1024ºË¹¤³§

About six months ago I took a big step, both literally and figuratively, in starting my placement year! In the literal way, I moved 120 miles away from 1024ºË¹¤³§, to Bristol. Figuratively, I have left the typical student life to experience working life for one year. Since I am now at the halfway point, I wanted to check in and reflect on the highlights of my placement so far.

Career

Starting with the obvious, I wanted to share some of the amazing career opportunities I have been able to experience because of my placement.  

Attending additional courses

As I am doing my placement at another university to do research there, I have had the opportunity to attend some classes of final year Psychology. This was great, as they were classes that are different to the ones at 1024ºË¹¤³§. They also really helped me to ease into the placement and develop a wider understanding of subjects I did not know as much about before.

Developing new skills

You might have guessed it, but being on placement means learning still! A part of my placement is taking part in many different projects. I get to work with different approaches, people, tools or types of analyses.

As the work is so varied, I am able to not only build on skills but really gain an understanding of subjects I knew nothing about. As an example, recently I had the chance to attend a workshop about Neuroscience and AI. While most of the presentations seemed out of my reach, I actually found myself understanding and learning quite a few things about this field. I am also gaining confidence in things I already knew about but maybe was not as comfortable in.

And finally, I am learning everyday about my strengths and weaknesses and most importantly my likes and dislikes.

Presenting my work

As I am actively leading research projects, part of this work is presenting the outcomes. I was able to apply, and get accepted, to present at a research festival. I was also asked to present my work before our research group.

I wanted to set this apart as its own little highlight as I feel that this is a particular fear of many students, and rightly so. Public speaking can be nerve wracking. But by doing it more and more it actually becomes a lot of fun and you might also find aspects of it that you enjoy.

For me, I quite like design, and therefore the initial stages of creating a presentation are very enjoyable. It also feels very empowering to talk about your own work and have people listen to you. Being able to use my voice and talk about work that I think is important and might inspire others is one of my biggest placement highlights.

Going on a work retreat

Finally, just before the winter break, I had the privilege of joining my co-workers at a work retreat. This was an awesome experience where we stayed in a Lodge for two nights and had a mix of career development workshops as well as amazing opportunities to socialise and celebrate the hard work of that year. Being able to join an established group and feel a part of it and seen as an equal, despite being a student, is wonderful and has set my standards high for when I begin my career after university. 

Social

Transitioning to some of my social highlights so far! Being on placement does not only mean career development, but also great new opportunities to make friends for life.

Networking

The obvious first... entering a professional environment for a year is entering a huge network of professionals. This is an amazing opportunity to make lasting connections that will be hugely favourable after University. But not just that, these are colleagues, mentors, and most importantly, friends too. 

Other placement students

One of my social highlights so far is making friends with some of the other placement students close by. Being able to share a similar experience and support each other throughout this new experience is worth gold!

Visits

A fun thing about living in a new place is getting visits from your friends and family and exploring it together. As Bristol is not too far from 1024ºË¹¤³§, many of my friends came to visit over these past few months. There is something about sharing experiences that seems to double the joy you get out of it. And also, your friends and you may be able to discover something together that you may not have noticed by yourself.

Table Tennis

If you know me or have read some of my previous blogs, you know I could not leave this out! As a passionate table tennis player in the University club, I had to continue my training in Bristol. For this, I joined a local league. This is vastly different from University, where games are structured differently and players have very varied playstyles. For me, this has been one of the biggest highlights since I moved. I have been able to experience my sport in a very different way to before and I have learnt so many new skills by meeting different players. I am also so happy to have joined a supportive and fun club that always wants me to play at my best.

Personal

Finally, I want to share some personal highlights as well. International students will relate to this already, but going on placement sometimes means leaving 1024ºË¹¤³§ to go somewhere else. And that can be daunting, but also so rewarding.

New volunteering opportunities

I am a big proponent of empowering communities. And moving to a new place is an opportunity for me to get involved with the local communities. The best way to do so, in my opinion, is by volunteering with charities.

Because my living and work situation allowed it, I was able to volunteer as a Foster Carer for the local animal rescue centre. For this, I took in cats and cared for them until they were ready to be adopted. This has been such a rewarding experience and made me feel really connected to Bristol.

Explore Bristol

Last, but not least, as for any new place I go, exploring is the first thing I look forward to doing. And there is no better way to do that than by having the time to immerse yourself and truly understand what life is like in that place.

A placement allows you to take your time exploring and really become a part of the place you have moved to. In my circumstances, this meant exploring the amazing music scene - which Bristol is famous for! I was able to go to a concert of a long-time favourite artist of mine. And the catch was, the concert was on a boat! How cool is that?

I am also very big on food and being in a new place to me means trying the different food it has to offer. And Bristol did not disappoint! From Cuban restaurants to bakeries in 15th century buildings and food markets with Caribbean food that make your mouth water.

I want to end this collection of highlights by reminding you, dear reader, that most of these things do not come about by themselves. It is important to remember that many good things come through action.

So, if any of my circumstances relate to you I encourage you to take the leap and engage. Engage with the life around you, the people, the communities, the shops, the architecture, the nature and anything else you can think of. This will give you an experience unlike any other and will ensure you make the most of it. 

Until next time, Lucille