Going to University

Admittedly, its been almost a year since I ventured on to this blog, an I'm pretty ashamed about it.
I've had my reasons, or one big reason, being the stressful mess of being a student doing A-levels. And although I love blogging, I had to prioritise and quite frankly it worked, because here I am, explaining that I'm going off to university.

I'm still slightly in shock. I was far more prepared to be commiserating than I was to be celebrating on that dreaded 18th of August results day. I'm not even sure why, I didn't feel like the exams went horrifically, I was pretty prepared, but something inside me was yelling 'You've definitely failed!' My old friend anxiety, I'm sure.

But, I'm basically doing this post as an update, letting you all know where I've been and where I'm going.

I am going to the University of York at the end of the month, which is pretty much on the other end of the country, around 5 hours away. I'm very excited but I'm also absolutely terrified, but I'm sure everyone else is too. I'm just believing the phrase I've heard every day for the past couple months 'Everyone will be in the same boat'.

I do plan on blogging more at university, I'll have more spare time and I plan on partaking in a magazine or radio, and this blog will be very useful in helping me practise at writing and just getting to know my own style.

Thank you all for being so patient, if anyone is even still reading.

I promise to be more active, and an A-levels advise post will be coming very soon, in which I talk about what I did right and tell you how you can learn from my mistakes, because boy, I made a few.

Lots of love,
RubyLauren xx

18 Things I Learned by Age 18

(I'm aware the photo has no relevance, but I have very limited access to photos at the moment, so I thought it would do. In the queue for Harry Potter World Florida in July 2014)

When you're reading this, it'll be my birthday! I've turned 18 which means I'm now classed as an adult by society, however as my colleague says 'You can be an adult without being a grown up'. I can write a will, I can vote and I can drink. So, it's a pretty big deal I guess. This is why I've decided to think about the most important mistakes and lessons I've learned over these 18 years, and share them with you all. Plus, I'm 18 on the 18th, how cool is that??

Just to warn, these will range from the most stupid things to the deepest things you'll have ever heard, and that's basically a summary of who I am!

1. Get close with your teachers.

I'm not talking weird relationship type close. I've learnt too late that chatting and getting to know teachers is actually very useful. Throughout high school I barely did this, and just accepted teachers were teachers and that's the way it was. However, since getting to college I've realised that being close with your teacher gives you a major bonus. They'll give you super helpful advice and when it comes to writing things like references, it means they have a better idea of who you are. Talk to your teachers, seriously.

2. Don't let anyone with no hairdressing experience touch your hair.

Luckily, this wasn't a cutting experience, and my hair actually ended up looking alright. However, it's not exactly the ideal when hair that's meant to go brown, goes purple. The look on my mum's face when we dried my hair was priceless! However, luckily for me, Cheryl (Cole at the time, Fernandez-Versini now) had just dyed her hair purple, so everyone thought it was really cool. So, thanks Cheryl, no thanks mum...

3. If you like a band/artist, you listen to that band/artist.

According to a lot of people I'm friends with, I have a shitty music taste. My friends are all very heavy rock/screamo, where as I'll listen to anything under the sun. My playlist goes from Bieber to Bon Jovi and I wouldn't have it any other way. Don't be embarrassed by your music taste, if you like it, you sing and dance to it as much as you wish.

4. Don't drink straight gin.

This is something I'm very glad I've learned before I go out drinking legally in public. You mix gin with things, you don't drink it straight. Otherwise you'll end up very drunk  sitting on someone's stairs, calling your friends 'dicks' and saying 'bruh' a lot. I've learnt from that mistake. And that's not at all a personal anecdote...cough cough.

5. If a situation makes yourself very anxious, you don't have to force yourself in to it.

I always thought I had to push myself to overcome my anxiety by making myself deal with situations that freaked me out. However, in most cases it leads to more harm than good, and it'll double the problem if I start panicking. You shouldn't not do things you're just nervous about, but if it makes you physically ill, think twice about it.

6. Don't drink a milkshake before a flight when you're mildly lactose intolerant.

I threw up three times on a 9 hour flight, that's all I have to say. It's stupid but it's a lesson learnt.

7. Take as many damn selfies as you like.

If you look cute, take a selfie. If you're with friends, take a selfie. With family? Take a selfie. You can't take too many selfies. You'll look back at them and remember those good days and it'll make you smile.

8. Look after your skin.

I was pretty blessed by the fact I've never had severe acne, so I've akways been able to use pretty basic skin care and get pretty good results. However, I've only recently started really caring about my skin. I used to sleep with my make-up on, never drink any water and eat complete crap and wonder why I kept getting spots; I was very naive 14 year old. However now I have a pretty lengthy but qite simple skin routine I do every night, make sure I drink a lot of water, and try to eat less crap, my my skin's pretty decent! If only I could tell my 14 year old self to do that.

9. Being girly is not a bad thing (and don't judge other girls overall)

I used to believe being girly was the worst thing I could be. I used to try hard to be so ~not like the other girls~ and now I realise; who damn cares? I love girly things! I think pink is a pretty colour, I bow down to women who can do perfect contouring and dresses are super fun to wear. There's this really awful vibe that it isn't acceptable for teenage girls to like anything except girly things, and when they like girly things they're judged as well. Girls used to judge other girls constantly when I was younger, but luckily society has changed now. Girls are becoming less judgmental of each other, which is a good step. We've got enough judgement coming from EVERYWHERE else, without judging each other. #GirlPower

10. Don't force others to help you, help yoursef.

This is defintley a more serious one. I relied on a certain person, a close friend at the time, to help me through tough times, and I shouldn't of done. I moaned to her every night about something or the other, and pretty much rely on her to make me happy. This isn't a healthy friendship. I wasn't doing anything to help myself. So when we argued and eventually fell out, I was lost. And that's when I realised I should help myself, and not force anyone else. So I picked myself back up and apologised later on. We're not as good friends as we were, but we're chatting when we see each other. So basically, if you're relying on someone else to make you happy, take a good look at yourself first and make sure you're doing everything you can for yourself. You are your own best healer.

11. Being alone is okay.

Since aged about 13 til now, everyone I know has always been in and out of relationships, to the extent I couldn't keep up. However, I've learnt not to care. I hadn't been in a proper relationship ever until very recently, and I used to be bitter but this year especially, I learned not to be. A switch just went and I suddenly didn't care about being with someone and I wasn't bitter, and it felt f***ing great. Don't be the bitter friend, everyone will hate it.

12. Watch the news.

I watch the news everyday, and have done for a couple years now and you would not realise the difference it makes. Being aware of things that are happening outside your house/town/city is so important, just for worldly knowledge and in your education. Especially now, as political policies ar starting to impact me, its more important than ever.

13. Eat an hour before exams, and only drink water just before and during.

I discovered this perfect combination at GCSE time (I mean I had 20 exams, I had the time to perfect it). If I don;t eat, I feel ill and if I do eat just before, I feel ill. So eating an hour before means you get the sugar to keep you buzzed and stops your stomach from grumbling in exams. You may be tempted to have an energy drink before an exam, but it made my brain so active I couldn't focus for the first 10 minutes of my maths exam, so just drink water.

14. Grades aren't everything (but that shouldn't stop them being important)

Grades arent everything. It's true. There's a reason everyone says that. However, I'm academic and that's just who I am. I'm not the most creative or talented person, but I love learning and I'm good at taking exams and writing essays. So, grades are important to me, as it's what I'm good at. I had a friend in Year 11, who was completely against academia and would say things like 'If you focus on grades, your not living life' and 'You're stupid if you need grades to feel accomplished'. But you know what, those grades will get me to college and to university.  That university will get me my dream job, which will contribute to me having the best life possible. My life's dream since I was younger was to go to university, and that requires grades. So sure, grades aren't everything, but some people really care about them, so don't judge them for that.

15. You're tall and have big feet; deal with it.

I used to hate my height and my feet, which is dumb. Who gives? Nobody does.

16. Work colleagues are some of the best friends you'll ever have.

Even though I only work Saturdays, I meet a lot of people at my work as they rotate Saturdays, and honestly they're some of the best people I've ever met. Being in education since I was 5 means I only really know people my age. However, working, I've made friends with people who are twice to triple my age, and they're some of the funniest and most caring people I've ever met. They even grouped together and got me a birthday present! It makes work, and life in general, a hell of a lot easier.

17. Pets are also some of the best friends you'll ever have.
Whenever you're down, a pet can always be a friend to talk to, and sometimes it seems as if they're actually listening and can understand you. I don't think anyone should have to live without a little furry friend in the house.I know that except for my university years,I'm going to try and have one all the time. You can't be sad for long with a pet in the house.

18. (The big deep one) You are you. Don't change, unless it's for you.

I know this seems ridiculously cliche and obvious, but it's something I have to tell myself regularly. Being a teenager now days is more difficult than ever, with the media completely focused on the negative world and constantly portraying teenagers in conflicting ways. Be skinny, be big, go to school, get a job. But I've learnt to essentially 'just do you'. I am shy, education orientated and relatively chubby person. Yes, I'm trying to lose weight, but that's to make MYSELF feel better, but the other two I've accepted. I'll never be willing to stand up and present, but when I do, I know I can do it well and relatively confidently, but I'll never take the first step, and that's okay.

I'm me, and after 18 years, more so than ever.

Lots of love,
RubyLauren xx

Ruby Reviews: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; the book and the West End show.

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, college has just started and I was a little bit inundated with homework and various other things. However, I’ve got a little bit of time now, so I thought I would do another ‘Ruby Reviews’

‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ is a book I’d been hearing about for a long time. It had quite a substantial presence on the internet, and a few people I knew had read it, but other than that I’d not thought much about it. However, suddenly I’d seen that it had been turned in to a show and everyone was raving about it. Whenever I went up to London, the postersfor itwere everywhere and it just seemed like everyone was talking about it. It eventually became one of those things that I really wanted to see/read but just never got round to it. Then finally, I managed to see it whilst upin London in August, and felt I needed to reach the book straight afterwards.

Despite the fact that I saw the show first, I feel I should talk about the book mainly, so everything makes sense, but I’ll slip my opinions in for the show when I can.

‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ is a book written by Mark Haddon. It’s essentially the story of Christopher, who is 15 years old, and is believed to have Aspergers despite it never being fully mentioned within the book. When his neighbour’s dog is murdered, he goes on a search for the murderer and ends up finding out a lot more than he was first looking for. I won’t say what, as that would spoil it for anyone who wants to read it.

The book is written from Christopher’s point of view in first person, and Haddon captures the voice of Christopher remarkably well. As I previously mentioned, you can tell that Christopher has Aspergers or a similar condition from the get go, and this is due to Haddon’s incredible writing. Aspergers is a condition that is not often written about, and there are very few Aspergers characters in books. So for Haddon to have written a book where the main character has this condition is incredible enough let alone being able to write from the point of view. He captures the mindset very well by showing the confusion and straight forward-ness of Christopher’s character. He clearly has done an astonishing amount of research before writing, to prefect this character and to make sure the reader can really understand Christopher’s thoughts.

This was also expressed in a beautiful way within the show. The show was a very modern and technical one, with lighting and music being a huge influence, more so than in any other show I’ve seen. They used lighting and sound in a way to make us feels if we were inside Christopher’s mind. For example, one part of Christopher’s personality is that he doesn’t like being physically handled by anyone, and when he does, he lashes out. Whenever this occurred in the show, the lighting would flash intensely, with a white noise sound playing, as if to make the audience feel uncomfortable so they can really empathises with how Christopher’s mind is at these points in time. It works very well, and personally, I found it amazing.

Another thing I found great, which I love in any book, was the complexity of the characters. I hate it when there are specified ‘bad guys’ and ‘good guys’, and I think that when there are, its perhaps because the author couldn’t really be bothered to delve deep in to the characters. The characters I’m really referring to in ‘A curious incident of the dog in the night-time’ are Christopher’s mother and father. At first, it seems very black and white, but as the story deepens, the good-ness and bad-ness of both characters becomes very complicated, but not in a way where it becomes difficult to read. Also, Hodden beautifully shows the struggles of having a child with Christopher’s condition, which can be a touchy subject for many people. However, he does it in almost a comforting way, in order not to cause offense, which I think is very clever.

This was expressed incredibly well by the actors in the show. I thought they were incredible actors and presented the parts so well. It’s rare you get an actor who represents the characters you build in your head so well, but the casting really was incredible. So, I’d recommend going to see the show whilst Nicholas Tennant (Christopher’s father) and Mary Stockley (Christopher’s mother) are still in it, because they really are amazing actors.

If this were any other book, I’d probably comment on the simplicity of the language, because I’ll be honest, the language used was very basic. However, as it is from the point of view of Christopher, this can be excused. I believe the language is probably intentionally simplified, to put across Christopher’s voice in the best way possible. So, the basic-ness of the language can definitely be excused, as it helps the telling of the story.

Other than the minor language thing, I really don’t have anything negative to say. The book is very well written and the show is very well cast. The book is an easy read and easy to understand, yet the story is riveting and you really don’t want to put the book down. I literally read it in a day, after being so excited after watching the show.

So yeah, basically, read the book and see the show! They’re both great in my opinion, which makes for a pretty boring review.

Lots of love,

RubyLauren xx

The Good, The Bad, and the Chippies: The Reality of Living in a British Seaside Town

If you’ve read pretty much all of my posts, you’ll know that I live in the UK. However, I haven’t expressed much that I actually live in quite a small seaside town on the South-east coast of England. I won’t say exactly where, for obvious reasons, but it’s about 30-45 minutes from Brighton by train.

Whenever I meet anyone who doesn’t live by the coast I always get the typical ’Oh I’d LOVE to live by the sea.’ I get it, I do. I really take the fact I live near the sea for granted. I’ll start by saying that I do know how lucky I am and that people would kill to live in the area I do. BUT, it’s not all fun and games by the sea.

That’s the summary of this post. The good side and the bad side to living in a seaside town in England.

(PS: To anyone who doesn’t understand ‘Chippies’; it’s slang for fish and chip shops, which I’ll definitely be getting to later.)

The Good

• It’s pretty. One of my favourite views in the entire world is down my local seafront just as the sun is setting, especially on a clear day. The sky is all different colours and the sea reflects that. But any time of day in pretty much any weather, you can admire the site of the beach and the sea. It really is incredible, and when I move away for university, it’s something that I’m definitely going to miss.
• You can always get a good ice-cream. This is something small but definitely a plus. This applies more in the summer, clearly, but you can still always find an ice-cream in the winter too. I believe personally that the best ice-cream in the world is from a place called Di-Paulos café, which is right near the beach in the centre of my town. It’s run by an Italian family and honestly, I could probably live on their ice cream and the ridiculous amount of flavours they have. So whether you like a bubblegum ice-cream with sprinkles and chocolate, or just a plain old Mr Whippy, you’d get it in a seaside town.
• It’s cool. As in, regarding the temperature. If a rare scorching day comes across England, then by the sea is the best place to be. Not only is it always cooler, but you can bask in the sun on the beach and maybe even take a dip in the sea. It’s great in the summer to just walk from college and chill out on the beach for a while.
• Supposedly it is healthier to live by the sea. I know that research has been done regarding this; however, working in a pharmacy, I struggle to believe this.

The Bad

• SEAGULLS. Although seagulls appear to be popping up across the country now, at the coast we have to deal with them the most. Lots of people call them the ‘vermin of the skies’ and wouldn’t go that far, but they’re certainly a pain. Want to have a bag of chips on the beach? Forget it. You will be surrounded and probably dived on at some point. They seem to not be phased by humans at all. I was sitting in a café just the other day, and a little girl sitting on a table outside had her chips stolen by a seagull! It’s completely crazy.
• To quote ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging’ which was partly filmed in the next town over, it seems tube ‘God’s waiting room’. There are a LOT of elderly people, and although this isn’t that bad in itself, it leads toothier issues. Young people get bored. There is nothing to do, as obviously the town focuses on its elderly residents, so pretty much the beach is the only fun we can have. So yeah, it’s great for retirees but not too great to grow up in.
• Tourists and foreign students. In the summer, it’s a constant sight to see students EVERYWHERE. I get that where I live, it’s not too far to London or Brighton and it’s also cheap to stay, but honestly you can’t keep up. It’s the certain students, not all obviously as it would be wrong to generalise, that are so loud and just generally rude that make summer something to dread a little bit. It’s the same with tourists. The majority are nice and polite, but the odd few clearly just don’t understand English manners. Living in a hot-spot, this is something you have to deal with a lot on the coast, and it becomes very annoying very quickly.
• It’s windy as hell. Due to being by the sea, there’s nothing really protecting our little town from the wind. This can be nice on hot days, as you always get a nice breeze, but on cold days, it’s almost a form of torture to be down the beach. It actually stings your face, and you can guarantee your cheeks will go tomato red. It’s freezing!
• Chippies EVERYWHERE. I think I’ve come to the conclusion there are 4 specific chip shops in our town centre, and many more cafes that offer it. I think it’s a novelty thing really, but they seem to be doing really well. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of fish and chips and I guess there are lots of people who are and living by the sea it can’t get much fresher.

So that’s it! In my personal experience of living in a seaside town, these are the positives and negatives that I have picked up. Obviously, this is specific to the town I live in/surrounding towns, so it won’t be the same everywhere! Overall, I’m happy I live by the sea despite the negatives and I know I’m very lucky, and I also know I 100% take it for granted. Living by the seaside is pretty rad, and I think everyone should do it at least some point in their lives.

Lots of love,

RubyLauren xx

So pretty...

Sutton Trust Summer School at University College London

As a disclaimer; this is a very UK based post. I’m sure there are similar things in other countries, but I have absolutely no idea about them.

So a few months ago, at around March time, I applied to go on a summer school at University College London (UCL for short), via The Sutton Trust. This was an English themed summer school and I’d been looking at studying English for a while AND doing so at UCL. Somehow, I managed to get accepted and here I am, having just come back from the week-long experience, and I’m about to tell you how fantastic it was.

Now first things first, if you are between 14 and about my age, so 17 and living in the UK, then the Sutton Trust is definitely something that you ought to know about. They fund summer schools from around Year 9 to Year 12, and prestigious universities across England and there’s even one programme that goes to America to visit top universities there. I believe most of them are aimed at people from underprivileged areas, whose parents haven’t gone to university and are successful academically, but I’m not an expert so maybe this isn't the case for all of them. I just know that it was for my summer school. So yeah, basically the Sutton Trust is a very good thing to be aware of. Just Google them to find out more. (That sounded like I’m being sponsored but I promise I’m not.)

It was brilliant. I never thought I’d say that. Just before I went I was terrified and thought I was going to hate the entire week, but knew I had to go in order to improve my chance of not just getting accepted to UCL but also many other universities would be impressed by my attendance.

It was a busy week. We were literally doing things from around 9am until at least 10:30pm with minimal chill time in-between. However, everything we did was so interesting and in most cases, a lot of fun too. 

I probably should mention as well that there were 3 courses going on at the same time; English, Natural Sciences and Biosciences and UCL wasn't the only university running summer schools. This means options are pretty extensive.

During the days, we’d have around 4 hours worth of lectures and seminars. On the English course, we did a different text each day. Our 3 texts were Beowulf,Paradise Lost by John Milton and Beloved by Toni Morrison.  If you didn’t know, lectures are where you are pretty much sat down and talked at, where as seminars are much more group-based and interactive. Those lectures and seminars were thoroughly interesting, and although sometimes I’d get lost in the lectures the seminars would soon bring me back to understanding what was going on.
They all gave me a way of understanding texts and much more of a university standard, which I feel will help my chances greatly when it comes to both applying and going to university.
We also had various talks about the cost of going to university and how the admissions process works which included personal statement writing, which I found very useful as I’ve discovered, writing a personal statement, is not as easy as it looks.

We also had to do a presentation at the end of the week. I hate presentations and I always have done, but the week at UCL has actually dramatically improved my opinion of them. I’ve always been shy and it’s always been the case that I know the information but I’m never able to say it out loud, which is not only frustrating but also somewhat holds me back. We had to do a presentation on one of the three texts we’d studied and we could do it on whatever we liked regarding that text. My group chose ‘Fortune, Identity and Transience in Beowulf.’ I’ll be honest, to start with I had no idea what that even meant, but as I got through the week I understood it more and to the point where I actually felt confident I was presenting something that I knew a lot about. My group’s presentation ended up being super successful and although we didn’t ‘win’ best presentation, we still got super good reviews from everyone. His presentation, I feel, has built my confidence massively. I managed to present complicated ideas confidently and in a way other people understood, and that was a real step forward for me.

Although there was a HELL of a lot of work involved in the summer school, we also got the chance to have the most incredible treats in the evenings which were completely paid for. We got a river boat cruise on the Thames and a trip up the Shard on the Tuesday. We were so lucky to have such a clear day because we could see for miles.We went up to the 72nd floor, watch which point the corners of the building arent there. There is literally wind blowing in. It's incredibly scary but incredible. The next day we went to see ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ at a West End theatre and that was almost indescribable. It was astounding. The production, the acting, the story itself; all bloody fantastic. It was so good I bought the book when I got home and read it in a day. (I’m going to do a review at some point, so keep your eyes peeled). We also got a bowling alley rented out for us on the last night, where there was karaoke and free pizza; what more could you want?

So; the things we did were amazing. Both the academic side and the evening side of it. However, I met the loveliest and most supportive people. From the adults who organised it, to the student ambassadors who were constantly there for us to bug with questions (Shout out to my group leader Tam who was both hilarious and informative), to my fellow students themselves. I couldn’t have asked for better people to share my time with. There were people from all around the country so no-one knew each other so we were pretty much all as nervous as each other, it turns out. The girls on my floor almost made waiting of the showers bearable and the people in my presentation grouped couldn’t have been more supportive with my confidence. I’ve got some people I met on Facebook so we can check in with each other regarding all sorts of university matters, and if we’re incredibly lucky then maybe even meet again back at UCL next September. Never let the fear of meeting new people stop you from doing things like this; everyone will be in the same boat as you, so no-one is hostile or bitchy. They were all just damn nice people. 

That was my summer school story. It’s a bit long but honestly I could have talked for thousands of words longer, but I didn't want to bore any of you who this has no appeal to. I would advise everyone who’s going in to Year 12 next year that can get the grades to apply to one of these summer schools. You will definitely not regret it. Plus, if you do hate it, it’s still a damn good thing to have on your personal statement.

Feel free to email me or leave any questions in the comments if you want to know more:)

Lots of love,

RubyLaurenxx

View from the Shard .Pretty cool, right?

5 Tips to Survive the First Year of Sixth Form

First things first, I named this post sixth form in order to not confuse any American readers. I don't normally call it sixth form, I call it college, but as college means university in America, I refrained from using it in the title. However I will be calling it college throughout the post. Sorry not sorry.

It's a big jump from high school to college; academically, socially and personally. I remember my high school teachers always telling me about college being so different from high school, but I didn't listen and I definitley should have becasue they were right.
I've just about survived my first year at college, through the multiple panic attacks, friendship breakdowns and constant stressing. However, it hasn't been all bad, and I definitely think I'm a better person now than I was at the beginning of the year.
Now, this post is all about giving my tips on how tosurvive the first year,for anyone going to college in September. i'll be mentioning all the things I did right, and telling you not to do the things I did horrendously wrong, in order to prepare anyone who may be entering in to the abyss of college sometime soon.

1. BE ORGANISED. (No, seriously, it's more difficult that you think)
For college ,I knew I had to be organised, however I only recently released during exam time how important it is to be prepared from the beginning of the year, and not let that dwindle out.
By organised I am talking

• Different notebooks for each subject. Not just one with dividers. It might be more expensive but then you won't jumble up notes and just make everything confusing.
• Binders are your besties. I'm not kidding. When you've done your notes, holepunch them or shove them in a polypocket and put them in a ring-binder. Preferably one of those for each subject too (and yes, you will do enough work to fill them)
• Type your notes up. This isn't as necessary as the other two but its defintley a big help. It just makes life harder during revision time when you look back at old messy notes,so having clean typed up ones is much better! However, try not to get behind on typing the notes up,otherwise it takes up a LOT of time. Try to type up the same day you had the lesson.

2. FRIENDS WILL DRIFT. It sucks, but it's life.

Chances are, by the end of the first year of college you will have a marginally different friendship group to the one you had at the begining of the year. That's life. If you cling too hard to friends that are drifting, then it makes it more upsetting and agrevating for both parties, as I know from personal experience. If you let the friendship drift naturally, things will end on good terms rather than with multiplearguments. I know I'mhappier with my friends now compared to at the beginning of the year, so things will just fall in to place. It might seem lonely for a while, but it will get better.

3. GETTING NOT-SO-GOOD GRADES DOES NOT MEAN YOU'RE STUPID.

This is something I wish I was told about at the begninning of the year. I came out of high schoolwith grades I was proud of, so I thought that I wouldn't get too bad grades to start with at AS Level. I was wrong. I've been told that an A at GCSE is equivalent to a D at AS level, and I thought that was bulls*** but it's not. I spent the beginning of the year getting E's and D's in most of my subjectsand it really shook me.I hated it. But you will improve, I thought for sure at the beginning of the year I'd have no hope, but now I'm more positive. Your grades will improve, that's what college is for! To help you learn and improve for when exams come around.

4. KEEP YOUR ATTENDANCE UP

Just because college is much more relaxed than school, doesn't mean you should just skip lessons because you feel like it. Lessons are incredibly important and valuable at this stage, as at AS you have such a short time to learn everything, all time with teachers is golden. Don't let a common cold keep you at home. Make sure you're in as much as possible, it's worth it.

5. BE YOUR-DAMN-SELF (Yes it's cringey, but hear me out.)
Leaving year 11 I was so scared about how well I would fit in at college and whether I'd be stuck friendless etc and honestly, the only time I ever felt left out was when I didn't know who I was. I'd spent so many years trying to please everyone, that being myself was very daunting, however when I relaxed a bit it was great.I found a group of friends who enjoy my company the way I am and honestly ending this year, despite being nervous for my results, I couldn't be happier.
But seriously, want to wear your fandom T-Shirt? Wear it. Want to wear that short skirt that you think might make you look a lil tubby? Who cares! Embrace it. Not sure about something the teacher said? Stick your hand up and ask because others will probably be thinking it.

Overall, just have fun. College is like a 2 year interview to university/a job and although lots of important decisions are made, it's also important to embrace who you are and have fun. How soppy is that, right? Gross.

Love,
RubyLauren xx

My Concert Experiences

Considering I'm 17, I'd say I've been to quite a few concerts. My first concert was in 2012 and overally, I've been to 4 and have 2 coming up in 2015, so I don't think I've done too badly. So I've decided to explain to you how my concert experiences were as they were all very different.

1. Ed Sheeran at Le Trianon in Paris, 18th November 2012

For starters your probably thinking 'Paris??? But you live in England??'. Well as you can imagine, in 2012 Ed Sheeran was just really rising to fame with his first album, so everywhere in England sold out pretty quickly as all the venues were pretty small. So my mums friend had the idea 'why don't we go to Paris?? They're not sold out there!' So we did. My friend, her parents, my parents and I all went to Paris and I'm so glad we did. The venue only held 2000 people, and we were standing, so we got an AMAZING view. The opening act was Passenger, who most of you know now as the who sang 'Let Her Go' which he hadn't released yet, but did perform. Anyway,for a first concert experience at age 15, this was pretty amazing. Also, it was on my birthday! Which was another reason we chose to go to this concert in Paris.

So although our feet hurt for standing for so long,and a girl in front of us fainted, Ed was INCREDIBLE and I mean incredible. He probably sounds better live than in the studio, which shows he's an amazing performer all round. I'm still not over this concert and doubt I ever will be.

We were so close!

2. Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 arena in London (I can't remember the exact date) around December 2013.

The Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball is one of those things which happen around Christmas and you have multiple artists that perform. So I decided I might as well go, no matter who's really performing, as I'll get to see a load of people for the price of one. If I can remember correctly, I saw Olly Murs, Union J, James Arthur, Disclosure, Naughty Boy and Sam Smith (together), Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah and Katy Perry. I might be missing someone out, but they are the ones I really remember as I don't have any photos so I can't remember exactly who was there. But this was also VERY good. I wasn't a particularly huge fan of anyone but it was still an amazing show. Sam Smith was there, and he's an insane hit now,but back then he'd only really done 'La La La' so everyone was shocked by how good he was live. However the shock of the night was how amazing Tinie Tempah is live. He was AMAZING and it's a shame I don't have any videos, but he got the entire arena on their feet and jumping, which was amazing. Everything was amazing! Although, I'd say this concert was the least enjoyable of the 4 I've been too, it was still a lot of fun.

3. One Direction at Wembley Stadium in London, June 8th 2014.

Yes, I went and saw One Direction. Yes, I am a fan of One Direction. This concert was insane, for more reasons than one. I went there with my friend, who is borderline obsessed with One Direction, and I was a fan too, and it was the day before my maths GCSE exam. (We both passed maths, so no motherly lectures please). Wembley Stadium fits 80,000 people so you can imagine I was nervous about 80,000 screaming girls. But it was a lot of fun this concert, as you felt like you weren't being judged at all, and that feeling is so great. Anyway, the supporting act was 5 Seconds of Summer, who I absolutely LOVE so when I found that out I was ecstatic.Their performance was amazing,and really pumped us up. And then One Direction came on. Like I said, it was INSANE. Their was a power surge when they came on, and the whole Wembley shopping complex had a power cut. It was such an amazing atmosphere throughout the whole concert.We were singing along to every word, and they're actually really good live. Like, genuinely. At the end of the night, my ears were ringing, and that'show you know you've been to a brilliant concert. (PS: They all looked good as hell. I'm not even ashamed to say). This concert was probably the most fun out of all of them.

Our seats (not too bad)

Panorama during 'Little Things'. Sooooo pretty.

4. Ed Sheeran at the O2 arena in London. 13th October 2014.

Yes, I was so enthralled by Ed Sheeran the first time, I went to see him again. I wa not dissapointed. After Ed's second album came out (which is amazing) I just thought, I have to go see him live again.I HAVE TO. So two of my friends and I (one of those friends I also went to One Direction with) went up to London on a Monday to go see him. This was the first time I'd been to London without a parent, so it was pretty terrifying but completely worth it. It was a much bigger crowd this time,around 15,000 but this made no different as Ed was still there with just him and his guitar. The entire concert was amazing,and 5 people proposed throughout t it. 3 of those during 'Thinking Out Loud'. It was insane, you'd just hear a random screaming from one side of the arena and BAM a couple is engaged. The thing I love about Ed Sheeran concerts is the age literally ranges from 9 to 99. You get all sorts of people there,and it's all just such fun,and no-one is judging you. You don;t get any snobby fans with Ed Sheeran, they're just all there to see an amazing artist give a great performance. This was probably my favourite concert of them all. PS; It was Saint Raymond who was the supporting act and he was amazing! Everyone should check him out!)

We arrived like 3 hours early. So we spent a lot of time on the floor.

He's so small compared to the first time I saw him:(

Possibly the coolest photo I have ever taken.

So those are all the concerts I've been to, and I've been very lucky to be able to get seats to all of them. They were all very good, but the 1D one was definitely the most fun, and the Ed Sheeran ones were the best overall, the second one moreso than the first. However, I enjoyed allof them which is why I have got two concerts planned for this year.

I'm going to see Ed Sheeran again. Yep, a third time. However, this concert is in Wembley Stadium, so I can literally say I've been to every stage of proper concerts that Ed has done. I'm going with my Mum as no-one else could afford to go, and it's in June or July I think. I can't really remember if I'm honest.

In May, I believe, I'm going to see 5 Seconds of Summer. They supported 1D but this is the first time I've seen them headlining and I'm SO excited. I absolutely love their album and I just can't wait to se them perform all my favourite songs. I'm going to se them at Wembley arena (not stadium) and I literally can't wait.

I hope you liked reading about my concert experiences and I would defintely recommend going to see both Ed Sheeran and One Direction, especially if you're umming and ahhhing about it, JUST GO FOR IT.

I love concerts as they have the most wonderful atmospheres. There's nothing more beautiful than a thousands of people coming to share in a musical experience.I can't wait to go to more and more concerts as I get older,as I don't think you ever really grow out of concerts.

Much Love,

RubyLauren xx