My last day with university student collegues

[waichingliu81]

last night, i had spent the last day at university with the guys from my media arts course and for some reason, i didn't feel sad when we said goodbye. because the last year was somewhat of a mixed bag- modules were being cancelled, the deadline for the dissertation hand-in date kept changing, which confused myself and the other students, one of the lecturers was sick most of the time through no fault of her own to name. the thing is everyone's experiences at university were all different, and mine's was no exception. i am 26 and it was only 10 years ago when i left school with no qualifcations to show for whatsoever, and so to finish my education on a happier note and with a degree is something i'd never thought would happen to me. legally in the UK, the school leaving age is 16. the next challenge for me is finding work and seeing as during these 10 years, i'd spent 8 of them at college and uni and 2 of them, well let's just say i was depressed and unhappy and i had gone through a bad patch. but seeing as i spent 8 years in further and higher education- and yes it took that long, i sometimes asked myself whether it was all worth it- and the answer to that is yes. and although, some of those moments were less memorable for the wrong reasons and i had people criticising my decision to go to college and university, i realised i did the right thing and that i was right to carry on by doing my degree. for me, it wasn't and isn't about proving those people wrong, but rather it was that i wanted to do this for myself. through my efforts in the lectures and seminars i had to convince myself that i could still learn from others and take on board the ideas, concepts and theories and apply and utilise it to my examples and work.

i am still hoping to work in TV one day though and yes its not going to be easy i know. but one thing i do know is that persistence pays off and at 26 and beyond, i realise it's never too late to keep working hard to fulfil my ambition.

[Ireneparalegal]

Good Luck in your future endeavors!

[waichingliu81]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

Good Luck in your future endeavors!

thanks irene!

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by waichingliu81

thanks irene!

You are very welcome.

[AB]

You must be very excited to be finished with school and getting ready to pursue a career. Hope everything works out great for you.

[waichingliu81]

Originally Posted by annball1957

You must be very excited to be finished with school and getting ready to pursue a career. Hope everything works out great for you.

thanks. i have read all sorts of things in that people who undertake media studies, media arts degrees fail to secure a job in the media and end up taking alternative career paths. i know its hard and the chances are almost like one in a million, but persistence, self- belief and hard work is the key and for as long as i keep working hard, keep believing but at the same time not become over confident in regards to my chances, then i should be okay. ideally, i am keen on finding work in the US and in the TV industry, and without sounding arrogant, it is an area in the media i aim to work and succeed in

[AB]

Its good to have that "can do attitude", hopefully you'll find something in that field.

[waichingliu81]

i am keeping my fingers crossed. i know i am still young but i am still learning and far from what others would call the 'finished article'. i'd just have to continue to work hard for my chance to arrive and with some luck, it will come. also, patience is another factor in itself- we know time flies and it flies so quickly, but i assume i would have to take it one step at a time and not rush things because otherwise it could go downhill from that point onwards. but like with any situation, we have good moments and bad moments and with the bad ones, we have to take heart from them- in certain instances rectify them, as well as move forward and try to better ourselves, next time round

[Max Whittaker]

Congratulations!

My biggest stumbling block in my education is the cost. How did you do it? I really don't want college debt...

[waichingliu81]

Originally Posted by Max Whittaker

Congratulations!

My biggest stumbling block in my education is the cost. How did you do it? I really don't want college debt...

thanks max! well, the thing is because i live in the UK, back then in 2004 when i had to apply for university and tutition fees, i had to fill out an application form stating that i was unemployed and that i wasn't earning any money, as well as my personal details such as address, date of birth etc and provide two letters stating my parents bank details because i was technically speaking financially dependant on them. my local education authority in london sent the details and then i filled out on the form, the LEA then feeded the info on the computer system and within a month later my application for a student loan had been accepted. in the end they paid all my student course fees for me.

also, these days if you were born in the UK you have to pay in the excess of something like £3,000 a year to study but that was introduced 3 years ago by the government. but i was lucky that i applied the year before because otherwise, i would've been more screwed financially. i eventually paid £1,125,000 a year, as opposed to £3,000,000.

i don't know how much it is in america, but i'm presuming it's somewhere within that region but i am not so sure. i think max that if you are really worried about the financial aspect of going to university and that it is concerning you a bit, then you should talk to student services at the university. they should help you with things like grants, fees etc. the thing to remember is that money shouldn't be a deterent for you to undertake a course. ignore the financial aspect- if you are really keen and motivated and you want to study, then go for it. besides, education is a learning tool- not a financial burden on you as a student. if possible find a part-time job during your studies, if you have the time that is. for me though, because i was so pre-occupied with studying, i didn't really have the time to look for work-which is kinda bad in a way, but for the final year especially i really had to knuckle down, focus and study harder than i had ever studied before.

if you do intend on going to uni, then i wish you all the best in your studies. you will succeed, trust me but ultimately afterwards when it's all over the future will be entirely in your own hands. good luck!

[Nighthawk76]

Congratulations

[waichingliu81]

Originally Posted by Blair's Number #1 Fan

Congratulations