New Beginnings in Newcastle: First Year

Reply 60

flaurie

Volunteer Team

21

for the first update!!
Also Wilko and IKEA :love:

Reply 61

Anon_98

19

so super excited for both of us ! - cute post, has reminded me to do my own photos aa - keep up with the amaze progress + good luck too xx

Reply 62

bobby147

20

Tag me also thanks :smile:

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Original post by Protostar

Hey guys! First update of the new blog, and what an exciting week it's been :biggrin:

Bucket list update
Goal #1: Sort out accommodation - I now have somewhere to live!! :woo:

I booked it on Tuesday afternoon, and payed my deposit (which I couldn't afford to do so had to get someone else to do it :hide:

) so it's all confirmed now! It's a massive relief really, because after my room swap fell through I was really worrying about the possibility of having to accept the accommodation offer the university made me :yucky:

which I knew would've made me unhappy. In the end I did have to go private, and it is more costly, but I can afford it and it's absolutely lovely, so I believe I made the right choice :yep:

I even managed to find my first flatmate last night so that's even more exciting!

Goal #2: Get a student bank account - I've 50% done this. I applied online and it's all sorted, I just need to head over to the bank at some point next week with some ID and then it'll be all sorted :yep:

So it'll be all ready for that juicy SFE payment to slide on in when it does :sexface:

Goal #5: Sort out how I'm getting to uni - I move out on September 20th, and previously my aunt was going to drive me up as she has a big car, but since it's in the week she's working :frown:

But my grandma made some calls and my uncle (who also has a big car :tongue:

) is willing to take me! So that's that sorted :yy:

Goal #6: Many IKEA/Wilko trips! - So far I've been on 2 IKEA trips and 2 Wilko trips :lol:

(and yes, I got meatballs when I went to IKEA the second time (the restaurant was closed the first time! :mob:

Unacceptable!)). The first IKEA trip was pre-results and I didn't buy anything, but the second time I went I bought towels, a laundry basket, a laundry bag for carting all my laundry down to the washers... and I can't remember what else :facepalm:

. I went to Wilko on Wednesday just for a browse and to see what they had (turned out to be loads!) and today we returned and bought sooooo much stuff! :headfire:

Goal #7: Get loads of photos printed - Again only 50% done! I've ordered them all (I use Freeprints to print loads of photos from my phone), but they haven't arrived yet. I'll be very excited when they do :biggrin:

I'm planning on hanging them from a wall in my room somehow - I'm sure I'll decide on the logistics of this when I get there and know what my room is properly like :tongue:

University update
Today I got an email from Newcastle which contained my timetable for Induction Week (AKA Freshers), which is a lot busier than I expected it to be - and it includes a test! :grumble:

The only other thing I'm annoyed about is how early the start times are since I want to be going out on a night, so it looks like I'm going to be one tired gal during that week!

They also sent links to a couple of practice tests to have a go at, so I looked at them both :hide:

The maths in them is actually incredibly easy (anything from the harder GCSE topics to AS in the first, and then A Level in the second) but I haven't done any maths in 2 months and so I've forgotten loads.... especially the AS stuff! (Logarithms who??). So it's looking like I might need to give myself a brief refresh of some things before I go as I'm sure the content in the tests is assumed knowledge and so won't be re-covered. That and it'll also get me back into "learning mode" so maybe that'll help me I guess?

I also got an email with my logon details for the uni email system, so I logged on and I had an email in their with yet more logon details... this time for some weird portal thing, I'm not really sure what that was, but I logged on to that too. I was then prompted to register as a student at the university, so I filled in all my details there and so I'm now a provisionally registered student at Newcastle University :biggrin:

(I register fully on arrival) so that's exciting too!

On this portal there was also loads more information, including all the modules I'll be taking this year. In case anyone's interested, these are all core modules (no options in first year), and are:
MAS1601 - Introduction to Calculus
MAS1602 - Introductory Algebra: Complex Numbers, Vectors and Matrices
MAS1603 - Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations
MAS1604 - Introduction to Probability
MAS1701 - Logic, Sets and Counting
MAS1702 - Number Systems
MAS1801 - Problem Solving and Computing I
MAS1802 - Problem Solving and Computing II
MAS1901 - Optimisation with Constraints
MAS1902 - Dynamics
(Key: Pure Maths, Discrete Maths, Applied Maths, Statistics)

Having read the summaries and topics for each one, the modules I'm most looking forward to are MAS1603 and 1902, and the ones I'm not looking forward to so much are MAS1604 and 1701. Mainly because I love differential equations (which is ironic since I failed FP2 loooool) and mechanics, whereas I hate stats and counting combinations and things like that. But y'know... things might change when I actually start them, who knows? :dontknow:

I don't get my timetable until September 3rd, I move on the 20th, Freshers Week starts on the 24th and teaching commences on October 1st :h:

Miscellaneous update

Due to not being reimbursed for an event I attended last month when I expected to be, I ended up really low on cash for a few weeks :redface:

I then got paid yesterday (I've had a job since December, I work in a cafe on Saturdays and Sundays) but because I'm leaving soon they did weird additions and deductions to my pay and I ended up getting payed about £150 less than I expected, which was a pretty hard blow. I then immediately had to transfer £200 out of my account back to the person who payed my deposit for me, leaving me back in a similar position to that I've been in for weeks: Broke. I mean don't get me wrong, I do actually have some money now which is a welcome change, but I have my phone contract to pay at the start of September and I have other expenses too... which my balance will only just cover :argh:

It has meant I've had to ask my family to support me more than I expected and wanted to - thankfully they're willing to help me out but it doesn't stop me feeling guilty :redface:

I've hardly had to ask for anything since working (I get paid very well to say I'm 18 and only work part-time) so to go back to being financially dependent doesn't sit right with me :colondollar:

Like for example my mum payed for the whole Wilko shop we did today which I felt terrible about because we bought so much stuff! Of course it kinda has to be like this and my mum told me to stop being silly about it but :redface:

Yesterday my sister got her GCSE results... and she did amazingly! She exceeded her expectations in literally every subject, got the 7 in maths she needed to do the A Level, and exceeded the grades she needed in the other subjects she wants to continue too :biggrin:

She was ecstatic and I'm so so so proud of her! She also had a trial shift at a job she applied for... and she got the job! So it was a very successful day for her!

Yesterday I signed my remark form for Maths and Physics, so if my grades change I shall let you know :tongue:

This weekend is my last one at work, I leave on Sunday!!! :yay:

Honestly can't wait, that place stresses me out so much :lol:

Aaaaaand I think that's all I have to say :colondollar:

Hope this first update was interesting, please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the tag list! :heart:

Fabulous Friends

This was a great update- really liked the way you have set it out :yep:

Glad to hear you've got quite a few of your uni things all sorted! And well done to your sister! :smile:

Reply 64

claireestelle

22