Getting ready for Uni

Tomorrow see's the start of September which means that its only 4 more weeks until University starts, 4 short weeks. Trust me when I say that those weeks will fly by, soon you will be packing up your car, or your parents car or who ever has been tasked with the job of transporting you safely to your chosen University. So what top tips can I pass on to you for your first, second or even third year at university. 

1. Buy a planner - or in short get your self organised, you will need to manage your time well so pick up a planner or use your phone calendar to sort out your first few weeks. The first two weeks of University are jam packed full of exciting events to meet lots of new people (potentially some of your best friends for the rest of your life!!), so make sure you drag your hungover self down to some events and meet people
2. Join a society - there is literally a society for every single hobby, sport, or subject you can think of, and if there isn't you can start you own. I made sure I joined the Law Society in first year and it was the best decision. They not only have their own sports teams, they also put on the yearly Law Ball and run all the competitions you will want to take part in. 
3. Talk to people - it is so scary walking into your first lecture and not knowing a single person, you open the doors and 400 people are staring back at you. Do you know what makes that less scary...knowing people in the crowd. I'm terrible at biting the bullet and speaking to people, so luckily a lovely chatty Yorkshire gin lover plonked her self down next me and broke the ice! That lovely Gin fiend is still one of my close friends today (so thanks Laura for breaking the ice!)
4. Make the most of the extra curricular activities - I've mentioned before that its no longer enough to just have a degree, you need to show employers that your different from all the other graduates. The best way to do this is to bump up your CV with competitions, societies and work experience. The Law Society at Leicester put on tonnes of competitions each year, from mooting to client interviewing their is competition for every legal skill set that you will need. So dive in, put your name down on the list and have some fun!!
5. Find the Facebook Groups - Most University's will have a Facebook group for not only your subject but also each individual year. Click that join button because not only will you meet your course mate you will find those valuable second and third years to buy your second hand books from. 

So there you have it my 5 top tips for preparing your self for the start of Uni, it will be the most exciting, interesting and challenging (in a good way) years of your life. If you take the time to get involved you will certainly reap the rewards. Let me know your top tips for starting Uni, or if your starting Leicester or studying Law this year. 

Sending Leicester cwtches. 

Lady Law Student 

xxx

Warwickshire Wedding Shopping

I'm not quite sure where this year is going, it feels like it was March yesterday and I blinked and BAM its now the August Bank Holiday. This week has been jam packed with lots of exciting trips and treats, the start of the week saw me jump into the Student Union Marketing and Events department for some pre-freshers briefing and the end of the week saw me trotting around the lovely White Boutique in Leamington Spa picking my wedding dress!! 

So what else happened in between?

On Thursday my lovely Mother and I jumped in the car and headed down to the lovely Walton Hall in Wellsbourne for a mini spa break. Walton Hall is absolutely stunning, the weather was less than ideal on the first day but quite frankly the grounds were so beautiful that the rain didn't matter. 

We started our Mother Daughter trip with a mini pamper session in the spa facilities, our Beauty Therapist for the day Molly was absolutely lovely and made sure that we felt relaxed and pampered all morning. The facilities were in need of a little love and care, and the pool was certainly in need of a jacuzzi, but the staff more than made up for it and both Mum and I had a wonderful day. The down time also meant that I finally got to read "The Cursed Child", possibly more on that in a different blog post! 

So after our strenuous day of being pampered and looked after we dragged ourselves down to the restaurant for dinner in the main hotel. Our dinner was lovely but also the speediest three course meal I think I've ever had in my life! We sat down for dinner at 7pm and were done by 8pm (the staff are super efficient to say the least), the speed certainly didn't detract from the evening but it did make you feel as if they whisking you through as fast as possible. 

Wedding Dress Shopping 

The next day was hands down my favourite day of the whole trip, mainly because Mum and I picked my wedding dress. Having found the White Boutique on-line a few weeks prior to our trip we bounced out of bed and headed to Leamington for my dress appointment, where we were met by the lovely Ema. If your getting married and you live in the Midlands I highly recommend paying Ema a visit, she was amazing from start to finish. Both Mum and I were a touch overwhelmed once we were faced with a sea of dresses but Ema helped us sift through all the styles and fabrics to find my perfect dress. 

The general rule is that you shouldn't pick the first dress that you try on....well I did exactly that! Once I tried it on I just knew it was the one, and as if it fate would have it the dress is called Zara which is the name of Simons Grandmother :) 

Stratford-Upon-Avon & Two Noble Kinsman

Having picked my dress and accessories all before 12pm we decided to take a walk around Stratford-Upon-Avon and enjoy the lovely sunshine. Stratford is such a beautiful place, especially when the sun is shining, and not that far from Leicester! It is also packed full of the most amazing shops, my personal favourite was the Magic Shop that also sold ice cream and had the cutest seating area you ever did see! 

Finally we finished off our trip away with a visit to the Swan Theatre to see "Two Noble Kinsman", which is one of the few Shakespeare plays I haven't seen. It was one of his last plays that he penned before his death and it is based on the Knights Tale by Chaucer. The whole production was absolutely incredible, from the costumes, to the set and the interestingly shaped Horses heads it was an highly entertaining evening. 

So that was my lovely trip away in Warwickshire.I hope you all have lovely Bank Holiday weekend, whether your staying at home or going away. Let me know what your Bank Holiday plans are, and if you've been to Stratford recently. As always sending lots of Leicester cwtches. 

Lady Law Student 

xx

My September Bucket List

Sometimes I look back on months, weeks, days that have passed and realise that I have wasted my days off on the sofa watching Netflix shows back-to-back (we all do it I know) while eating cereal out of the packet. On one of these recent lazy days off I was scrolling through some blog posts on BlogLovin and I came across a number of bucket list posts. The idea behind these is that bloggers post the things that they want to do before they "kick the bucket", so in line with this but on a less grand scale I decided to do a monthly Bucket List post where I would outline a few things that I want to achieve. Then at the end of each month, possibly in a section in my monthly favorites I'll let you know if I managed to complete any, or if I failed completely. 

1. Dedicate more time to my friends

I am lucky to have to some quite frankly top notch friends (they really are) however I don't see them nearly enough. Some of this is due to the fact that as we all get older we've moved away, got married, had children and embarked upon demanding careers ( I say this as the full time student of the group), this means that it is often hard to get to together. This month I want to try and see my lovely friends even if its just for a lunch or coffee (so friends be warned Lady Law Student is coming for some quality time). 

2. Get off the sofa and work out

Some months I'm super dedicated and I work out nearly 5 times a week and I eat well and just generally have my shit together. However some months, much like this month, I sit on the sofa eating doughnuts and watching documentaries. I have come to realise that I need to find a mid point, the happy medium as it were. So I am going to get off my bum at work three times a week, be it running, yoga or just a work out video at home I'm going to do it (please let me find the motivation). 

3. Save some Money

All of my friends and family will testify to the fact that I am a Grade A shopping Queen (bow down before me) (jokes you don't have to). My wardrobe, makeup counter and bookshelves all show my problems. So this month I will not buy any new clothing, makeup products or books because honestly I don't need any more stuff. Instead I'm going to save that money and put it towards our wedding/new bed/car etc. 

4. Get Organized

The beginning of my final year is looming on the horizon like Smaug the dragon loomed over the Misty Mountains (cheeky little Hobbit reference there for my work wife). So I need to get my ass in gear sort out my study room, plan my time and generally own my final year. Last year I felt like I took on way too much so this year I really want to focus on getting good grades and enjoying the last of my time at Uni. 

5. Do some more Baking 

I've set myself the slightly crazy task of baking my own wedding cake (clearly Lady Law Student had been at the Gin when I came up with this terrible idea). So September shall be the month where I experiment on people with terrible gin based cake concoctions (sorry Simon your waistline will not be thanking me for this). So people of Leicester watch out there shall be a crazy lady with cake on the loose. 

So this is my September bucket list, hopefully I manage to achieve some of these things (probably wont but lets give it ago). Let me know if you do the same, and what you manage to cross off your list. As always you can follow me by subscribing to my blog or liking my page on Facebook. Sending huge Leicester hugs. 

Lady Law Student 

xxx

 

    

August's BirchBox and Love Me Beauty

I love the start of the month, for so many reasons, but the main reason is it means my subscription boxes arrives woohoo, and I get to trial some new products. This month I stuck with BirchBox and Love Me Beauty, mainly because I love the range of products in each and the fact they are slightly different. The Love Me Beauty Box works slightly differently from BirchBox, due to the fact that you pick the products that you will receive. 

So heres what I got in each box....

BirchBox

First of all I wasn't overly keen on the packaging this week purely for the fact that I own a lot of makeup bags already and I really don't need any more. That being said it is a good makeup bag and will be useful if your going on holiday, however I hope they go back to the boxes next month.After the highs of getting a spectrum makeup brush last month I was super excited to see what would be in this months box.  

This months box is more focused on skincare and hair than makeup, so inside we have *drum roll*.

Anatomicals Coconut Mango Body Lotion - I love the smell of this lotion, I am a big fan of mango so I was really happy to see this when I opened my box/bag. It absorbs into the skin really well without leaving a sticky residue and makes your skin beautiful smooth. - £3.99

Philip Kingsley One More Day  - Dry shampoo is always useful in my home so far I haven't used this but I'm sure it will be good. I try not to wash my hair too often as it strips the oils out of your hair so dry shampoo is always good to get me few the last day before I wash my hair. - £14.50

Balance Me - Radiance Face Mask - At least twice a week I slather my skin in a face mask so I'm always happy to receive a face mask, the blurb on the website makes the face mask sound great so we shall see. - £18.00

Marcelo Espresso  Eye Liner - It is very very very rare that I wear eyeliner, I'm not good at applying it and I feel like once I've got it on that it looks like I've got way too much makeup on. That being said I am going to try it I think the brown shade may be more natural on me so fingers crossed I'll be converted. - £10.50

Merci Handy - Cherry - Hand sanitiser is always a good thing to have in your hand bag, who knows when you'll be stuck somewhere that doesn't have any soap etc. The smell isn't as overpowering as a I thought it would be so this little fella shall be moved to my handbag immediately. 

English Laundry Perfume - For a long time I have used nothing but the Gucci Gardenia (which I love love) this perfume is sweeter than that but I do really like this one. The smell transports me to a French Chateau with the curtains blowing open (no idea why...literally not a clue), its a very sweet smell which reminds me of flowers in bloom. I don't think i'll be purchasing it but its nice to try. - Full size £60.00

So in full I was pretty happy I definitely feel like I got my moneys worth this month, I just hope next month they bring back the box (pretty please BirchBox). 

Love Me Beauty

Within a day of my BirchBox arriving my lovely Love Me Beauty Box arrived (wahoooo), like I said above you get to pick the products you receive so in theory I should always be happy. This month I picked more skincare products than makeup, so heres what I picked. 

Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm  - I tried this in my hair yesterday and so far so good, I try and look after my hair as much as possible, my hair dresser Sacha at Georges Leicester  is amazing so I try and keep her work looking good. After blowdrying my hair yesterday it definitely felt more manageable and smooth so...so far...good. - £18.00

Pixie Nourishing Lip Polish - My lips can get really dry sometimes and I'm also a huge fan of matte lips so these two things combined means I have to look after my lips. I've been using this for a few days and have been very happy with the results, it exfoliates off any dry skin and nourishes your lips so big thumbs up from me. - £14.00

Madeira Cellular Repair Serum - Last month I received a serum and I was so happy with the way it made my skin feel ( I have officially been converted to the joys of serums). This one is a scary green colour that blends in once it is rubbed in, it leaves my skin feeling matte which I love. My skin has been looking and feeling much better so this one was a win. - £38.00

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Oil - How beautiful is this oil..seriously look at it!! I put this on to my skin and immediately thought yes yes yes (sounds a bit Harry met Sally). This creates the most beautiful shimmer effect so I shall be saving this for Rome when hopefully I shall have a tan (lol probably more like a cooked lobster but a girl can dream). This oil can also be used in your hair, which I haven't tried yet, but hopefully it will look amazing. - £19.00

So all in all I was pretty happy with my boxes this month, let me know what you got or if you've used any of the products before. Hopefully your all enjoying your week, and if your not this post brightens your Wednesday a little bit. As always you can subscribe, follow me on BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Sending huge Leicester hugs to you all.  

Lady Law Student 

xx

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Get your self some experience...

As you may or may not have noticed I have been rather quiet this week, thats because I've been doing work experience at a Law firm in Nottingham. I have absolutely loved my week, the solicitors I was with made sure I had a varied week in lots of different departments and lots of things to do. So big thank you to them, also I got to spend a week in Nottingham which is a beautiful city.

 With the level of competition in gaining Training Contracts it is now essential that you have some form of work experience on your C.V, whether its a vacation scheme, internship or just straight forward work experience. 

So I'm going to give you my top tips for gaining work experience and how to ace your work experience. 

How to get Work Experience 

1. If you don't ask you don't get, when you get the opportunities to meet solicitors, barristers, chartered legal executives, chat to them and ask them for work experience. This is how I got my most of my work experience. I asked if there was any chance of me coming for a week and 99% of the time they say YES. 
2. Once you've asked get their contact details and follow up with an e-mail and cover letter, I always follow up within a few days so that its fresh in their mind. 
3. Be enthusiastic, so you don't want to work in property who cares still tell them how much you will value the opportunity.
4. Respond promptly to all correspondence, solicitors are busy busy people so they may take some time getting back to you. You do not have the same luxury always reply within 1-3 days of receiving the e-mail.
5. Be flexible with dates if they offer a number of dates try and be as accommodating as possible, obviously if its a week before exams they will understand. 

So you've got managed to get some work experience...whats next??

How to ace your Work Experience..

1. Be on time! If you have to get up early to get the earlier Train/Bus/Car/Taxi/Tram then do it, nothing looks worse than turning up late on your first day. If you turn up early/on time it will make you look keen and ready for work, if you turn up late they will think you don't care.
2. If you are running late because your transport got delayed or something happened outside your control then contact them, it shows that you value the time they have set aside for you and that your still on your way. 
3. Dress smart (super smart) first impressions count for a lot (yes you shouldn't be judged for how you look, but you will be). If you turn up smart and on time they will think "hey this person cares and is ready to learn". If you turn up scruffy and late they will think "this person obviously doesn't care". So set aside some time the night before to iron your shirt and polish your shoes. 
4. Take a note pad with you, when someone asks you to do something take notes so that you get the task right. If you attend a meeting, court, client interview or conference call take lots of notes and then type them up for the solicitor your with. If they haven't asked you to take notes offer beforehand it goes down well. 
5. If your given a task and you think there is something extra you can do ask them if you they would like you to do that little bit extra, it shows intuition and dedication to the task. 
6. Thank everyone for giving up there time for you, they are busy busy people and they will appreciate the acknowledgement. 
7. If you have questions then ask them, every department I worked in I asked people lots of questions about their department, how they qualified, if they had an tips and what they enjoyed about the area of law they worked in. Advice is invaluable I gained an incredible insight into qualifying routes and day to day life which you won't get from just going to lectures. 
8. Grab every single opportunity if both hands, if someone asks if you want to sit in on something say yes! One morning I had to get up at 5 am so that I could travel to sit in on a hearing, did i want to get up that early ...not particularly. Did I still say yes and love every second...of course. 
9. Work on every task given like your being graded for it, there is a chance that you might apply to this firm for a training contract or vacation scheme. You want them to remember you as always working to high standard. 
10. Enjoy learning how a law firm runs and how various areas work. I love seeing law in practice the reality of tort law in theory to in practice is incredible. You might not enjoy that area in theory but in practice you might think is the best thing ever. 

So those are my tips for getting and acing work experience  I hope they help and if you have any tips let me know. Good luck in getting your foot in the door, the first step is asking for it. Sending huge sleepy Leicester cuddles. 

Lady Law Student 

xxx

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