If you're an undergrad Geology student, chances are you've been hearing people banging on about your Independent Mapping Project from the moment you downloaded the course prospectus.

Now that you're in the last semester of your second year and you're finally staring it in the face, it's time to start preparing for what will undoubtedly be one of the toughest challenges you've ever faced.

Don't listen to students in the year above you who tell you how awesome it was and all of their clutch-your-sides-from-laughing stories. They're lying to you. The same way women who've had children tell first time mums that you forget all the pain once you hold your baby for the first time. That's a tactful way of saying that labour and birth really does hurt like a motherfucker, it's just worth it in the end.

Same with mapping. It is HARD (although probably not quite as hard as childbirth but you get my point). But you too will survive it and become one of those asshole third years who regale innocent second years with hilarious stories and conveniently miss out how the daily grind can wear you down.

So here are my tips to make sure you're well prepared!

1. Start your prep early

By that I mean do not leave it until you only have a few weeks to go to start making arrangements. Ideally you need to start 6 months before you leave.

Probably one of the few days where it wasn't raining :D

2. Consider your choice of mapping partner carefully

In my opinion this can be the most critical decision you make. You will spend eight hours a day with them for 6 weeks. Just the two of you alone. Chances are you will probably be living with them too and you are quite likely to be sharing a room together too. My mapping partner and I even had to share a double bed for 6 weeks. Plus we had four fabulous days cooped up in a car together traveling to Scotland and back. Luckily we managed it all without a cross word.

How did we do this? We mapped together before and we were good friends. We approached our mapping as a partnership and we were a team. The project itself might be 'independent' but you and your mapping partner MUST be on board. You have to make lots of little decisions together daily.

Where are we going today? Whats our plan? What are we trying to achieve? Try and pick someone with a similar level of physical ability to yourself. My mapping partner was fitter than I was and I had to push myself to keep up with her pace but overall we were reasonably equally matched. Especially by the end of the trip. If you have different attitudes about wanting to scramble up vertical cliff faces to reach an interesting outcrop or climb an actual mountain daily then you might be in for a conflict filled 6 weeks.

Plus you will need to take days off. Nobody can map for 30 days straight without going insane. So you need to be able to have a laugh together when you're not working.

My top tips? Pick someone who is a good friend, understands you, has a similar work ethic and fitness level and try to map together beforehand as a practice run.

Better to find out halfway through a week long field trip they're driving you nuts than when you're on day 10 in the pissing rain and you're contemplating pushing them in a river.

Our holiday cottage that we rented, complete with hot tub ;)

3. Book your accommodation asap

As soon as you know where you are going and how many of you are going, book your accommodation STRAIGHT AWAY. Chances are you will be mapping during the summer holidays, which is peak tourist season for just about everywhere you could possibly go.

As a result, accommodation gets booked up fast. Especially when you want to book it out for 6 weeks at a time.

Try and negotiate a lower price as you will be staying for a lengthy period as high summer tends to command peak prices. If you are mapping somewhere popular like I did (the Isle of Skye has been the training ground for generations of geologists), then you may find that lots of cottage owners are very used to geology students.

The owners of the cottage we stayed in rent to geologists for the majority of the summer. As soon as one group leaves, the next one arrives. One of the best places for a recommendation is to ask the students who went the year before you and see if they can put you in touch with someone.

You will be stuck behind a campervan 98% of the time

4. Make your travel arrangements

Think seriously about how you are going to get to your mapping area. And I don't just mean from where you go to uni to whatever far flung location the uni have chosen for you to map in, but also how you will get from your accommodation to your mapping area.  

For some groups from my uni this was simple as everything was walking distance. Not so for us. My mapping partner and I had a 45 min commute each way along terrifying single track, sheep filled highland roads. A car was 100% essential for us in Skye. Taking a car can have it's pros and cons. It cost us an absolute fortune in fuel, but it became our safe haven. Sitting in it shivering with the heating on full blast and watching the rain lash down is one of my fondest memories of Skye.

So think about your travel arrangements and get planning them as soon as you know where you are staying.

5. Create and print your field slips well in advance

If your uni wants you to do this yourself then do it well ahead of time. Do not leave it to two days before departure like I did. It took me a whole day to make them and it was incredibly stressful.

Get ahead of the game and do this when you have lots of time to tackle it calmly. The finished result will be better too.

6. Make copies

Print off at least one spare copy of your field slips and leave them at your accommodation. If a gust of wind happens to catch your field slip and send it off somewhere irretrievable you will be incredibly grateful you had the foresight to make a spare.

Everyone's boots drying by the fire. My Brashers on the right stuffed with newspaper and away from the heat because I was stupid enough to put my foot in a bog that day

7. Seriously consider some new walking boots

My lecturer said she would recommend we all bought a pair of full grain leather boots to take to Skye with us and to avoid anything with Goretex as they don't keep your feet dry for long.

I listened to her and splashed out on a new pair of Brasher full leather walking boots as my current pair at the time were a pair of Regatta ones I fished out of a bargain bin at an outdoor discount store and paid £5.99 for. They had lasted me well but were starting to fall apart and they were made of goretex.

This was the best piece of advice I ever listened to. Unless I actually submerged my foot in a bog (which I did do several times) my feet were dry throughout the trip. I still have the boots and they're still fantastic. Everyone else on the trip had very good quality boots but they weren't full leather and they all had wet feet at the end of each day. Quite a few peoples boots were ruined by the end of it and they ended up replacing them anyway.  

If you are going mapping anywhere in the UK I suggest you do the same. You will be forever grateful. The few days I did have wet feet were utterly miserable and this is avoidable (as long as you watch where you are putting your feet). Make sure they are thoroughly worn in before you go.

Although Brasher don't seem to still sell the pair I have these ones looks quite similar. 

People aren't exaggerating when they say the midges can be really bad in Skye

8.  Purchase any additional kit you need

What you need exactly will be specific to where you are going but if you are mapping in Skye get yourself a decent midge hat, midge repellent, good quality waterproof trousers and a proper coat. A weather writer is an absolute must if you don't already have one.

If you are going somewhere hot you will obviously need different kit. Chat to your lecturer who is running the trip and the students who went the year before. They will tell you what will be helpful.

9. Check your existing kit

Check you have it all, it still works and replace anything if needed. Make sure you have enough notebooks.

If you are mapping in the UK you must be prepared for all weathers. We had a three day heatwave (that lasted three weeks back home) and we both got completely sun burnt as we were caught off guard. 

Pack sun cream, even if you're going to the Hebrides. You just don't know what the weather will do!

10. Check if there is a BGS map available

Or the local equivalent if you are off abroad. The BGS maps aren't done in the same scale but they are a valuable resource that can be used.

Bear in mind that they are also just someone's interpretation and may not be completely accurate...

11. Photo copy and laminate useful reference material

If there is some useful info you think might help you in the field (log keys, relevant section of the BGS map, rock descriptions etc) then photocopy them and laminate them. Keep them in the back of your weather writer.

They can be extremely useful in the field when you just want to check something for reference as chances are you won't have any phone reception.

12. Order any prescriptions you need well in advance

It's no good running out while you're out there. You could be mapping somewhere extremely rural or even in a different country, which could make getting your medication extremely difficult. Try to make sure you have enough to last you.

Ladies, if you are taking a contraceptive pill I would recommend taking it back to back while you map to avoid the hassle and aggravation of being on your period. Chances are there is nowhere to even have a wee in comfort let alone change a tampon. It is completely fine to take more than one strip back to back too. Ask your doctor if you're not sure.

13. Try to do some reading around the subject

Find some books and reference material to read before you go. If you find anything useful print it off and take it with you. 

14. Chat to the students in the year above

They will be your greatest resource for help. This is particularly true once you get back and you're struggling to interpret your results.

They've been there and done it before so don't be afraid to ask them for advice. Just take all anecdotes with a pinch of salt, as 30 days of staring at rocks is enough to make anyone a little bit loopy.

Visiting Oxford

One of my goals for this year was to go and visit my best friend Ann in Exeter before she graduated. Sadly, we were both too busy to manage it and the time just flew by this year. Before I knew it, she was prancing across the stage looking fabulous in her gown so I would have to take my trip there some other time. To be honest I've been to Exeter several times, the goal was more about making time to visit Ann this year.

Luckily though another goal was to take a day trip to Oxford which happens to be pretty close to where Ann lives... So I've switched it up a bit and jumped in the car a few weeks ago to go and visit her. 

First off getting there was not straight forward as the road into her village was closed. I ended up driving around in circles for about 25 minutes trying to follow the really poorly signed diversion, which kept bringing me out at dead ends because the roads were shut. Eventually I found myself in a village I recognised and figured it out from there, but it was pretty stressful! Don't you just adore living in England with our crap tiny roads and love of shutting important things (like ROADS) on Sundays?

The village Ann lives in is lucky enough to have it's own station so we jumped straight on the train to Oxford. I've always wanted to visit and I've got no idea why I haven't already when it really isn't that far from where I live. 

We were also so lucky with the weather and had glorious sunshine for the whole day. The forecast had said it was going to rain so I was totally not dressed for the sun, but isn't that the fun of a day trip to somewhere in Britain, being unprepared for the weather?

So we spent most of our trip just wandering about and looking at all the spires and listening to the bells tolling. When I got home and looked at my phone we had walked nearly 12km! No wonder it felt like we did a fair chunk of walking. Top tip, if you're planning a trip to Oxford, where flat and comfortable shoes. The city is small and flat and every thing is in walking distance so you will do a lot of walking about.

We went to visit Brasenose College which is where one of best friends is at uni. It is quite literally a whole world away from the gross pebbledashed building (that used to be a hostel) next door to the city crematorium that I lived in when I was in halls at uni. Shout out to any Bencraft people who might read this (you know you'd rather be from Bencraft). Our halls may have been rank to look at it but the people in there made up for it <3

For real though, it actually looks like a magical place to live and study with all the amazing old buildings. With the one exception of the Earth Science building which is this horrible new modern construction, that does not jive with the rest of the city in my opinion. Thankfully I'm not clever enough to get into Oxford because imagine being SO DISAPPOINTED when you arrived and then found out your lectures were in the only ugly building in the whole damn city. 

For lunch we went to M&S and grabbed some picnic food before heading to Christ Church meadow to sit under a shady tree. We sat here for ages chatting and watching the world go by. If you take a trip here and it's a nice day I would highly recommend doing this. Heck be more organised than us and pack yourself a picnic because the meadow is gorgeous and it's a great spot to really soak up the atmosphere.

We spent most of the afternoon exploring the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. This was rather like visiting an excellent, scaled down version of the Natural History Museum, which I love but there is SO much to see, it's hard to squeeze everything in. 

My favorite part was looking at their fossil and mineral collections as it was pretty extensive and they had some really cool exhibits (geology nerd over here). The best part was that it was free as I'm really trying to watch my spending at the moment so it was kind on the wallet too. 

It was such a lovely day and so nice to just spend so many hours wandering about with one of my oldest friends and have a chance for a really great catch up.

Oxford, I love you. I'll be coming back! Let me know if you have any tips of places that I should visit or eat at on my next trip there!
 

Life After Graduation - Why working at uni was great for my career

To finish off my blog series on Life After Graduation this is a post for those of you who are still at uni and are starting to realise that one day soon, you too will graduate and join The Real World. It's also for those of you who have just graduated and don't realise that the job you worked at uni could well be the springboard to launch your future career from.

As I've mentioned in my previous posts I worked throughout my time at uni, but I actually got my first job at 16 waitressing. I didn't do it for very long and I wasn't that great at it, but it was a valuable start to the world of work.

When I first went to uni I spent my holidays working at a local riding stables which did carriage rides at Center Parcs. I got the job because of my experience with carriage driving and it suited me pretty well. The hours were long, the weather was rubbish (anyone who has ever set foot in Center Parcs at Longleat in the winter will tell you that it is extremely cold there) and like all jobs working with horses, it was hard work. Their busiest season was Christmas where I spent most of my time dressed as an elf. Yep an actual elf, or occasionally making a brief appearance as Santa. The kids absolutely loved it and they ALL always called me 'Mrs Elf' unprompted by anyone. Where do they learn to do this? I felt like the Trunchball from Matilda and wanted to scream, why is this elf married?!! My family like to remind me of it a lot.

But do you know what? Although the pay wasn't amazing (not to mention the extremely glamorous outfit), the long hours meant I wracked up enough money to make it worth my while. The hours were flexible and they mostly needed me during the weekends and holidays which suited me perfectly. So although it wasn't the dream job it paid enough to get by.

I used the experience to gain my next job which I worked at for the final two years of my degree (which included my masters year). The hours were still flexible, the pay was better but the job was harder work.

Holding down my job and doing my degree at the same time taught me some valuable lessons and gave me FAR MORE experience than anything I ever did during my four years at uni.

So if you're at uni now, my advise would be to seriously consider getting a job. If you've left uni and you had a job while you were there then these are the reasons you can use to work it to your advantage to find your first role after you graduate.

1.  You have to learn to balance your priorities

I usually worked 16 hours a week for my final two years at uni, which consisted of two 8 hours shifts on the weekend. I switched between working early and late shifts. Some months I did more hours, some months less depending on what was going on.

I can already hear the chorus of students claiming they don't have time for that. Now fair enough if you're studying a contact heavy subject at a hardcore uni (I'm talking medicine at Oxbridge) then maybe you don't have time. But if like the rest of us you have a chunk of free time in your week (yes that includes weekends) then you do have time.

Before anyone comments that I did a doss subject at a crap uni let me fill you in on my degree. I did an integrated masters at the University of Southampton in Geology and graduated with a 2:1. Jared did the same in Marine Biology and worked roughly the same amount of hours as me and got a first. Southampton's Ocean and Earth Science department is one of the very best in the UK (not to mention the entire world) and is a leading research institution that sets very high standards for its students. I had around 25 hours of contact time per week throughout my degree but as standard my friends and I were at uni from 9-5. Plus an hour each way commute as our campus is the other side of the city. I'm not trying to make myself sound like the most accomplished person ever (I'm very far from it), but I just want to prove that it is possible for a lot of students at uni to work and study at the same time.

But you do have to be organised and prepared to work hard, play hard. If you've got a deadline coming up on Monday and you're working this weekend then you'll have to get the essay done by Friday. If you've got a social event coming up and you're working then you'll have to get your deadlines done AND arrange your shifts so that you can do all of it. 

Why is this important? Because it's preparing you for the real world where work is non negotiable and has to be prioritised else you will no longer have a job. You can't decide you're not working because there's a party you want to go to, or because you're too tired today. You have to roll up your sleeves and get it done.

If you can manage doing this at uni, then you'll find a 'grown up job' a walk in the park.

2. Working isn't so hard after all

Is it just me or when you were a kid and you saw adults on TV working you just thought that they magically knew how to be a secretary or an accountant? You saw the adults around you doing their adult jobs and thought quietly to yourself 'but I don't know how to do that', it must be something you learn when you grow up'.

Well you're at uni, you are a grown up. The secret truth is that for a lot of people, working is not as hard as being at uni. At uni you are expected to direct your own learning with minimal support. Sure you have a tutor who you either haven't seen since your first semester as a fresher or doesn't even know who you are. Your lecturers throw around complex terms and if you don't understand a concept you have to figure it out on your own or you'll fall behind. 

Work is different. For a lot of roles you will receive on the job training and will likely be mentored to someone who will teach you. At first it will seem complex and scary but few entry level jobs are. That's why they're entry level. Once you've been doing it a little while you will soon get to grips with it. I find is so strange that so many people my age are desperate to 'stay in education forever because the real world is scary'. Of course it is, all change is scary. But it'll be scary for a few weeks tops and then you'll be ok. It really isn't so bad after all. If you can get over that and realise that you can learn a job just like every other grown up in the world while you're still at uni, you won't be paralysed with the fear of the unknown that grips so many graduates. You'll be the one grabbing a new opportunity because you're fairly certain you'll figure it out.

3. Keeping your finances healthy

Being a student is basically another way of saying you're poor. Even if your parents help you out chances are you still have just enough to get by. I'm from a low income background so I qualified for the maximum grant/loan but even that is only around £7,000 a year. When your rent plus bills (in a small, very reasonably priced but nice-ish for student standards shared house in Southampton) is £4,800 a year it doesn't leave you much to live on. My parents could not in anyway afford to support me so having a job was essential if I wanted to have enough money to live on, let alone do fun things, like everyone else.

I wasn't as financially disciplined then as I am now and anything I earnt that was extra to what I needed to live off I spent on fun things. Mostly holidays, but also compulsory field trips as our living costs weren't covered by the uni or sometimes the trip itself was only partially paid for and we had to cough up the rest. For example, my six week mapping trip to the Isle of Skye which we only had a £500 contribution towards. Our accommodation alone cost £600 and we had to cover all the additional kit, travel and living costs ourselves. I bought a £200 pair of walking boots for this trip on the advice of my mapping supervisor and it was some of the best money I've ever spent. Everyone else had wet feet for the whole six weeks and mine were warm and dry. I could never have afforded that without my job. I had to work some extra shifts to earn them but it was worth the small amount of effort for six weeks of comfort. Plus I still have them now.

Even though I spent most of the money I earned, having a job crucially stopped me having to rely on an overdraft. My friends mocked me because they told me an overdraft was 'free money' which you don't have to pay back until after you graduate. I'm so glad I ignored them and refused to ask my bank for one. A year after graduating I know so many graduates who are no closer to paying off their overdrafts than when they wracked up the debt in the first place.

Even for those that have a job, their pay cheque often only takes them to £0 each month and then all the money they spend waiting for their next pay day just sinks them back into the depths of their overdraft. In short, overdrafts are really hard to climb out of. And the bank don't let you have that overdraft for free forever. As soon as you graduate the clock is ticking for when you have to pay it back, and overdraft charges can soon start to mount up making it even harder to claw your way out.

Having a job at uni kept me debt free (besides my student loans of course, but they're not the same kind of debt) for four years. When I graduated I actually had some savings (as I had been too busy with work and uni to spend as much money) which I spent on this year's trip to Norway.

On top of that, earning your own money makes you really think about how much things cost. When I wanted those walking boots all I could think about was how many shifts I would need to do to earn them and whether or not it was worth it. In that case it absolutely was, but I shudder to think now at how much money I've wasted on crap clothes I don't wear anymore over the years.

When you start looking at a top in terms of 'I'll have to work this many hours to afford it' it gets a lot easier to put it back on the rail. Learning to do that is the secret to financial success for the rest of your life. 

4. Gaining new skills

This is probably the most important one of all. For one thing if you've already held down a job before you REALLY need one in the big wide world, you're already a better bet to an employer with a shed load of CV's from graduates that are hard to separate by their academic ability alone.

You've already proved you're reliable by holding down the job for whatever period of time. You've also proved that you're hard working. I've never had an interviewer fail to be impressed that I held down a job and studied for my masters degree at the same time. But mostly you've proved that you're determined enough to do what it takes to get the job done.

As I mentioned above, working alongside studying does not come without a certain amount of sacrifice. You can't go on every single night out. You can't always see your friends at the weekend because you're working. But employers don't care about your social life (much). They will be impressed you were strong enough to prioritise working over partying and lazing about watching Netflix marathons with your mates.  It shows a certain amount of resourcefulness that you were able to juggle all the balls without dropping them, because you found a way.

On top of that are the skills you gained within your actual role. Perhaps you worked in a customer service role and have handled irate customers and solved their complaints. Maybe you answered the phone and can talk to people calmly and professionally (essential for almost all roles and a skill a lot of people our age lack thanks to our love of texting). Perhaps your work involved helping others and your empathy shines through when you talk about it. One friend of mine worked at McDonalds. A job many people would consider to be shameful to put on your CV. She didn't think so though, she always talked about how she was in a leadership position and her job was to train new members of staff. She emphasized the importance of food safety and ensuring that all of her staff adhered to this. Funnily enough she found a job straight out of uni. 

5. Confidence in yourself

There is something to be said for knowing you can do something well. Once you've been working somewhere a while and you know the ropes it can be an enormous boost for your confidence. A problem comes up and you know how to solve it because you've handled it before. Or you know who to ask to help you sort it out. You handle a tricky client's complaint and get it fixed for them. You go home at the end of your shift knowing your hard work made a small, but positive difference to someone's life.

This confidence that you know how to handle a real life job starts to bleed into other areas of your life. Handling new software at uni? Ok it'll be difficult to start with but you'll get to grips with it. Doing group work with someone who is notoriously lazy? No problem, they can't be any more challenging than so-and-so that you work with. 

But when this all really comes into its own is when you graduate. Your pals are all running around like headless chickens at the mere thought of getting a job, while you are calmly browsing Indeed for something you reckon you can do. If your friends were honest they would tell you the thought of getting a job scares them because the unknown is frightening. If they were brave enough to tell you that, you could reassure them that you know it's scary, but they will soon adapt and you know this because you've done it before. 

In summary, some of us have to work while we're at uni just to make ends meet. I was definitely in that category but I wanted some money to spend on fun things (mostly trips abroad) so I worked harder than I needed to just to get by. But for those of you who don't need the cash, you should still seriously consider getting a job while you're at uni. Even if it's only in the holidays (temping is great for this). There's a lot more to be gained than money. 

Did you work while you were at uni? Or are you thinking perhaps you should? Let me know your experience!

Life After Graduation Blog Series

Post 1: My job hunting experience

Post 2: Starting your job search

Post 3: Why it's ok if you don't want to work in your degree field

Post 4: Coping with life after leaving uni 

Shout out to my fabulous Geology Girls who made my years at uni so much fun. #TeamSirens

Life After Graduation - Coping with life after leaving uni

We talk so much about how hard it is to leave home for the first time, learning to cope on your own and how to manage your own life. Struggling with life at uni is also widely talked about. Coping with exam stress, challenging modules, conflicting deadlines and managing to have a social life and keep your bills paid on time can get on top of people. Which is ok, we're only human and you were learning how to handle all of that for the first time.

What we don't talk about is coping with life once you've left uni. That for the first time in life the neat path of school > 6th form > uni no longer applies. You are staring your future in the face but you might as well be looking into a blank abyss.

In my blog series about Life After Graduation I've covered several different topics from how my own job hunting experience went, to tips on getting started with job searching if you're feeling overwhelmed as well as why I think its perfectly ok to not work in your degree field. If you read my post on how I found a job after uni you'll know that finding a job happened REALLY quickly for me. Which is great, I'm really grateful to have found a job so rapidly, but it also meant I had no time to process the enormous change that had happened in my life.

As I mentioned above we accept that GOING to uni is a huge change that people have a tough time adjusting to but we're less sure how to deal with someone who is struggling to find their feet again once they have that degree certificate.

While having a job gave my life structure to work around (which definetely helped) it meant I had no energy to focus on how I was feeling and how I was coping. In reality my life had just been turned upside down. After four years of living independently and being in charge of myself I was now living back at home with my parents, one of my sisters also graduated at the same time as me and Jared moved in with us as well. That's enough to knock anyone off kilter but I started a new job at the same time as well. It wasn't until I had been back home for a few months that I was able to admit to people that I was finding it hard.

And do you know what? It's ok to struggle but the only people who really get it are your fellow graduates who have experienced it too. I love my parents so much but they cannot really understand why I feel a bit trapped at home. They take this as I'm desperate to get away from them, not I just crave being in control of my own life again.

More than a year since graduation, life has settled down for me and I have come to accept my situation for what it is. So if you've just graduated (or know someone who has) these are my tips for navigating this massively understated period of change.

1. Take a short break.

I'm not talking about months of dossing around the house, but take a short period of time to unwind from the stress of your final months of uni. Use the time to relax and regroup and figure out your next step. Don't pressure yourself to make huge decisions, just decide what your initial move will be and that's it. If you've got the funds (unlikely but some do) take yourself off somewhere to get away from it all and gain some perspective on your situation.

As I've already mentioned I was working at my new job before I had even graduated so I didn't take the time to do this and I think it contributed massively towards me feeling very frazzled and burnt out in my first few months of working. If you are able to, take just a short period of time for yourself, because I wish I had.

2. Work on accepting your loss of independence.

Chances are you've moved back home with your parents. It's what a lot of young graduates do while looking for employment. While it is fantastic to have such a safety net (and I am forever grateful to my parents for allowing both Jared and I to move back here) it doesn't come without it's problems. Now is not the time to sink back into adolescence. If you want to get ahead in life continue to be as independent as possible under your parents roof. Clean up after yourself, do chores not because you were told to but because you can see they need doing, wash your own clothes and most importantly: pay your way. As soon as that first pay cheque comes in it's time to start paying your parents rent. Before that you should earn your keep by being even more helpful around the house.

I think it's important to pay rent for many reasons. First and foremost, you're an adult and it's not ok to expect a free ride from your parents. In addition contributing to the household encourages you to manage your finances responsibly. The most important reason though it to maintain that sense of yourself. The one who paid her bills on time and kept a roof over her head at uni. Don't let that version of you shrivel up so that you don't recognize her once you're ready to strike out on your own again.

Paying rent also helps your relationship with your parents as you are less of a burdensome child and more of a fellow adult. You are helping your parents share the load and in return you can respectfully ask that they allow you the freedom to continue being an adult. How much rent you pay is between you and your parents but it's essential to have open and honest conversations about it. It's also crucial to talk about the rules they expect you to follow (and for you to stick to them) but also how they can allow you to maintain as much independence as possible.

It's by no means easy (and this is coming from someone who resents anyone having control over my life, no matter how small) but over time I've come to accept that certain freedoms are no longer available. The trade off is I get a roof over my head for a lot less then I would be paying otherwise and never have to worry about the heating bill. To be honest, a lot of the freedoms I crave weren't available to me at uni anyway, because I lived with other people. Accepting it refocuses my energy into creating my own life without relying on others.

3. Make an effort to stay in touch with friends

I think this isn't something that dawns on people until they're actually weeks away from graduating, but seeing your friends once you've left uni is HARD. It requires time and effort (and a lot of train tickets) to see them. Chances are you're all scattered across the country (or the globe in some cases!) with various work and social commitments to keep track of. Finding a weekend to meet up is hard but well worth the effort and expense. When life is getting a bit much for you, hanging out with old friends who are in the same boat can really help. It helps you remember that you aren't alone, which is important because life immediately after graduation can be lonely. Especially if you're at home on your own all day.

You will make new friends as you establish your new life, but to start with you might find that you don't have many people to spend your free time with. For this I am immensely grateful that Jared has moved in with my family as he is my best friend so he's always here for me to hang out with. But as much as I love him he cannot substitute for my girlfriends indefinitely and for that I need to either get in the car or catch the train to see them. I'm always so glad I made the effort and I feel recharged for weeks after a catch up with them.

On top of that we make a serious effort to chat to each other on facebook very regularly which although isn't the same, helps us stay connected with each others lives. It's also a huge comfort to know that I can pick up the phone if I'm struggling and they're still there for me.

4. Make a structured plan for your day

If you're still looking for a job, then you must be strict with yourself and try to structure your day. Include time spent job hunting within that. It's better to apply yourself solidly for a short amount of time each day then to spend hours aimlessly browsing job adverts or staring blankly at a daunting looking grad scheme application. Doing a small amount daily will add up to a considerable amount over the course of a week. When you're not job hunting make sure you are strict with yourself about things like getting up and going to bed at the same time, eating sensibly and doing basic chores such as making your bed, taking a shower and getting dressed. Feeling like you have no direction in life is challenging enough without allowing yourself to slide into a poor state of health (be that mental or physical).

5. Find a productive task

If you're looking for a job, then finding productive ways to fill your hours not spent job hunting will really help you if you're feeling a little low after uni. This is an ideal time to do projects you've always needed the time for. A great one would be learning to drive (if you haven't already) as you know have the free time for lessons and it helps give you focus. Once you've passed not only are you able to add 'full clean driving license' to your CV but a whole other world of jobs opens up to you. Or you could task yourself with sorting through all of your stuff from uni and donating unwanted items to charity or selling them on ebay. You could volunteer for a cause that matters to you and put your skills to good use. Or you could even start a blog... It doesn't really matter what it is, it's just important to have something to do to prevent you from becoming apathetic by having something else to focus on. On top of that you're almost certain to improve your skills along the way too, which is  a win win.

6. Read some inspirational books

In our digitally switched on world we're finding it increasingly difficult to devote a chunk of time to reading. But is so good for you. Take the time to refresh your sense of purpose with something motivational. It could be an autobiography of someone you admire, or a book on mindfulness or one that teaches you how to start your own business. Keeping your head high and remembering to keep trying are really important in this awkward, transitional part of your life. Three personal favourites of mine are The Wrong Knickers by Bryony Gordon, #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso and The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight.

7. Accept this phase for what it is

It's ok and pretty normal for this part of your life to be uncertain  and unpredictable. You are still getting started and its fine that you haven't got it figured out yet. Decide that you are going to buckle yourself in for the ride because the chances are you will experience a lot of highs and lows in the coming months. Your early twenties are a place of turbulence because you are figuring out which path to take. That's all ok and normal. Come to terms with it and you will be able to roll with the punches a lot better.

8. Nobody else has it all figured out either

Always remember that what you see online is other people's highlight reel. They often don't share the struggle or the insecurity as openly as they do their amazing work trip or the fancy cocktails they seem to drink every night of the week. Chances are you're guilty of it too. It's almost certain though that they are also struggling and trying to figure things out one step at a time, just like you are.

9. Don't neglect yourself

Although its important to work hard, take time to be nice to yourself. Keep up with your hobbies, spend time doing things you find relaxing, hang out with your friends and family. It's good to be ambitious but if you try to do too much you'll burn yourself out. 

10. Strive for your independence

During this period of your life if you're not sure what direction to head in, then having this as your goal won't steer you far wrong. Just remember that independence has a different meaning for everyone. To me I think it means not having to rely on other people financially and being able to have a place of my own. To a friend of mine, independence means being able to work for yourself, anywhere in the world and not being constrained by your location or the company you work for. Another friend wishes to be able to research what interests her without being tied into a degree course. Whatever it means for you, make sure that you're constantly striving for it and that it shapes your decisions. 

Did you struggle with life after uni? Are you still adjusting a year later like I am? Or are you going through this now? Let me know if you have any tips that worked for you!

Life After Graduation Blog Series:

Post 1: My job hunting experience

Post 2: Starting your job search

Post 3: Why its ok if you don't want to work in your degree field