Hey guys…remember me? No?
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Well, that’s okay we can get reacquainted today! 😊
Sorry for the inactivity, I’ve been a little busy lately and as I understand, so have you? With mocks coming up and exams looming, now may be be the time you’re feeling at your lowest, with study being the last thing on your mind. Things like cleaning your room, baking a batch of cookies and binge-watching YouTube videos will seem like the best ideas ever. (After cleaning my room just now, it’s safe to say this still happens in university😅).
Even though it’s currently mid-semester break I’m writing this blog in the midst of trying to finish my programming project, studying for my economics test and reviewing all the lectures that I’m not too confident about. On top of this I had to juggle multiple workshops, conferences and extra-curricular activities throughout the week. 😭 Let’s just say it’s not feeling like much of a holiday right now!
Honestly?
I just want to run.
I just want to turn away from all my commitments, grab some ice cream, plonk myself down on the couch and binge watch friends.
But I didn’t – and I’m here to convince you why you shouldn’t either!
I know it feels really really hard to focus right now, but think: what are your goals? What do you want to achieve? Is it getting into your desired university (*cough* the University of Auckland 😉)? Getting into your desired course? Or for those high achievers out there, getting a scholarship? No matter what it is, have it clear in your mind. Better yet. Write it down. Use a sharpie and coloured pencil, stickers, whatever you want, just make it BOLD. Because THIS is your goal. THIS is what you want, not watching ASMR videos on YouTube because those aren’t going to help you in life (unless of course you’re an ASMR YouTuber then… ahem… feel free to drop a link down below 🤫).
Mood 😴
Think about your extracurricular activities. Think about them carefully. Are you passionate about them? Do they help you achieve your goals? Do they at least make you happy? If the answer to all these questions is no, it’s time to drop them. Life is short, and your time is precious so, prioritising what is important to you is crucial. I remember back in high school I signed up for a whole bunch of different things, but after coming to university with over 200 clubs and societies on offer, I really didn’t have the time to join everything I wanted to (dessert club 😩😭 I’m coming). Although if your extra-curricular activities all bring value into your life and are important to you (like the gazillion and one workshops I had 😬), there’s no point playing the blame game, accept it, move on, and utilize your remaining time wisely.
I recommend cute notebooks!
To hide the horrors within…
The final point I would like to make is regarding social temptations. Back in high school, I was pretty good at suppressing the desire to meet with friends during busy periods, mainly because they were busy at the same time I was. However, in university, meeting a whole bunch of different people studying different degrees (with assignments and tests on different dates), FOMO really packs a punch. The only way around this is to finish everything beforehand (🙄 I know, I know you’ve heard it all before but it’s true). What I’ve learned to keep in mind is that my friends will still be around during the holidays, but tests and assignments come only once. Work hard now, play harder later. 💪
Remember to take a break too though! Catching up with pod mates and rewarding ourselves for … working hard 😉
Well that’s it for today! Hope this blog has inspired you (at least a little 🤞) to work hard and tackle your studies head on! Honestly, it was intended just as much for me as it was for you – I had to drag myself out of bed this morning and all I want right now is to take a nap 😴😭. In honour of this post though I’ll resist and watch some lectures first 😎.
Good luck for mocks ‘school exams’!
Cecilia
Hi Lily May, great to hear you’re applying for halls next year! I definitely think that extra-curriculars are important as the halls do want people who are involved. Personally, I don’t think it matters tooo much though, because based off what I saw last year, everyone (who had a decent enough rank score and reviews from their teachers etc.) got into their hall of preference, except for University Hall Towers. Many of my friends were wait listed for UHT and were given the choice of switching to another hall or staying on the wait list, then people still on the wait list were chosen from a random ballot (so it was pretty much left up to chance).
It was definitely Year 12 grades/rank score that mattered the most and I reckon the extra-curriculars/tell me about yourself section is more for floor/room placement.
Personally, I focused a lot on service activities in my final year (yay for volunteering!) and did a bunch of miscellaneous things too, though I focused on one or two activities that I was most passionate about in my application. I would definitely, definitely, recommend you do that too. Remember quality over quantity! They will be more impressed/get a better sense of who you are if you talk about the clubs you were most interested/involved in, rather than the ones you think will look good in your application.
Hope that helps and good luck! 🙂
Hi Cecilia, I’m a year 13 student looking to apply for hall of residence at UoA this year and I just have a question about the accommodation selection process of applicants. Since in the online application form there’s a section which asked you to talk about your school/community involvements, do you know how much are extra-curricular weighted in the selection process? If you don’t mind, are you able to tell your extra-curricular achievements at high school, and how much do you think it factored into your hall offerings? Thanks 😄 (sorry that this comment is rather off the topic of this blog)