#Blogtober Day 2 - What I've Learnt in One Month at College / My Advice

This is a slight different post to what I usually do, but hopefully this will help some of you who may be going to college in the next year or so, or for anyone embarking on a new adventure into any place really.  I thought I would share with you what I've learnt and hopefully I'll be able to give you some advice that you may find useful one day.

1. PUBLIC TRANSPORT - If you are beginning to use public transport for the first time like I've had to, then be sure to always plan ahead.  The public transport in Bristol is extremely unreliable as the majority of buses pass through the centre which is where there is always a high volume of traffic.  This means that buses are often a lot later than the timetable says, or they won't turn up at all which is an absolute pain, but something that needs to be considered when planning your time.  I always suggest getting to the stop around 10 minutes before the bus is timetabled, just in case by some miracle it is early! I also suggest that you get the earliest possible bus, making sure that the ones following it will still get you there in time, that way if you miss one or it doesn't turn up, you can always catch the next one and you hopefully won't be late. Allow for traffic in the morning's, especially in the Winter when it is cold and miserable and everyone drives to save walking!
2. NEW PEOPLE - When you are thrown into a place where you are surrounded by strangers, forget about your pride completely! I've found that being awkward and not talking to people gets you absolutely nowhere, don't wait for other people to make the effort, just jump straight in there and talk to them! If they don't want to talk to you, then so be it but there is no harm in trying. I have met so many new friends by just plucking up the courage to make conversation with people so it is definitely worth doing.
3. BE ORGANISED - I cannot stress enough how important it is to be organised.  I find the easiest thing to do is have a folder for each subject and keep everything in one place.  I recommend keeping a plastic wallet in the back so that you can slip in hand outs that aren't hole punched until you have time to properly file them, and then you won't lose them. These sorts of things are very useful for revision so it is important that you keep everything together and in order would be great.
4. KEEP ON TOP OF THINGS - You will get one hell of a lot of work so it is important that you don't let things build up. This will just stress you out and you won't produce high quality work because you will be rushing to get it done.  Use your free periods to your advantage so that you don't have to do so much in your own time at home, and split up large tasks into smaller and more manageable chunks.  This way it isn't so much work to do in one go and it makes everything a little less daunting. I also recommend frequently going back over your notes to consolidate your knowledge, and then you can work on your weaker areas which should help when it comes to revision and exams.
5. LASTLY, ENJOY IT! - I know this may sound difficult but it's really important to keep you happy throughout your time there. Get involved with the enrichment and get to know lots of new people, make some memories that you can look back on in years to come and remember what a good time you had.  Although you need to focus and work hard, it's important to have a little fun too!

I hope that this post is useful to some of you, and leave in the comments some things you've learnt or advice about anything like this whether it is school, college, university, apprenticeships or even work! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Emily xx