As you may have guessed if you follow me on instagram (@erinkaywilliams), I have been working with some big and small cats at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, my last placement on my placement year.
Showing posts with label student. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student. Show all posts
Friday, 8 May 2015
My New Placement- Wildlife Heritage Foundation
As you may have guessed if you follow me on instagram (@erinkaywilliams), I have been working with some big and small cats at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, my last placement on my placement year.
Saturday, 20 September 2014
My Next Exciting Chapter
 |
| I will be where the red dot is, Lajuma Research Centre, South Africa! |
So today I leave the comfort of my home in Cheshire to start a new 3 month adventure in South Africa. After successfully gaining my placement back in April to work as a research assistant conducting Primate Predator research I am finally all packed and ready to go.
It feels like it has taken forever to come around and now that I am leaving this afternoon I'm in a panic as to whether or not I am ready at all!
I still find it impossible to put 3 months on a scale, this summer feels like it has been going on forever and it has only been 3 and a half months since I finished my final exam for second year. All I know is that I am so excited to get to see a part of the world that not many will, as I am so far away from the nearest town or village. I can truly say I will be living with nature at its finest which is incredible!
I will continue blogging during my year in industry when I have the time or find something that I think you will all find slightly interesting, so my next post will be from the other side of world.
I hope the rest of you all have an amazing year whether you are at University or, like me, exploring.
Love
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Freshers Guide to University
Heading to University has to be one of the most daunting experiences I have ever had to do. Saying goodbye to all my life long friends and heading to a city where I had only visited a handful of times, live with people I didn't know and study a course which I hoped would allow me to work towards the career that I want was a scary prospect and so this year, before I start another new adventure I thought I would give you all my top tips for starting University.
Walking into a flat that you have to call home for the next year and meeting a bunch of complete strangers is never going to be an easy thing but after a week or two you soon adjust to living away from home and start to enjoy all your new found freedom. When I first arrived at halls I remember the huge amount of people carrying box upon box to their new small rooms. After unloading the car and a nearly tearful goodbye to my mum I entered the kitchen where I met 6 of my new housemates. After our first night out the rest was history and I proceeded to live with 5 of them again this year.
Everyone is in the same position- Everyone has just arrived and everyone is desperate to make friends and get to know people so if you're worried about making friends then don't. Just remember that you are meeting people with the exact same worries that you have and so you all have something in common!
You won't remain friends with everyone and that's OK- After my first night out at Uni I was convinced that I had found the people I would be friends with for the rest of my time at university, but just because you get along with people doesn't mean you have to be best friends. I still see and talk to the girls I met that week but since freshers week I have met so many more people that I get along with just as well, if not better, and so its important to remember that you make friends throughout your time at university and not just at the beginning.
Take advantage of Freshers Fairs- Freshers Fairs are a great way to see what opportunities and societies there are available at your new University. You can speak to the members of the societies and see if it's something you would be interested in trying. At Leeds university they have Give it a Go sessions so that you can try out the society to see if you enjoy it before having to fully commit!
Join a Society- Following on from above, I've met some of my best friends through societies! The people you meet clearly have common interests and so getting involved is a great way to meet more people. Leeds have over 300 societies and so there really is something for everyone whether that's your course society, like ZooSoc or GeogSoc to Snowriders, Cheerleading or Quiddich you will most likely find something you're interested in so why not get involved!
Stay Organised- Staying on top of reading, essay writing, attending lectures, going out for most of the night 3/4 times a week, along with taking part in a society, especially if that's a sports team with training, is hard going. My advice is to plan out what you have each week on the Sunday night before the chaos starts, that way you know what is coming and can see when you have to do. Having a good diary/ organiser is crucial, I use WH Smiths planners with a page a day as they are the perfect size to fit in my bag along with enough space to write down what I need, a large planner for your wall is also brill to help you see when your deadlines are.
Notes, Notes and more Notes- When in lectures, taking notes on a laptop or paper is really useful, everyone is different as I personally write mine out after going through the lecture in my own time with a recording of the lecturer speaking what's being discussed on the slides. Keeping lecture recordings is often useful for revision if you don't understand a part of a slide so you are able to listen again at a later date.
It DOES matter- Ignore the people who say just get the 40% to pass, if you are thinking of doing a year in industry/abroad at any university then you need a 2:1 minimum, these marks are also used, especially for year studying abroad to decide which university you may be placed at. Those with the highest first year marks will be given the best university places.
In Biology/Zoology, additional field courses often go to those with the highest marks in first year as well, so although the grades themselves don't count towards your degree, they may greatly effect the opportunities you have during your time at University.
80 is the new 100%- When I was only getting 65/70% in my first term at Uni I was devastated, I couldn't understand why I couldn't get higher, but at uni getting anything above an 80% is very rare. At school you are told that you need over 90% to get an A but at Uni that is just not true. 60-70% is a 2:1 and ask any second or third year and they will tell you that they would be very happy with a mark in that bracket!
Stay fit- Lots of Universities give out free gym memberships to first years, use it! You hear loads of people talk about putting on weight at uni which is mainly down to the huge amounts of calories consumed during nights out and hardly any burnt sat in a lecture theatre, so either hit the gym or join a sport society allowing you to exercise, socialise and party.
Water is your new BFF- Water, have it ready by the bed when you get in and make sure you drink at least two glasses before you fall to sleep after a night out. Have a bottle in your bag for when your dehydrated or falling asleep in lectures and try and have some in the morning too. Water really will help with hangovers, boredom and keep you awake,
TOP TIP, also have an apple in the morning, its scientifically proven to be as effective as caffeine first thing (well, apparently).
Money, No Worries- Starting uni can often be the first time you have a large quantity of money readily available to you. Make a list of what you know to be coming in and out such as rent and student finance and then see how much you will have each week. Another piece of advice is to not get a overdraft and if you do only make it small! This will prevent you from spending money which isn't yours
Enjoy yourself- first year is for settling into your new life and getting to know new people, so don't panic if you aren't on top of everything immediately, it takes time to get everything under control.
Good luck to all those starting uni this year!
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11472089/?claim=xwbrcqtxmm4">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Walking into a flat that you have to call home for the next year and meeting a bunch of complete strangers is never going to be an easy thing but after a week or two you soon adjust to living away from home and start to enjoy all your new found freedom. When I first arrived at halls I remember the huge amount of people carrying box upon box to their new small rooms. After unloading the car and a nearly tearful goodbye to my mum I entered the kitchen where I met 6 of my new housemates. After our first night out the rest was history and I proceeded to live with 5 of them again this year.
Everyone is in the same position- Everyone has just arrived and everyone is desperate to make friends and get to know people so if you're worried about making friends then don't. Just remember that you are meeting people with the exact same worries that you have and so you all have something in common!
You won't remain friends with everyone and that's OK- After my first night out at Uni I was convinced that I had found the people I would be friends with for the rest of my time at university, but just because you get along with people doesn't mean you have to be best friends. I still see and talk to the girls I met that week but since freshers week I have met so many more people that I get along with just as well, if not better, and so its important to remember that you make friends throughout your time at university and not just at the beginning.
Take advantage of Freshers Fairs- Freshers Fairs are a great way to see what opportunities and societies there are available at your new University. You can speak to the members of the societies and see if it's something you would be interested in trying. At Leeds university they have Give it a Go sessions so that you can try out the society to see if you enjoy it before having to fully commit!
Join a Society- Following on from above, I've met some of my best friends through societies! The people you meet clearly have common interests and so getting involved is a great way to meet more people. Leeds have over 300 societies and so there really is something for everyone whether that's your course society, like ZooSoc or GeogSoc to Snowriders, Cheerleading or Quiddich you will most likely find something you're interested in so why not get involved!
Stay Organised- Staying on top of reading, essay writing, attending lectures, going out for most of the night 3/4 times a week, along with taking part in a society, especially if that's a sports team with training, is hard going. My advice is to plan out what you have each week on the Sunday night before the chaos starts, that way you know what is coming and can see when you have to do. Having a good diary/ organiser is crucial, I use WH Smiths planners with a page a day as they are the perfect size to fit in my bag along with enough space to write down what I need, a large planner for your wall is also brill to help you see when your deadlines are.
Notes, Notes and more Notes- When in lectures, taking notes on a laptop or paper is really useful, everyone is different as I personally write mine out after going through the lecture in my own time with a recording of the lecturer speaking what's being discussed on the slides. Keeping lecture recordings is often useful for revision if you don't understand a part of a slide so you are able to listen again at a later date.
It DOES matter- Ignore the people who say just get the 40% to pass, if you are thinking of doing a year in industry/abroad at any university then you need a 2:1 minimum, these marks are also used, especially for year studying abroad to decide which university you may be placed at. Those with the highest first year marks will be given the best university places.
In Biology/Zoology, additional field courses often go to those with the highest marks in first year as well, so although the grades themselves don't count towards your degree, they may greatly effect the opportunities you have during your time at University.
80 is the new 100%- When I was only getting 65/70% in my first term at Uni I was devastated, I couldn't understand why I couldn't get higher, but at uni getting anything above an 80% is very rare. At school you are told that you need over 90% to get an A but at Uni that is just not true. 60-70% is a 2:1 and ask any second or third year and they will tell you that they would be very happy with a mark in that bracket!
Stay fit- Lots of Universities give out free gym memberships to first years, use it! You hear loads of people talk about putting on weight at uni which is mainly down to the huge amounts of calories consumed during nights out and hardly any burnt sat in a lecture theatre, so either hit the gym or join a sport society allowing you to exercise, socialise and party.
Water is your new BFF- Water, have it ready by the bed when you get in and make sure you drink at least two glasses before you fall to sleep after a night out. Have a bottle in your bag for when your dehydrated or falling asleep in lectures and try and have some in the morning too. Water really will help with hangovers, boredom and keep you awake,
TOP TIP, also have an apple in the morning, its scientifically proven to be as effective as caffeine first thing (well, apparently).
Money, No Worries- Starting uni can often be the first time you have a large quantity of money readily available to you. Make a list of what you know to be coming in and out such as rent and student finance and then see how much you will have each week. Another piece of advice is to not get a overdraft and if you do only make it small! This will prevent you from spending money which isn't yours
Enjoy yourself- first year is for settling into your new life and getting to know new people, so don't panic if you aren't on top of everything immediately, it takes time to get everything under control.
Good luck to all those starting uni this year!
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11472089/?claim=xwbrcqtxmm4">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Monday, 22 July 2013
Namibia - Day Seven, Eight & Nine
NeurasSo we all got on the bus at 7.30, Harriet and Mowenna left to go on Safari. The bus drive to get there was about 4.5 hours with a break on the way.
We finally arrived at about 13.00 and it was so beautiful! The courtyard is pretty with green grass, flower beds and a place where they cook the braai. After lunch we got to relax which felt very surreal as we hadn't ever had free time in the day at N/a'an ku se! At 16.30 we went on a sundown drive where we went to the top of a hill and all sat with a cider in hand watching the sun set. It was really beautful. We then returned to a platter of cheese and biscuits whilst we waited for our Braai to cook. Everyone sat chatting and getting to know each other. At dinner I got to experience different types of of food such as springbok steaks. The food in Africa may be very different but its so tasty that you really cant complain at all. Not having phone signal is also slightly liberating in many ways as you really dont have to think about anything bar the moment you are in.Neuras - Day Two
After having a full nights sleep without feeling cold or waking up due to the sounds of peacocks i felt amazing. After breakfast we were split into two groups. My group did a trail which meant that we learnt how to work the GPS as well. This walk was about 3km. After that we got shown how to work a camera trap for the first time and then sent out to go and change the memory card in a camera by a watering hole. We biked to the watering hole though which was highly entertaining due to it being so hilly and so my legs were dead by the end of the 6 km ride.After returning we went through all the pictures that the memory card we had collected had on which was mainly Kudu, springbok and then there were a few Zebra and some baboons.
Once the other group returned we went on a game drive where we saw lots of Ostriches and Kudu, Matt managed to get lost and so the route took another hour. The day was enjoyable to say the least and ending it with a hot shower made it all so much better!Neuras -Day Three
On the Monday we were with Matt who is completing his masters out in Namibia monitoring the wildlife present in Neuras along with trying to use 2 camera traps positioned opposite each other to be able to photograph both sides of cheetahs, leopards and hyenas as this will enable identification of the animals even if only one side of the animal is photographed again. He had divided the park up into two halves so had 5 sites with 2 cameras at each time and so we were out looking for possible new sites that were in the half where the study had yet to be conducted. We walked about 10km through the canons in search of sites. The first sight we went to was a real possibility but after we reached the second site it was decided that the pathway was to narrow to be able to place two cameras along with the other problem that there was far to much vegetation so that you would never be able to gain a clear image of the animal even if it did walk past one camera clearly and so it was no use. During the walk we learnt how to identify leopard prints and the difference between leopard, hyena and cheetahs due to how big the pad is, the distribution of their toes around the pad and whether they have large/little indents into the pad.
I finally managed to finish my first book of the holiday, in which i will write a review for another time called 'The Thread' by Victoria Hislop which was very beautifully written.
The monday was a very odd day as although everyone seems to love their jobs I cant help but notice the negativity of all the Zoology researchers I had met since going on the trip as they all seems to say just how hard it really is for anyone that wants to go into animal conservation work.Its such a sad state of affairs that you now have to pay someone else to give you a job and its so old fashioned. No one should have to pay £3000 just to go and work, there needs to be many more places that have people pay their board by working, to me the system is so floored and means that any one who wants to work with animals will constantly have an uphill battle with getting to do what they want to not even be paid but not have to be paid for. Its such an angry situation to be in to know that you may never be paid to do what you want but in my mind someone is gonna have to try very hard to stop me from getting to do what I want.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)