the christmas spirit

I remember the lead up to Christmas, the final week of term, comprising endless movies, chocolates, and fun activities in primary school. In some years of secondary school this was also the case. I remember the overwhelming levels of excitement flooding me and every one of my classmates. It’s a little bit depressing to reminisce on my childish excitement while sat in the library trying to cram my brain with history notes for my mock this week.

Yes, I’m procrastinating again by writing this blog post.

It’s the final week of term; we’re nearly there. Nearly free. I’ve been trying to get into the Christmas spirit for a while now, but failing abysmally. I gave my dog an early Christmas present (a penguin dressed as Santa) to get in the Christmas spirit, but even that failed. It was a short lived excitement watching him run wild with a penguin in his mouth. I’ve decided that he’ll be the hardest to leave when I go to university. I haven’t been more than two weeks without seeing him for seven years.

I want to feel Christmassy—I really, really do. It feels wrong not to. My college have students dressed as elves, singing Christmas songs a floor below me which is slightly annoying when I’m trying to study but at the same time I wish I felt that level of excitement. With mocks this week, coursework deadlines, and an interview on Wednesday that excitement feels impossible to achieve. Soon. Just a few days to go!

Once this final university has made its decision on whether to give me an offer or not, then I’ll have all decisions in! I’m excited to finally move onto the next stage and pick my firm and insurance choices so I can start looking at accommodation and falling in love with my (hopeful) new home.  

Anyway, I should go to class.

Happy holidays, everyone! 

Can December please slow down?

It’s the month of December. The month of the perpetual Christmas cheer. Or the month of deadlines, mock exams, and no sleep until the Christmas break finally begins. Only two weeks to go. My eyelids may be growing heavier with each word I write, but we can make it—I hope.

So, over the next two weeks I need to have three first drafts of coursework transferred from mind to paper, three mock exams sat, and one university interview for Queen Mary done (hopefully successfully). I also need to start Christmas shopping. Most of the presents I’ve bought so far are for my dog. Whoops. I know I won’t finish Christmas shopping until the final day, when I’m stressed and buried beneath a mound of wrapping paper. December, I want to love you, but you do nothing but swamp my mind, so can you chill out, please?

Something has changed this year though. I never thought I’d reach a point in my life where I would enjoy writing coursework, but I have. This time last year I was close to screaming every time someone said the word ‘coursework’. I despised my coursework last year, especially for English; we studied books and plays that I found just draining to read and write about. But this year it’s been different. Being allowed to pick my coursework texts for English has made a massive difference; I’m now studying my favourites: The Secret History, Antigone, and Romeo and Juliet, and although it’s still not a walk in the park, I’m enjoying writing about them. Same goes for history. As for creative writing, I’m writing my first ever script on my favourite topic: Greek mythology. And I’m loving it. I suppose it’s true that when you’re interested in something, it no longer seems like a chore to write about it.

Exams are on another level, though. I don’t think the day will ever come when I’m excited to sit an exam.

But the Christmas holidays are nearly here and soon I can put college work on hold and lay in bed for two weeks, eating chocolate, watching Harry Potter over and over, and thinking about all the work I’ll have to do after the break.

To all of you with too many deadlines, keep going! You can sleep soon. 

Introduction: me and my application.

Hello!

Welcome to my first blog post! Let me begin by saying I am awful at starting things. Honestly, I spent an unreasonable amount of time wondering how to begin this UCAS blog. Introductions aren’t my strong point, but let’s get to it: I’m Paige and this where I’ll be writing about my on-going university application process and related things. I’m currently in my last year of college, studying History, English, and Creative Writing. I’ve applied to Leeds, Oxford, Exeter, Queen Mary, and Nottingham. So far I have three conditional offers and an interview for History and English!

Anyway, as I said, I’m awful at starting things. I write. A lot. That’s the side effect of taking a Creative Writing A-level, but whether it’s a story or an essay, I’m terrible at beginnings. I always start at the end before anything else, which was why I struggled to begin this blog. How could I possibly start at the end here? It’s a habit; I have no idea why I do it, but that’s how it’s been in every writing project I’ve done since I was a kid. I’ve kind of been lucky in this respect. While I’ve watched my friends tear out hair and succumb to existential crisis after existential crisis, I’ve known exactly what I’ve wanted to do since I was about eight. After I discovered I loved to read more than anything else, I sat down and said, ‘I want to be a writer’. That has been an unwavering decision since.

Other than writing, if I’m not spending time with my dogs, I’m scrolling through endless feeds of social media, looking at other people’s dogs. I am the queen of procrastination. And that’s not an overstatement. I literally learnt the words to all forty-six songs of the Hamilton soundtrack to avoid writing an essay. Which isn’t helpful; my history unit is on Germany, not the American Revolution. Now my head is so clouded with Hamilton lyrics I’m starting to wonder: is there any room for information I need?

I also have the unhealthy ability to watch an entire TV series in a few days.

But that’s all for now. 

I’ll update soon!