.

But now, it’s the start of college.

I’ve been pro longing this since I got my results a few weeks back and got an E in History because now I have to decide what I want to do about it, double my work load or focus on my future in journalism?

Its tricky to decide honestly, my mind’s all over the place, I don’t really want to go back now that I’ve had another taste of the journalism world but im not really one for just giving up on things (and I cant leave my friends at college all by herself now she’s just starting thanks to me).

Another reason I’m not looking forward to college is I can’t manage climbing 5 flights of stairs everyday thanks to my fear of lifts.

I’ve had a nice stair free summer!

And now I have to sit through hours of filling out university applications when I know that university is not what I want to do so really its just killing off more trees’s if you look at it from my point of view.

But there is really no getting out it anymore. Despite what I said, I did miss college, not seeing my friends, I missed not being able to have an excuse not to do anything at home and mostly I missed the fact that I couldn’t wander in to town shopping on my lunch times.

I best be preparing myself for Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, just what every teenager wants to read.

Holiday in Dorset July 2010

After an enduring week of doing nothing, my parents and I headed down to the not-so-sunny south of England for our holiday. This was the first year of it being just us three since my sister moved to Wales. Our usual car journey consisted of me and her bickering in the back whilst my mum got annoyed with us and my dad’s lack of conversation. This year, however, was different.

When you’re young and have to stay in a car for around five hours, you usually sleep or eat or play with some amusing toy to pass the time. When you’re around ten, you have comics or music or spats with siblings to pass the time. The problem is being a teenager and travelling for five hours. Your in-between the stages of being too old for toys or magazines to occupy you for the journey and too old to have mastered the trick of staring out a window for hours which adults seem to do with ease.

I was in a dilemma of what to do. My magazine lasted about an hour before my head wanted to explode from reading while travelling. Conversation with my parents lasted about ten minutes, divided in to fragments throughout covering the topics of the weather, traffic and university (which was very short lived). And my iPod battery only lasts so long when you forget to charge it the night before. I attempted to do the adult thing of waiting patiently to arrive at the destination. Needless to say that lasted around five minutes before I was bored and like an idiot I hadn’t packed for such events as boredom in a confided space.

Luckily, I had time (two hours and seven minutes to be exact) to think about what to do on the way home. My ideas were; planning on how to avoid this ever happening again, finding better friends who text back and sleep.

The night before we left, I stayed up reading and watching the shocking programmes they play at night in the desperate hope I would sleep for most of the journey. Unfortunately this did not happen. Due to the “helpful” satnav giving directions every three minutes, sleep was a distant dream.  To put it simply, I am halfway to becoming an adult and must learn the art of staring out a window. Hopefully soon as many more car journeys ahead.

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Hello, I'm Hannah and this is my blog.
I'm not unusual or extremely fascinating or a celebrity but i have a lot to say and want to be a journalist.
I am strongly opinionated and like to write down my thoughts often.
I do not mean to offend people or judge them, this is just my view on things.
I have been writing them up over the past few months and decided they should be out there for people to see.