Ways to de-stress during the essay/exam chaos season (Part 2)

How did the first 5 tips work for you in Part 1? Well here’s 5 more to make sure your welfare is tip top during this crazy period!

1. Get out the house. If you’re feeling stressed and can’t focus, don’t sit about worrying and feeling guilty. Give yourself a break, go get some fresh air and try to clear your head.
2. Socialize. That doesn’t mean necessarily going to a bar and drinking several pints (that probably won’t get you anywhere) but you do need time off. If you’re socialising with friends from university, try to agree to spend 30 minutes letting off steam about university stress, and then agree to BAN conversation about university for the rest of the night. By allocating your time to vent and to have fun, you can really take your mind off of things.
3. Write a list-in fact write 2 lists. Sometimes it can be hugely overwhelming all the work you have to do and all the dates are flying around in your head and you have no idea what is going on. Write down clearly a list of what you need to do, and when. Secondly, write down a list of things you’ve accomplished this week, this will make you realise how hard you’ve been working.
4. Get a massage. It is not as expensive as you might think. Sites such as Groupon and Wowcher almost daily have offers for Spa-related treats. A massage is a great way to free yourself of tension and relax. Get an aromatherapy massage which is particularly beneficial.
5. Talk to someone. The LSE counselling service is free and confidential for all students. They are well worth visiting if you’re feeling down.

And the key thing, if you take anything from this blog is to remember that this stress is TEMPORARY! Exams, essays, assignments, dissertation…they will all get done, and soon enough you can celebrate the end of the doom-period and enjoy yourself and your freedom once more. Here are some happy cats to motivate you.

Sacred Spaces of London

Hullo everyone

The LSE Students’ Union and Chaplaincy are hosting a joint photography competition on the theme of “Sacred Spaces of London.” Entrants are free to submit an image of any location in the capital where they feel spiritual or they feel has a strong religious connection to them. Basic editing is permitted, but the focus should be on the relationship between the artist and the subject as much as possible.

Entries will be accepted up to and including the 17th of December and should be submitted electronically, either as a JPG or PDF to su.communitywelfare@lse.ac.uk alongside contact details and a 10-20 word caption explaining the context of the photograph.

The top twelve photographs will be displayed in the Fourth Floor Restaurant, with cash prizes available to the winner and two runners-up.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Results Day

I always feel rather depressed on Results Day, partly because I once again see that everyone is brighter now than I was in 2009, but also because I become aware of the inevitable march of time upon my declining mental and physical well-being.

However, on the day, I can still remember feeling as delighted as you all must now be feeling. I spent most of Results Day Eve playing a great deal of Railway Tycoon and Civilisation, at times wishing I lived in the computer because everything seemed a lot more straightforward there. Yet, as it inevitably does, reality eventually came crashing back into my existence and as with many of you, I was politely informed by an automated e-mail that the LSE was happy to acquire three years of my life.

One thing that I can assure you all now is that this is the last time that anyone will be in the slightest bit interested in your A-Level results or IB score. After two years of graft, those handful of digits are now consigned to little more than a single line on your CV.

Still, they were worth it, weren’t they?

As ever, the LSE and LSESU are around if you have any queries or comments regarding coming to London. You can email our advice centre at Su.Advice@lse.ac.uk or contact university admissions team at ug.admissions@lse.ac.uk or by phoning +44 (0)20 7955 7125. 

Aside from that shameless plug, I strongly advise you to take the next few days off. After a summer of now-needless fretting, go out and actually enjoy yourself!

Done that? Great, now here are a few tips that I wish I had known before coming here;

1. Get used to living away from home: University is the first time that most of us have done this before, so I recommend dealing with this rather big cultural shift. I know that my parents were more bothered about me going away than I was, so learn to accommodate their fussing and embarrassing shows of affection
2. Visit to London: It is a big place, and prior to coming to LSE nearly three years ago, the sum total of my metropolitan experience was a trip on the London Eye when I was twelve and seeing my dad off from Waterloo when he led a class trip to Paris when I was nine. I would highly suggest coming down for a day or so and orientating yourself from your Hall. That way, you can walk smugly to LSE as part of your first foray into one of London’s oldest traditions, ignoring tourists.
3. Watch a video: This one as a matter of fact, produced my our lovely Digital Intern Wanda. You can also skip to the end in order to see me totally failing to understand how a door works…
4. Get an Oyster Card: Unless you get one of these, you will be spending enough money on Tube fares to allow Boris Johnson to buy another yacht. A big yacht, made from gold and peacock tears. 
5. Plan your courses: The LSE tend to be fairly accommodating in allowing you to change your academic choices in the first few weeks. However, basically everyone has a compulsory module or two during First Year. You most certainly don’t have to read or buy everything on your reading list, but if you see a few interesting sounding books on the Course Guide, it always helps to get to grips with the nitty-gritty.
6. Leave the Nescafe at home: London has some of the best baristas in the world and they will be able to inform you what proper coffee actually tastes like.
7. Buy a scrapbook: I am amazed about how much cool stuff I have actually been able to do in the city. Every-time you visit a museum, get a postcard. Every-time you find a café buried away in a street market, see if you can get a sugar packet. Every-time you go walking in another one of a Royal Parks, get a desiccated leaf. Stick them all into a journal and write a little note about it, it’s a fantastic way to keep some memories together, and it is a lot more emotive than Facebook ever will be!

Right, that’s your lot, enjoy the rest of the summer! You have all earned it! 

I have also been informed by our legal people that Boris Johnson does not own a yacht. 

A yacht, not owned or operated in any way by the Mayor of London. 

Hello from your Community and Welfare Officer

Hello everyone, my name is Jack Tindale and I am your LSESU Community and Welfare Officer for the year ahead.

Here is a picture of me looking like the protagonist from a nineties paranormal television drama;

My responsibilities are wide-ranging and at times, somewhat vague. At one point I remember introducing myself as the “Students’ Union Officer in change of, you know, stuff…” much to the embarrassment of my mum, who still isn’t exactly sure what I’m doing with myself since graduating.

That said, the things that I am in charge of are still of real importance to the student experience. On catering, residences and most areas of LSE-wide ethics policy, I am the primary student representative for them. My priorities for the year ahead are to focus on improving the quality of accommodation and promoting a better sense of togetherness amongst the LSE student body. I am already thinking of some cross-campus competitions to promote the artistic talents of our student body, so make sure to flex your creative muscles over the summer. 

On a more personal level, I will probably be clogging up this blog with some of my favourite cafes, bookshops and hidden gems of the metropolis. My main piece of advice to newcomers to the LSE would be to explore London. It is a fantastic city to live and work in and a key part of getting the true university experience is to find out the bits that tourists usually don’t have time to find. 

You can get in touch with me at any time via the contact details on the main LSESU website, but please come to our weekly Union General Meeting to quiz me in a more heated debating chamber. Having chaired the thing for the past two-and-a-half years, I probably deserve to be put on the spot for once! 

You can contact me via e-mail and if you have an affinity for bad puns or ill-advised political commentary, you can also contact me on the popular micro-blogging site Twitter. 

As the year goes on, I shall try and upload some pictures of my favourite London culture and eating spots in addition to just what I have been doing in the Sabbatical Office. For the time being however, take a look at how our New Students’ Centre is progressing.

As you can see, the first floor is finally starting to take shape. It would put Buckminster Fuller to shame!