CoffeeAndPolitics: The Journey to Achieving a 1st Class Degree - Year 1 (2019 - 2020)
About Me
Hello everyone! My name is CoffeeAndPolitics aka JT (my initials), I’m 19 and I’m from South East London! I’ve been a Study Forum Helper (formerly known as a Community Assistant for Study Help) since July 2017 and I help to deal with pre-GCSE, GCSE, AS, A-Level and UCAS-related enquires in my own personal capacity and I also help to keep the sub forum tidy. If you want advice about study help, please feel free to quote me in threads or send me a PM.
Academic Record
A-Levels
B in Economics (Edexcel A), C in History (OCR) and B in Sociology (AQA)
GCSEs
7/A in English Literature (AQA), 6/B in English Language (AQA) and 5/C in Mathematics (Edexcel)
BB in Core and Additional Science (AQA), A in Cantonese Chinese (Edexcel), B in Computing (OCR), B in French (AQA) and B in History (OCR)
My Degree
As of October 2019, I’ll be reading BA Social and Political Sciences at the University of York. Since the University of York has a collegiate system, I’ll be in Vanbrugh College with barror1. TL;DR I got into the University of York via Clearing as I decided to decline my place at my insurance – University of Essex – and I was offered accommodation in Derwent College before I agreed to swap accommodation with another student.
This academic year (Year 1), I’ll be taking the 3 compulsory modules which are worth 30 credits each and 1 optional module which is also worth 30 credits.
Core Modules
What is Politics? (30 Credits) – 75% Coursework/Essay, 25% Oral presentation/Seminar/Exam
Introduction to Sociological Theory (30 Credits) – 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Introducing Social Policy (30 Credits) - 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Optional Modules
Sociology of Crime & Deviance (30 Credits) – 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Blog Updates
Spoiler
(edited 3 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Heyy. Good luck! I come from S London too
Original post by Obolinda
Heyy. Good luck! I come from S London too
Thank you! Good luck with your academic studies as well. I can't believe another South Londoner meets another South Londoner on here ... I guess we live in a very small world here on TSR.
Best of luck JT! 
Friday 30th August 2019: Blog Update #1
Welcome to my Grow Your Grades thread here on TSR. I've done many of these blogs before, some with varying levels of success. You can click on my profile page and then click on the threads I've made to read all of my previous Grow Your Grades threads if that's what you want to do. TL;DR Some of my previous posts are a bit cringe worthy and if I'm being totally honest, there's nothing too interesting lol.
In terms of the updating schedule for this blog, I don't officially move-in to the University of York until Saturday 28th September 2019 and updates until then will be rather sporadic as I won't have a lot of things to update you on. After I move-in to my halls at Vanbrugh College, I intend to update at least one every week but once I get into the rhythm of things, i.e. properly settle into university, the blog updates may become more frequent.
The Access Project Preparation for University Event (London): For those who are unaware, I was a former Access Project student at my school, AWA (I'm not going to give away the details of my secondary and 6th form for personal reasons) from Year 12 and I received 1:1 academic mentoring throughout 6th form with my University Access Officer, BT, who has recently left the charity to move onto a new role. I also received 1:1 tutoring in A-Level history with EM and he's definitely a very friendly and great tutor even though my A-Level history grade wasn't what I was expecting. TL;DR I suffer from exam anxiety and unfortunately I had complete car-crash of an exam paper which was absolutely atrocious and to this day, it hurts. We had asked for a review of marking for said paper but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.
Anyways onto the actual event itself, it was great to see some familiar faces, mostly people from the sister school, AGA, who I've met before when I studied A-Level sociology in Year 12 there because we didn't have a proper sociology teacher over at our school. I was quite nervous and a bit shy (the nerves really got to me) and was a bit quiet but everyone was very friendly and lovely including the current university students who volunteered to come in to give us an insight into university life etc. as Access Project Alumni. I especially liked E who was very friendly and had a nice smile, we had a bit of a chat before the rest of the students came and basically introduced ourselves through some icebreaker questions. He also came across as a nice guy in general during the Q&A panel and yeah, he somehow managed to add me on Linkedin haha.
Overall, the event was useful as we covered academic skills, careers and the Q&A panel answered a variety of questions on different topics such as managing your money etc. and it was great to hear the advice of current students.
Moving-in preparations: To date, my parents and I have booked train tickets for Saturday 28th September but this was a hassle in itself as I stupidly booked train tickets for Sunday 29th September which is the move-in day for Derwent College (what I got allocated to) but since I've swapped accommodation with another student, the move-in day for Vanbrugh College is actually on Saturday 28th September so I had to sort out the mess I got myself into. At the moment, I think they've received my tickets via the post and I just need to check my debit card to see if they've refunded me in full since this was a booking error I made. In terms of plans for when I get there, I'm hoping to explore the city of York a bit with my parents since there's not a lot of activities planned for move-in day so hopefully I can visit York Minster, The Shambles (where they filmed Diagon Alley in Harry Potter) and of course, I'm getting my parents to do a big grocery shop for me just so I have the essentials I need. Sorry mum and dad.
As for Sunday 29th September, my parents will be going back in the afternoon/early evening but since there's a lot going on for new Freshers like me, I won't be able to spend much time with them as I want to settle in and meet my flat mates, course mates etc. but I'll probably escort them back to the train station and see them off.
In terms of things I've got so far, I haven't got much except for fake mini plants from IKEA, a mini light-box from Flying Tiger Copenhagen, printed photos of various things from Photobox and the studytuber, Jack Edwards' academic planner which cost quite a bit! I still need to get a few more essentials but the rest I either already have or will get them once I'm in York.
Santander 123 Student Current Account: Just over a week ago, I heard back from Santander via email that my application to open up a student current account with them was successful and that they'll send all the stuff via post within the next few weeks which was great to hear! It was a relatively stress-free process as the only hassle involved was sending off the necessary documents they required via post since I couldn't upload them online for some strange reason. Once I got all the details for online banking, I can redeem my free 4-year railcard which would be absolutely amazing since mine has expired many months ago.
University Societies: I'm currently thinking of joining the following societies: York Lib Dem club, Boat club, Hockey club, Social and Political Sciences society (obviously), Chinese society (why not?!?) and I'll probably end up signing to a bunch when I go to the Freshers' Fair on Saturday 5th October.
Other plans: Between now and Saturday 28th September, I don't have many plans for the next 3 weeks though I'll probably be going back to visit my 6th Form to give a talk to Year 13s about what to expect for their very important year ahead and advice on their UCAS application and dealing with Student Finance England through an assembly of some sort. I'm also attending my cousin's wedding on Saturday 21st September (a week exactly before I'm due to move up to York) which will be slightly boring but I'm hoping the food is of a decent standard - not expecting any fancy ofc.
P.S. Myself and barror1 are going to the Viking Raid (pub crawl) on Thursday 10th October which we're absolutely excited for and we're also planning to take part in the Great York Walk to raise awareness about Mental Health.
QFA
If you wish to be added/removed from the QFA list please comment down below to let me know.
Edit: This post has been edited to remove details of my accommodation which I accidentally mentioned. 06/10/19 at 08:30.
Welcome to my Grow Your Grades thread here on TSR. I've done many of these blogs before, some with varying levels of success. You can click on my profile page and then click on the threads I've made to read all of my previous Grow Your Grades threads if that's what you want to do. TL;DR Some of my previous posts are a bit cringe worthy and if I'm being totally honest, there's nothing too interesting lol.
In terms of the updating schedule for this blog, I don't officially move-in to the University of York until Saturday 28th September 2019 and updates until then will be rather sporadic as I won't have a lot of things to update you on. After I move-in to my halls at Vanbrugh College, I intend to update at least one every week but once I get into the rhythm of things, i.e. properly settle into university, the blog updates may become more frequent.
The Access Project Preparation for University Event (London): For those who are unaware, I was a former Access Project student at my school, AWA (I'm not going to give away the details of my secondary and 6th form for personal reasons) from Year 12 and I received 1:1 academic mentoring throughout 6th form with my University Access Officer, BT, who has recently left the charity to move onto a new role. I also received 1:1 tutoring in A-Level history with EM and he's definitely a very friendly and great tutor even though my A-Level history grade wasn't what I was expecting. TL;DR I suffer from exam anxiety and unfortunately I had complete car-crash of an exam paper which was absolutely atrocious and to this day, it hurts. We had asked for a review of marking for said paper but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful.
Anyways onto the actual event itself, it was great to see some familiar faces, mostly people from the sister school, AGA, who I've met before when I studied A-Level sociology in Year 12 there because we didn't have a proper sociology teacher over at our school. I was quite nervous and a bit shy (the nerves really got to me) and was a bit quiet but everyone was very friendly and lovely including the current university students who volunteered to come in to give us an insight into university life etc. as Access Project Alumni. I especially liked E who was very friendly and had a nice smile, we had a bit of a chat before the rest of the students came and basically introduced ourselves through some icebreaker questions. He also came across as a nice guy in general during the Q&A panel and yeah, he somehow managed to add me on Linkedin haha.
Overall, the event was useful as we covered academic skills, careers and the Q&A panel answered a variety of questions on different topics such as managing your money etc. and it was great to hear the advice of current students. Moving-in preparations: To date, my parents and I have booked train tickets for Saturday 28th September but this was a hassle in itself as I stupidly booked train tickets for Sunday 29th September which is the move-in day for Derwent College (what I got allocated to) but since I've swapped accommodation with another student, the move-in day for Vanbrugh College is actually on Saturday 28th September so I had to sort out the mess I got myself into. At the moment, I think they've received my tickets via the post and I just need to check my debit card to see if they've refunded me in full since this was a booking error I made. In terms of plans for when I get there, I'm hoping to explore the city of York a bit with my parents since there's not a lot of activities planned for move-in day so hopefully I can visit York Minster, The Shambles (where they filmed Diagon Alley in Harry Potter) and of course, I'm getting my parents to do a big grocery shop for me just so I have the essentials I need. Sorry mum and dad.
As for Sunday 29th September, my parents will be going back in the afternoon/early evening but since there's a lot going on for new Freshers like me, I won't be able to spend much time with them as I want to settle in and meet my flat mates, course mates etc. but I'll probably escort them back to the train station and see them off. In terms of things I've got so far, I haven't got much except for fake mini plants from IKEA, a mini light-box from Flying Tiger Copenhagen, printed photos of various things from Photobox and the studytuber, Jack Edwards' academic planner which cost quite a bit! I still need to get a few more essentials but the rest I either already have or will get them once I'm in York.
Santander 123 Student Current Account: Just over a week ago, I heard back from Santander via email that my application to open up a student current account with them was successful and that they'll send all the stuff via post within the next few weeks which was great to hear!
It was a relatively stress-free process as the only hassle involved was sending off the necessary documents they required via post since I couldn't upload them online for some strange reason. Once I got all the details for online banking, I can redeem my free 4-year railcard which would be absolutely amazing since mine has expired many months ago. University Societies: I'm currently thinking of joining the following societies: York Lib Dem club, Boat club, Hockey club, Social and Political Sciences society (obviously), Chinese society (why not?!?
) and I'll probably end up signing to a bunch when I go to the Freshers' Fair on Saturday 5th October.Other plans: Between now and Saturday 28th September, I don't have many plans for the next 3 weeks though I'll probably be going back to visit my 6th Form to give a talk to Year 13s about what to expect for their very important year ahead and advice on their UCAS application and dealing with Student Finance England through an assembly of some sort. I'm also attending my cousin's wedding on Saturday 21st September (a week exactly before I'm due to move up to York) which will be slightly boring but I'm hoping the food is of a decent standard - not expecting any fancy ofc.
P.S. Myself and barror1 are going to the Viking Raid (pub crawl) on Thursday 10th October which we're absolutely excited for and we're also planning to take part in the Great York Walk to raise awareness about Mental Health.
QFA
Original post by CinnamonSmol
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Original post by nyxnko_
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Original post by sinnoh
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Original post by wolfmoon88
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Original post by Blue_Cow
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Original post by entertainmyfaith
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Original post by CoolCavy
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Original post by Jack22031994
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Original post by Labrador99
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Original post by laurawatt
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Original post by DeepInTheMeadow
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Original post by SarcAndSpark
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Original post by emilynxlan
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Original post by TheYearNiner
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Original post by blurryleo
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Original post by anonymous1234
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Original post by CheeseIsVeg
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Original post by SilverWater
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Original post by barror1
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If you wish to be added/removed from the QFA list please comment down below to let me know.
Edit: This post has been edited to remove details of my accommodation which I accidentally mentioned. 06/10/19 at 08:30.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by Protostar
Best of luck JT!
Thanks and good luck to you too!
Original post by Sinnoh
Good luck mate
Thanks and good luck to you too bro!
Got any extra tips for studying to get better grades? Is it just do all the tutorial sheets and past papers or is there more?
Original post by CoffeeAndPolitics
About Me
Hello everyone! My name is CoffeeAndPolitics aka JT (my initials), I’m 18 (turning 19 in November) and I’m from South East London! I’ve been a Study Forum Helper (formerly known as a Community Assistant for Study Help) since July 2017 and I help to deal with pre-GCSE, GCSE, AS, A-Level and UCAS-related enquires in my own personal capacity and I also help to keep the sub forum tidy. If you want advice about study help, please feel free to quote me in threads or send me a PM.
Academic Record
A-Levels
B in Economics (Edexcel A), C in History (OCR) and B in Sociology (AQA)
GCSEs
7/A in English Literature (AQA), 6/B in English Language (AQA) and 5/C in Mathematics (Edexcel)
BB in Core and Additional Science (AQA), A in Cantonese Chinese (Edexcel), B in Computing (OCR), B in French (AQA) and B in History (OCR)
My Degree
As of October 2019, I’ll be reading BA Social and Political Sciences at the University of York. Since the University of York has a collegiate system, I’ll be in Vanbrugh College with barror1. TL;DR I got into the University of York via Clearing as I decided to decline my place at my insurance – University of Essex – and I was offered accommodation in Derwent College before I agreed to swap accommodation with another student.
This academic year (Year 1), I’ll be taking the 3 compulsory modules which are worth 30 credits each and 1 optional module which is also worth 30 credits.
Core Modules
What is Politics? (30 Credits) – 75% Coursework/Essay, 25% Oral presentation/Seminar/Exam
Introduction to Sociological Theory (30 Credits) – 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Introducing Social Policy (30 Credits) - 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Optional Modules
Currently undecided between two modules.
Sociology of Crime & Deviance (30 Credits) – 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Exploring Social Policy and Social Justice (30 Credits) – 80% Coursework/Essay, 20% Group presentation
Blog Updates
About Me
Hello everyone! My name is CoffeeAndPolitics aka JT (my initials), I’m 18 (turning 19 in November) and I’m from South East London! I’ve been a Study Forum Helper (formerly known as a Community Assistant for Study Help) since July 2017 and I help to deal with pre-GCSE, GCSE, AS, A-Level and UCAS-related enquires in my own personal capacity and I also help to keep the sub forum tidy. If you want advice about study help, please feel free to quote me in threads or send me a PM.
Academic Record
A-Levels
B in Economics (Edexcel A), C in History (OCR) and B in Sociology (AQA)
GCSEs
7/A in English Literature (AQA), 6/B in English Language (AQA) and 5/C in Mathematics (Edexcel)
BB in Core and Additional Science (AQA), A in Cantonese Chinese (Edexcel), B in Computing (OCR), B in French (AQA) and B in History (OCR)
My Degree
As of October 2019, I’ll be reading BA Social and Political Sciences at the University of York. Since the University of York has a collegiate system, I’ll be in Vanbrugh College with barror1. TL;DR I got into the University of York via Clearing as I decided to decline my place at my insurance – University of Essex – and I was offered accommodation in Derwent College before I agreed to swap accommodation with another student.
This academic year (Year 1), I’ll be taking the 3 compulsory modules which are worth 30 credits each and 1 optional module which is also worth 30 credits.
Core Modules
What is Politics? (30 Credits) – 75% Coursework/Essay, 25% Oral presentation/Seminar/Exam
Introduction to Sociological Theory (30 Credits) – 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Introducing Social Policy (30 Credits) - 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Optional Modules
Currently undecided between two modules.
Sociology of Crime & Deviance (30 Credits) – 50% Coursework/Essay, 50% Closed-book exam
Exploring Social Policy and Social Justice (30 Credits) – 80% Coursework/Essay, 20% Group presentation
Blog Updates
Spoiler
Hi, I've seen you a few times on the politics forums as well as the GCSE forums a few times. Wish you all the best of luck for your degree and future and will be following this thread
, sounds like you have some interesting topics both in your core modules and your optional modules!
Good luck ^^ exciting times
Original post by GeolPhysics
Got any extra tips for studying to get better grades? Is it just do all the tutorial sheets and past papers or is there more?
Hey! I can see that from your posts that you're a current university student? I can't give any suitable advice as I don't know what studying at university is like but I hope to keep on top of my lectures and seminars whilst maintaining a healthy work/life balance and enjoy everything that uni has to offer.
Original post by Zoqua
Hi, I've seen you a few times on the politics forums as well as the GCSE forums a few times. Wish you all the best of luck for your degree and future and will be following this thread , sounds like you have some interesting topics both in your core modules and your optional modules!
, sounds like you have some interesting topics both in your core modules and your optional modules!Hey! I've seen you around as well and IIRC we're both in the MHoC - I'll be stepping down soon hopefully. Thanks for your kind words and I too, wish you the very best of luck in your academic studies. Yes, SPS at York is a very interesting course as you're technically within 3 different departments: sociology, social policy and politics and the module options are great - very flexible, especially in Years 2 and 3!
Good luck! I'd love to be tagged in this if you don't mind.
Original post by wolfmoon88
Good luck ^^ exciting times
Thanks bro!
I'll see you there mate!
Also, please can I have a tag?
Also, please can I have a tag?
Original post by barror1
I'll see you there mate!
Also, please can I have a tag?
Also, please can I have a tag?
You're already in my tag list for every blog update I make.
Look forward to seeing you there. 
Original post by Edminzodo
Good luck! I'd love to be tagged in this if you don't mind.
Thanks! Yes, I'll add you to my QFA list which needs updating btw lol.
Original post by nyxnko_
Good luck!! Could I have a tag please?
Thanks! Good luck to you too.
You're already on my tag list and will be for future blog updates.Original post by CoffeeAndPolitics
Thanks! Good luck to you too. You're already on my tag list and will be for future blog updates.
You're already on my tag list and will be for future blog updates.Thank you!
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