Stridi

Hi Everyone, We can all agree that another lockdown is not ideal. We are all feeling worried about keeping ourselves occupied during another period of time at home.  What I will start off by saying, is that in some cultures across the world, a crisis is seen as an “opportunity”. And so, people are encouraged to see the positives they can take from a situation. To apply this to the previous lockdowns, how many of us had come across Zoom before 2020? Yet now we’re using it for everything – virtual family gatherings, birthday parties, business meetings, interviews and virtual meetings with friends.  Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels Hands up who blew out their birthday candles via zoom in the last few months? *raises hand* Let’s look at 5 ways to keep our mind healthy: Numero Uno: Fresh Air. Fresh air, sunshine (albeit chilly sunshine) and a bit of exercise will be vital over the next few weeks. The streets will be much quieter, and so if you’re a bit nervous or sel...

Hello! And Happy New Year from Stridi. This will just be a short piece to check in and provide some guidance for the year ahead. As much as the whole concept of “resolutions” are a bit cliché, new years do provide an opportunity for new ideas and progress. We’ve left behind a year that we can all agree was not ideal. But that year is over now. So, let’s look ahead to what we can achieve in 2021!   Photo by Julia Larson from Pexels Get That Grade: Whether you’re in your final year at uni or halfway through your first, your grades are important. In first year, you can get a taste for the work load that uni can offer and test yourself to see what grades you can target in the coming years. Top tip: there is always room for improvement, and your tutors are there to guide you. If you have made it to uni in the first place then you are clearly a bright, talented person. The sky is the limit. In third year, I cannot emphasise enough how important your tutors and lecturers are....

Hi everyone, it’s Matt again :) It's time for your second installment of our series on postgraduate courses. I gave you the detailed and (hopefully) interesting intro last time, so let’s jump straight in…. I sat down (metaphorically speaking, in the current climate) with Paul, who went to Plymouth Uni, to discuss his MSc including all my standard questions: Value for money, positives and negatives, mental health and whether or not he would recommend postgraduate study. Photo by cottonbro from Pexels “When I studied for my MSc I was given a scholarship, but I wouldn’t have done it otherwise as I do not believe it would have been value for money. At the time, there was no postgraduate loan available, so I wouldn’t have been willing to pay for it myself.” Were there any longer-term benefits to Paul’s career? “At this moment in time, it has not benefitted my career in any way, maybe in the longer term but definitely not right now. I have found that you need work experience...