New year, new plan

“New year, new me!”

It’s the phrase you’ll hear many a person bandy about in the next few days – some with a greater hint of irony than others, and some with greater success!

But whereas the eclectic multitudes of New Years Resolutions that I’ve ever made have fallen flat after I’ve hit the junk-food-embellished annual period known as “January exams” (after all, something has to get you through all those lecture notes!), this year I’m hoping to adopt a different approach to the challenge of personal reformation. And although I go into it feeling less than confident in my odds of success as always, I’m hoping 2014 will allow me a (relatively!) clean break to hit the personal goals I’ve had floating around my head for a while, but never really managed to accomplish.

Because so far, third year has been somewhat… well… busy! As you might’ve been able to tell from my last blog post, the amount of extra-curricular activities I managed to fit in around my degree, particularly in terms of Performing Arts shows I was involved in, declined significantly after the joys of the Edinburgh Fringe and the summer holidays, and not just because of the post-show blues! It should have been expected given the importance of the year from an academic perspective – in my course, for instance, the year’s results count for a massive 40% of my total degree classification, double last year – but it still took me aback just how big the step-up is in terms of time commitment, particularly if you’re aiming to attain a First as most, if not all, of the bright and motivated people in Southampton frequently do.

Upon reflection, however, although I’ve occasionally been unrealistic in the amount I’ve taken on in the past couple of years (I guess you have to learn to say “no” from time to time!), it’s sometimes been exacerbated by the fact that, as is the case with many students, I can, at times, be a spectacularly good procrastinator! It’s remarkably easy, considering the apparent extra importance of having a clean room, an empty laundry basket or a well-stocked fridge – all of which jump to mind when you know you have something much more worthwhile to do!

It’s important, but can be quite tough, to strike the right balance between work and play – or, in my case, plays!

But in my case, I sometimes found it could often manifest itself in many ways, particularly in terms of assignments. As I’m approaching the tail end of my degree programme in Southampton (a frankly terrifying thing to write!), it appears that pieces of coursework have been delving into increasingly more challenging and seemingly dense topics, which could often on the surface seem quite intimidating.

For example, glancing at the specification of one assignment in particular, I had no idea of how or even where to begin, but as I put it off in favour of completing tasks which looked more easy to accomplish, the need to get started grew more and more, until it got to the stage where I needed to just see it off once and for all. And, to my surprise, once I’d well and truly thrown myself into it, parts of the topics covered began to click into place slowly but surely, until I reached a level of understanding where I felt I could give the assignment my best shot, somehow answering all the questions to a decent extent – or, at least, I could write down something which seemed to make sense at the time, even if this isn’t the case a month or two down the line!

So I guess my resolution (if the endless potential distractions allow me to keep it!) would be to remember that, ultimately, as a student and person you’re not expected to be superhuman in Southampton. Distractions can happen, things can go wrong, and the University and people around you will understand that – although it’s best to try and avoid them obviously! And academically, although things can seem complicated across the board at times, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses - for example, I love the creative aspects of Software Engineering like design and programming, but struggle with some of the more abstract and theoretically-rooted principles – so the curriculum is designed to be varied enough and aware of that fact to reflect this requirement.

I’m not saying that getting good marks in third year is meant to be, or indeed will be, at all easy; more that, if I can remind myself of what I’ve learnt from this first term, and indeed the rest of 2013, while having a rich and varied life outside of the lecture theatre, doing so should be very much achievable – so here’s hoping! If I can just take each challenge as it comes, and throw myself into it as early as possible to give myself the best turnover in terms of work, I’ll have done all I can, and the final result will hopefully reflect that. After all, one of my favourite aspects of university life is the way you always feel like you’re learning something new, be it a new module, a new life skill, a new programming language, a new hobby or getting to know a new person, a new experience, or even a new variation on beans on toast (and one day I hope to learn how to cook!).

So looking at what I could take from a deadline-packed first part of the year, I feel like I learned a great deal about time management techniques (particularly in getting the most out of the hours between lectures), about dealing with pressure when things begin to mount (and the need to avoid panicking, tricky though it may be!), and about my own limitations (for example, I found towards the end of the term that the later I worked, the slower – sleep really is necessary!). Hence if I can take this all forward with me and combine it with the awesome events I have to look forward to – the Curtain Call awards, Little Shop of Horrors and Guys ‘n Dolls, and the completion of the SUSUtv film, the Society, for instance - I should be well set for a third academic year, and a 2014, to remember.

On top of that, in 2014 I’d love to make a return to stand-up comedy at some point, complete my driving test after a brief hiatus from lessons, and continue to throw myself into new and exciting challenges (in moderation) on a weekly basis to give me that extra motivation to drive me on.

As with 2013, it’s going to be a fantastic year around Southampton – so here we go!

Robin