10 Things That All Freshers Should Know!

Hola lovelies!

So now I'm back at university and in my second year studying, I thought it would be fun to do a post on some things I wish I had known when I was a fresher.. hopefully you find this funny or maybe even helpful!
p.s I was not perfect and some of this advice I didn't take myself but wish I had done (i.e 7..)

My diary for this year

1. DO NOT panic buy your books!

It is well known as a second year, or even just after your first semester at university that lecturers seem to be pros at panicking everybody. "You definitely will always need to use this £80 book so you better buy it NOW" when in reality you will probably only need to read a chapter for the first week and then it will sit gathering dust for the rest of your degree... sad. It is always safe to wait - maybe your department will have a book sale and sell those books for cheaper or maybe you can find the ebook online.. there are always solutions!

2. Everyone is in the same boat

I know when I started I felt that somehow everyone will be so clued up on university and know exactly what they're doing and I will be that loner on the sideline that isn't involved. This wasn't the case - nearly everyone I met during freshers felt the same and that is only a good thing! This meant that we had something in common and we learnt together as we went along.

3. Going out on a Wednesday is perfectly acceptable

Going out midweek is one of those things you will only be able to do whilst you're at university so you better make the most of it! Even if you don't drink, going to the 9am lecture the next morning and seeing everyone with drooping eyes and looking worse for wear is definitely good entertainment.

4. However going out is NOT the be all and end all

Although going out can be fun, if it is not your scene that does not matter. I think a lot of pressure is put on students to live up to their stereotype but most of the time it can be just as fun if you stay in with your friends with good food and a good film. Going out is just about making friends and being sociable and there are loads of ways to do that that don't involve going out, and if you don't, don't worry that you will be lonely, there are ALWAYS others who think exactly like you.

5. Societies are good

Every fresher should jump head first into university life - get involved in societies and their socials, get involved with their flat/house and just get involved academically too. Your first year doesn't count so you can afford to maybe have a little bit too much going on. It is of course a fab way to make friends but also to work out how much you can do with your time when your work counts towards your degree. Have a say on what is going on at your university or try something new - it's all good experiences!

6. Try not to rush into houses for second year

So I know at my university everyone started looking for houses in November... yes not even 2 months after we had started!! It was so early that most people are now living with those who they don't necessarily get on with. Luckily for me that is not the case... but we did rush into finding a house. We know that if we had left it a little longer there still would have been houses for us to go into and there wouldn't have been an issue of us being homeless second years studying for our degree in a park. 

7. Try not to get absolutely smashed

Obviously for most people going out and having all this time away from your parents judging eyes is a free pass to get off your face. This can be fun, if done within your limits, but perhaps try to save your crazy dance routine or puking antics until you have made some friends that you can trust who will look after you. Also, you KNOW there will be some really embarrassing photos from that night out during freshers...

8. Work hard

This may be a really boring point to make but it's really important that you go into second year with confidence knowing that you can do the work they will set you. Practising academic essays and presentations will be essential for your degree. Obviously they don't count (normally) so maybe don't spend a month on each thing, but definitely put in effort. It is even good just to make you feel like you have achieved something! 

9. Be yourself

I think it is really important that you try to be yourself at all times. You're moving to a new place and meeting new people and it is easy to try to impress those around you to try and make friends. But generally, just being yourself will generate friends in time, and they'll be more genuine in the long term. Also, staying true to who you are will make your experience so much better.

10. Have fun and enjoy yourself

University is obviously the place where you get yourself a degree and work incredibly hard in the process, but as a second year coming to the end of first semester I can tell you that time will FLY. University has been the best experience of my life so far, so much fun and so many opportunities. You need to make sure that whatever you decide to do with yourself whilst you're there, that you're always having fun and making memories - you will never do this again so make the most of it!

 

Housemates 

    

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Bethany xx

My Summer Travels: Prague, Czech Republic

Hola lovelies!

Our cool musically themed room!

So after we left Vienna we were very excited to be going to Prague. After 5 hours on a train entertaining ourselves (cue games of poker with sunglasses on and beers on the table...)!

We finally arrived in Prague and found our way to our top floor apartment just outside of the centre of Prague, it was pretty cool with different themed rooms!

After visiting some museums (like the beer museum which was fun to visit) we decided to visit a popular tourist destination.. Charles Bridge. The day was fairly warm and the sun was out for most of the day. Charles Bridge was really nice, full of stalls of arty things and buskers which made the atmosphere on the bridge that little bit more exciting. 

Charles Bridge from afar

We also managed to visit that day the John Lennon wall which was a very surreal place, there was Beatles music being played as we got there. The wall was in a very unsuspecting place, nothing was around and it wasn't that busy. I felt like it was a little unknown gem of Prague. 

On the way there too we saw a little bridge that was full of love locks, similar to the one in Paris but REALLY small in comparison. I loved this little quarter of Prague, it felt like it was the tourists way of saying how much they loved Prague.

Love Locks and John Lennon wall

We also managed to go to Old Town Square where we saw the astronomical clock. Whilst here we were also bombarded with people on segways! All of them trying to offer us deals to go on a segway for a day.. really expensive though!

In the evenings Prague had a nightclub that was meant to be the largest in central Europe, it had 5 floors and an ice bar haha! But also very cheap beer, so that obviously pleased all of us. It was a lot of fun and we spent most of our time in the 'oldies' room - who doesn't enjoy all the old classics?!

Dan and I in the club!

So, as this was the last place on our trip we had one last meal in a very cute café (feeling slightly hungover) and got a plane back to London. 

The trip was some of the most fun I've had, I loved travelling around and I definitely will do more in the future, without a doubt!

This is also the last post in this series! I hope you've enjoyed it.. let me know in the comments if you have!

I have some plans for future posts so watch this space :-)

Which country is your favourite? Have you ever been to Prague?

Bethany x

My Summer Travels: Vienna, Austria

Hola lovelies!

The view from Schönbrunn Palace looking over the gardens

After 4 nights in Budapest, it was time to move on to a different country. We caught a train at 6am to Vienna, Austria! I had heard how beautiful this city was so I was excited to see it in the flesh. I was not disappointed! 

We were only there for 2 days and 1 night so we tried to cram in as much as possible whilst we were there. We stayed near the Schönbrunn Palace, about a 10 minute walk away, which was perfect. Not only was the palace an amazing sight, the gardens surrounding the palace were absolutely stunning. I couldn't help but take about 10,000 pictures of everything. The gardens were so peaceful and were unlike anything I'd seen in any other European countries.
Dan and I spent a long time here, just taking the sights in and trying to get over the amazing views. The others we were travelling with were arriving later in the day as we got different trains to Vienna. 

Schönbrunn Palace

View looking over the gardens, Palace and the city

Vienna also had a very famous cathedral - St Stephen's Cathedral - which was so beautiful. We visited the inside and could have walked up the 400 steps to the top.. however we had very aching feet from all the walking and decided not to (we already had really good pictures of the view of Vienna from the palace!). 

St Stephen's Cathedral

Dan and I also visited the Rathaus (Townhall) whilst the others visited the palace we had seen the day before. It was a bit of a spontaneous decision as we ran off the metro stop, but turned out to be a nice one. The townhall wasn't spectacular but there was a lovely park next to it, and we saw a part of a carnival.. not sure what it was celebrating but it was a colourful parade and very cool!

Rathaus building

The cute park next to the Rathaus

On our only evening of Vienna, we went for drinks in a very classy place (after having lost each other and thinking we were at the same metro station for around 40 minutes..! haha). It was actually in a square surrounded by museums - in Museumquartier. The drinks were ridiculously expensive but I stretched to 5 euros for a small beer and admired my surroundings. As everyone was a bit tired, we decided to save going out until we got to Prague, so got some 1 euro pizza (delicious and the loveliest man served us!) and currywurst and went back for the night. 

River Danube at sunset 

I would love to revisit Vienna again for a longer period of time as I think we weren't able to delve deep enough into the city in two days! 

Have you ever visited Vienna? What did you do whilst you were there?

Follow me for updates on when I post my next post on Prague in this travel series!

Bethany x

My Summer Travels: Budapest, Hungary

Hola lovelies!

 
After I came back from Montpellier, it wasn't long until I was back on a plane travelling again. This time it really was a holiday.. no school involved (yay!). Early September some friends, my boyfriend and I embarked upon a little European tour, where we visited Budapest, Vienna and Prague. Today's post looks at Budapest. It was a city that I can definitely see myself living in when I'm older, or at least revisiting!

Some elephants in Budapest Zoo

Not only was the nightlife very busy - we went to some crazy bars and pubs - but the history and architecture was beautiful. Personally, I'm not normally one for commenting on art but even I could appreciate it.

Heroes Square

There was one monument that really caught my eye, it was the Statue of Liberty which was situated on the top of a massive hill. The statue was a woman holding a feather above her head, and it represented Hungary being free from Nazi power. I really loved it as it reminded me of what this city had seen not that long ago. Also the views from the top were amazinnng! 

Statue of Liberty

The view from the top - looking over the River Danube

We were only there for 4 nights and 3 days so had to fit in a lot in a very small space of time, but I think we managed pretty well! 

Follow me for updates on when I post my next one in this series! 
Hope you enjoyed :-)

Bethany x

My Summer Travels: Montpellier, France

Hola lovelies!

So I have had probably the best summer EVER! 

My summer started in June and I will return to university pretty soon, in about a week.. sad but also exciting! However, I have managed to pack in so many things! I am planning to do a series on the different places I have visited, with some pictures of sights I saw and people I shared my experiences with. 

The first instalment in this series is Montpellier, in the South of France. I spent three weeks here at a summer school as part of my university course, as I study French and Spanish. These three weeks were absolutely amazing and jam packed full of learning and cultural discoveries. The weather was perfection, however I did find the heat difficult when in 4 hour lessons during the day! I love the look of Mediterranean cities, the colours are predominantly light and the buildings are painted unusual colours - a nice change from the British greys. 

We visited so many places, too many to put a photo of everything on this post. Being so close to the coast though allowed for the breathtaking coastal views nearly every place we visited. I ate at so many little French cafés and probably ate my body weight in gelato, which in my book only tells me that I enjoyed myself to the fullest. Every Friday in La place de la Comédie in the centre of Montpellier, there was 'Les Estivales' where little craft and food stores lined the square and live music was playing in each corner. It seemed like everyone came here each Friday and we weren't even deterred by the hour long thunderstorm that we experienced the first Friday. It was a lovely atmosphere as everyone scoured the stalls by night, listening to music, eating good food and drinking good (but inexpensive) wine! 3 glasses for 5 euros definitely caught our eye! 

Although I learnt a lot of French, and essentially spent three weeks soaking up the French culture and trying to pretend to be Française, it wouldn't have been the same without the 20 something other students who were also on the trip. 

 I can't wait to revisit Montpellier, and other southern cities of France, and eat more chocolate brioche everyday for 50p (and learn and use French... of course hehe).

Have you ever visited Montpellier or the South of France? 

Bethany x

Favourite Fashion: Summer edition!

Hola lovelies! 

In the UK at the moment everyone is suddenly aware that summer is upon us. The weather has been unbelievable the last couple of days, and I am writing this now from my bed in which I am sweltering. But I shouldn't complain.. I love the sun and all that summer brings, including new clothes!

In a recent post I shared with you some new shoes I had bought for summer, and today I will share some of my favourite pieces for summer. Some are new but these are my go to clothing items at the moment.

-- First up is this gorgeous top from Topshop. I have seen a lot of bloggers with the stripy version of this, but my best friend bought me this a few months ago for my birthday. It is just perfect for summer, especially the flower details around the hems. Just too cute and simple! There is also a pale pink one in store now which I am dying to get my hands on. Because it is just white, it goes with everything which makes things so easy! 

-- This dress is probably my favourite thing at the moment. This is from River Island and is the perfect smock dress for summer. The material is light and flows perfectly. I have worn it so many times, even when the weather maybe didn't even constitute wearing a dress! I think they have it in loads of different prints too so go and check them out. I believe they are £25 normally - totally worth it! I also think this may even be in the River Island sale right now.. no excuses!

-- I know these may not seem like a summer item, but in the UK it isn't always really sunny and hot so I need options! These Vero Moda jeans are in the 'mom' style and are super super high waisted which makes wearing crop tops with them just perfect. They also finish a little above the ankle which I think accentuates your shape in a weird but wonderful way! The colour is the loveliest colour for a pair of summer jeans. These are the same jeans that I recently picked up and although I haven't had them for a full summer yet, I know I'm taking them away with me and they will become a definite favourite for evenings. They just jazz up an outfit for summer when the sun hasn't shown itself.  

-- Lastly, these shorts I bought in the Topshop sale last year (no longer available, sorry!) and I have loved them ever since. The embroidery on the front and back is just lovely and adds so much to it! They are high waisted and if you are careful, they don't show your bum either! I am just so happy with them, they were originally around £30/£40 and I got them for £15. There are loads of shorts around at the moment with similar things, so go check them out! 

So these are the clothes I will be wearing this summer! I hope these pictures are ok, I am still working out how to take good photos for this blog!

What summer clothes do you love? Have you found any bargains or beautiful summer finds for this summer? 

Bethany x

Summer evening outfit haul!

Hey lovelies!

So with the summer sales being on, and me actually having a job, a haul was bound to happen. As I have mentioned before I am going away a lot during this summer so most was bought for that in mind, but not all. I wanted to share with you some of the crazy bargains I managed to grab, I am so excited about them! This haul is a little different though as I bought basically an outfit. I decided I'd show these together and see what you think.

- The jeans are from Vero Moda, who were having 70% off everything in the store as a closing down sale. I couldn't believe it, I got £55 jeans for £16.50.. BARGAIN! They are a lovely fit, very similar to the Topshop Mom jeans, and a lovely colour.

- The top is from Topshop (^^), this wasn't in the sale (oops) but I loved the colour and couldn't resist for going abroad with. It is scalloped and cropped, just gorgeous.

- The shoes are the most exciting part of this outfit, £25 from River Island and they are just perfect. I am rubbish with heels but these are so easy to walk in and feel relatively comfortable so far! Couldn't believe my luck that they were actually in my size.

So my first haul and outfit post! I hope you enjoyed it! I am trying to take better pictures but it is difficult on your own haha! 

Have you found and summer bargains? Link your blog down below and I will have a look, I love checking out other peoples blogs! 

What do you think of this outfit? Did you pick up any of these items in the sales? 

Bethany x

I'm going shoe CRAZY

Hey guys! 

So since exams have been over and University life has died down a bit, I have been able to take full advantage of all the flash sales there have been in my favourite shops without feeling to guilty about it. It just so happens I seem to be going a bit shoe crazy at the moment especially for summer and want to show you what shoes I have recently bought and just love!

ASOS 'Dockland' plimsolls

The first pair won't surprise you since they are everywhere at the moment, but they are just beautiful. These ASOS slip-ons caught my eye straight away and were £15 (25% off) when I bought them! Can't beat a bargain. One thing I had trouble with was the sizing; a size 6 (my normal size) was too small so I would size up if you go for them fo' sure. You can't deny they look pretty cool and effortless for summer with a pair of jeans or even a cute little dress. 

River Island 'Black Strappy Gladiator Sandals'

The other pair of shoes I am in love with are these from River Island. They are the perfect sandal and I think they look a little 'edgier' because they are black and not tan/brown. Zoella actually inspired me to snap these up, she's been wearing them in her vlogs and they look so nice. These are normally priced at £30 which for the quality isn't bad really, but I got them for £24 when there was 20%. Another BARGAIN. Again these are so versatile and will go with anything and everything. 

So these are the shoes I am going to be wearing NON stop over the summer, along with old favourites like the primark gladiator sandals that everyone went crazy for last summer; still goin' strong! I know it is only two pairs of shoes, but for me that is quite a few to buy within a week of each other.. hehe. I hope you enjoyed this short post, expect to see more fashion bits on here, I love talking about it! 

(Also I will try and take my own pictures in future... I can't do it very well at the moment.. haha!) 

What shoes are you loving for summer? Do you have either of these?

Bethany x

Long time no see and University!

OOPS!

So in my last post I was adamant that I would stick at this, I was thinking in my head about once a week.
That plan clearly went out the window! I will blame me being so very busy working hard.. ;-)

Anyway, on to more positive things hehe..
I finish university next week! My last exam is Thursday and then I am FREEE! It is only my first year so I have many to go, especially since my degree is 4 years studying anyway. I can't believe where the time has gone, but I have absolutely loved my first year. I was one of those who wasn't sure about university to start with and didn't really want to come, but it has been the best decision ever. 
I am going to leave a few pictures from first year that I can find (and I'm positive some of them will not be pretty!) 

I will desperately try to write here more often as, although it is procrastination at the moment, it won't be soon enough! 

Any of you out there who are starting university in September? Or maybe you're graduating this year?

Tell me in the comments!

Bethany x

Definitely not asleep in a lecture...

This was more fun than I could have imagined!

Modern Languages Ball

Get to Know Me - FIRST POST

Welcome! As a new years resolution this year, that I'm determined to keep up, I wanted to start a blog. I've thought about it for a long time and always put it off because of one reason or another but I think it's time I just bite the bullet and start one! This blog will just be things that I enjoy, whether that be fashion or days out. I've never fancied myself a writer but this seems like fun and a nice getaway from university work! 

So for my first post I thought I'd do the 'Get to Know Me' tag, the generic first post but I feel it is appropriate ;-) 

1. Do you have a middle name?
Yes, my middle name is Grace. 
2. What was your favourite subject in school?
I think it was probably Drama or P.E because they were the most relaxed
 
3. What's your favourite drink?
I think my favourite drink is either tea, typical brit! Or if we're talking alcohol I'd say gin, lemonade and blackcurrant cordial (don't knock it until you've tried it!)
 
4. What's your favorite song at the moment?

Beirut - Santa Fe 

5. What would you name your children?
I have to say I haven't really thought about this, but I quite like the thought of my daughter having my middle name so Grace, and then for a boy I think something like Luke or Charlie - a cute 'cheeky chappy' name!

6. Do you participate in any sports?
I play Netball for my department at Uni but other than that I no longer do much but go for a run a few times a week. 

7. What's your favourite book? 
ah I have a few, I think P.S I love you is so good as a book, also Birdsong is really eye opening and a good read. 

8. What's your favourite colour?
I think purple or burgundy

9. What's your favourite animal?Rabbits are so cute so I'd say them

10. What's your favourite perfume?

Euphoria by Calvin Klein

11. What's your favourite holiday?
Christmas definitely
12. Have you graduated from High School?I guess so.. I'm British and I've finished secondary school so I guess so yes!

13. Have you been out of the country?yeah quite a few times!

14. Do you speak any other languages?
I study French and Spanish at university now, I took them for A-Level too so I'd say I'm semi-fluent.. long way to go until I'm fluent!
 
15. Do you have any siblings?
yes! I have 2 brothers and one sister
16. What's your favourite store?
As frustrated as I get with the ridiculous pricing, I think Topshop is my favourite shop

17. What's your favourite restaurant?
I really love one where I come from, it is a family owned and run business that switches up its menu every season, it's really cool and the food is always so nice.
 
18. Do you like school? 
I loved it up until the pressure was unbelievable i.e A-Levels. Always good to see my friends and I got on well with teachers so I can't have hated it!

19. Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?
I love love love the Shaytards, they always put a smile on my face. I also love all the normal beauty and fashion ones like Tanya Burr, Zoella etc. But there's some like Codie Louise and Beautystartswithin who I think make great videos too!


20. What's your favourite movie? 
I always see good films and think "oh yes that was so good!" and then forget about it! But I think Amélie is such an interesting film when you watch it as many times as I did studying it! I also think any romcoms (Bridget Jones' Diary is a fave) are always a good shout!

21. What are some of your favourite TV shows?
I've not watched much TV since starting at university, but I always catch up on the Great British Bake Off (such an old lady) and Educating Yorkshire. My guilty pleasure is Made in Chelsea I just can't not watch ha! Also shows like New Girl and My Mad Fat Diary are good too!

22. PC or Mac?
Never used a Mac as a computer so I guess PC
 
23. What phone do you have?
I have an iPhone

24. How tall are you?
5"5

25. Any pets? 
I have a house rabbit at home, he is SO cute

Ok so there you go! A little bit about me, with some random information for your delight :-)
If you want to do this tag then go ahead or if you want to answer just one or two of the questions you can leave them as a comment.

I'll post with something much more exciting next time I promise! 

Mucho love 
Bethany x