University of Aberdeen Blog

I don’t know what it is about November, but it always seems to be the month where my calendar starts to fill up and I tend to be running frantically from building to building. It may sound a tad stressful, but once it all gets going it’s actually quite good fun.

The month started with the last of the Halloween parties and the monthly AUSA council meeting. I sit on the Societies Union Committee, which is responsible for promoting societies and their social events, sorting out the distribution of money to different societies and giving advice, support and training to any society which needs it.  The council meeting itself was quite good fun, especially as Soc Union managed to get a few policies approved so our President was quite happy.

This week has involved the odd late night spent working on an important section of my project. I tend to have meetings with both my supervisors every week and twice a month I have to update them with the progress I have made so far. This week it is the research questions aspect of my project, and so far they seem to be shaping up quite nicely, though I think I have a fair bit to do before I can let my supervisors see them.    

And finally the last important date in my diary is Scottish Mental Health Research Network conference down in Glasgow, where there will be a lot of talks linked to my project and hopefully will be a good opportunity to network. I’m actually a bit nervous as I have never been to a conference before, and have never had to spend an entire day wandering around in a suit, but I have a feeling that this is the sleep deprivation talking.  

So fellow readers, as you can see life has become quite busy, so this blog post will be my last as a student ambassador. I have had an amazing three years working for the department and meeting new students, and will miss typing away about the random things I have been up to. But like they say, when one door closes another opens, so let’s see what happens next J

Nooreen

Today fellow readers I am writing my blog from my new office, yes that is right I am officially a registered Postgraduate student doing an MPhil in Mental Health with a view to convert my project into a PhD. It has been a busy couple of weeks trying to adapt to a new style of learning, sorting out paperwork and trying to read through the mountain of background reading I have to do, but all in all I absolutely love it.

My typical day at the moment involves getting to my office at 9am, and after sifting through my unread emails and making a cup of tea I tend to make a start on my reading for the day. As it is only the first month of my project, background reading takes up most of my day, but there are the occasional departmental meetings, a couple of lectures and a weekly meeting with my supervisor that I have to prepare for. Most research students also get given special research notebooks that are filled in with all your ideas and plans for your project, and eventually go on to become the book that contains all your results and methodology. So by the time my brain begins to throb from all the new terms and theories I’ve had to learn, its 6pm and time to head home to relax. However I have made the effort to get involved in student activities so that my life does not end up revolving around my research. I am back on the Societies Union Committee for the AUSA and also plan to get involved in the new AU Psychiatric Society, who have a screening of Shutter Island next week and a talk on the media and mental health.

So, as you may have gathered my life as a postgrad is very different from my undergraduate degree. It does take a while to get used (especially having to wake up at half seven every morning), but the thing that makes it easier is that I am reading and researching a topic that I am really interested in, so while sitting in an office for about 8 or 9 hours reading may sound tedious, time just flies past because I enjoy it. However dear readers, I have a 150 page document to get through by the end of today and an important meeting tomorrow to prepare for, so goodbye for now and hope you’ve all been enjoying your half-term holidays.

Nooreen   

This summer has been quite different from how I would usually spend my holidays. Most years I have either been working to earn a few extra pennies or had a work experience placement. So when it came to planning what I would this year, I thought that considering I had just finished degree, I deserve a bit of ‘me’ time; maybe do a bit of travelling and spend time with the family. So far I have to say that I may have spent more time in airports or railway stations than I have with my family, but I am not complaining.

The first stop was a visit to my parents, which involved spending 12 hours on a plane. It usually takes a lot longer but because I can get direct flights to Heathrow the journey is a lot easier, plus there is always a brief stop over in Dubai which means a lot of money gets spent at the Duty Free . The next stop was my best friends’ wedding, and yes I do mean more than one friend, as two of them were getting married to each other and I got to be a bridesmaid. The wedding was in Cleish, just a couple of hours away from Aberdeen. It was a beautiful day, and there were a few moments where I did get a little misty eyed seeing my friends so happy together. The next destination after the wedding was Scarborough, a small seaside town in the North Yorkshire, and it also happens to be the place I was born. It takes a couple of hours by train, but again the journey is made easier by the fact the one of the more direct trains departs from Aberdeen.  After spending few days enjoying my grandmother’s amazing cooking, it was back to Aberdeen for few days to bid farewell to some of my friends who were leaving the city after graduation. I have known most of friends here for nearly four years, starting from when I was a wee first year student, so saying goodbye was really hard, but I have already made plans to see all of them before I start my new course (even though it would mean more travelling). I wasn’t left feeling sad for too long as I had to pack my bags to go down to London for a few days to help my aunt get ready for her wedding. At this point I have to admit I was rather fed up of planes, but the flight from Aberdeen to Heathrow only takes an hour so it wasn’t all too bad. And now dear readers, I am writing this blog from my lovely flat in Aberdeen, where I will be for a few more days before I go back down to London for another wedding!

While I am dreading packing up a suitcase for the umpteenth time this summer, living in Aberdeen has made all my little trips a lot smoother with the presence of an airport, railway and bus station. But fingers crossed this will hopefully be the last journey for a while, so I get to relax at home, maybe make a start on some of my research and of course, work at the open day. Remember you can still book a place by visiting www.abdn.ac.uk/openday

So dear readers I am away to make a packing to do list and hunt for my suitcase. Best of luck to everyone getting their A-level results this week, and looking forward to seeing some of you at the Open day.

Nooreen

Going to graduation had always been something I had never been too keen on; you have dress up smart, wear high heels (which I can never walk in) and you have to smile to the endless number of photographs people want to take of you. However my parents insisted that I should go, and so last time I wrote my blog entry, I had just sent off the forms to order the special robes and hood and application for tickets for my parents. Today, just a few days after the ceremony, I feel quite differently about the whole thing, I have to do it again!!!

So the day starts off with robe collection and professional photographs. Each degree has a different coloured hood, so as someone who studied Biomedical Sciences I had to wear a green and white one. Unfortunately I may have overestimated my measurements for my robes, so in some of my pictures I look I am drowning in a sea of black robes and my green and white hood. However once I was all sorted (with the special help of safety pins) it was time to get ready to walk into the hall in front of all the parents and other family members, whilst being filmed for a special graduation DVD. This aspect is slightly terrifying as the thought of possibly tripping over in high heels starts racing through your head, and you realise that if you do fall over, not only will it be filmed but you will make the person in front of you fall leading to a domino-like effect of graduands falling all over the place. However by the time my brain had actually thought through this particular disaster scenario I was already sitting down, and listening to all the speeches given by academic staff. The rest of the ceremony flew past, and before I knew it I was standing outside, degree in one hand and with three letters that I could officially add after my name.

As cheesy as it may sound, I actually feel different now, sort of more grown up and confident. And I have to say; telling people you have a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences is a pretty good ego boost. Looking back I realise just how much I have accomplished in four years, and all from a last minute decision to come to this university. And yes it is sad to say goodbye to my friends who are leaving to the city in pursuit of new jobs or other degrees, but as Alexander Graham Bell once said “When one door closes, another opens.”

It’s heard to believe that this time four years ago; I was sitting at home desperately cramming for my Physics A-level exam with no ideas or plans as to whether or not I’d go to university. And today I’m sitting back enjoying the fact that I have completed my undergraduate degree. It’s a strange feeling; you feel relieved that the years of essays, lab reports and exams are now behind you, and excited about starting something brand new. Yet for me finally finishing my degree has felt a lot weirder that I had expected. Before I started my research project for my dissertation I had made up my mind that going on to study medicine was next step after graduation. It had been something I’d wanted to do for as long as I can remember, and I think I have few blog posts talking about it. Then I spent 12 weeks working on a project which involved trying to find a biological cause for depression, and I have to admit whilst the endless typing and reading was quite exhausting, it was really enjoyable and interesting, and has left me wondering about if maybe I’d like to continue researching in that field by doing a Masters or a PhD. However it is still early days and I have three months in which to make up my mind, and after having had such a great experience at the University of Aberdeen these last four years (after having made that decision on a whim), I’m sure I’ll be figure out what I want to do next. You never know, I might be Dr Nooreen Akhtar PhD which I think has a pretty good ring to it.

Anyways… moving on to a more fun topic, it’s now the beginning of the summer holidays and even though it hasn’t even been a week since finishing my exams, my calendar is starting to look pretty full. This weekend I am getting fitted for my bridesmaid dress for when my best friends’ (they’re getting married to each other) wedding in July. In three weeks time I will be jetting off to see my parents and should be back in time for graduation.  August will be spent jetting back and forth between Aberdeen and London for yet another wedding (which has been made a lot easier that there are direct flights between Aberdeen and London), and finally Open Day 2010 which I always look forward to. And remember if you want to see me wandering around campus in a bright red t-shirt you can book a place at www.abdn.ac.uk/openday.

Right all this thinking and planning as made me rather hungry so I think it may be time to stop writing. Best of luck to anyone who has an exam to sit, remember just think about all the exciting things you have planned over the summer, that’s the thought that always get me through.

Nooreen

Today has been one of those days, where you keep finding yourself staring out the window wondering where on earth the last three and a half years have gone. I could assume that this sudden urge to reminisce could be down to the fact that in 3 and a bit months time, I will be enjoying a lovely sunny afternoon at my graduation ceremony, but right now I think it’s more to do with the fact that my dissertation is due is just over a month and well I have appeared to have mastered every form of procrastination. This long list includes learning how to knit, archiving my DVD collection and completing Modern Warfare 2 for the 5^th time. However my latest craze actually gets me out of the house, but there is a bit of a story behind it. A couple of weeks ago, whilst staring blankly at my laptop and feeling a bit down about my dissertation (which ironically enough is about depression) I was suddenly hit by a great idea, I should buy a bicycle. So 3 hours later I had a brand new bike, except having never really owned a bike before, I had no idea what to get and ended up with a child’s bike, and of course I didn’t really notice (I’m not the tallest of people) until I ended up at my local health practice in absolute agony. This is how I learnt that a child’s bike is actually meant for a child as the frame size, wheels etc are all very different, and had resulted in me damaging both my knees. Having learnt my lesson I now have beautiful (adult) bike and I usually cycle 15km everyday. Most days I cycle down to the beach with a packed lunch and with Aberdeen being the sunniest city in Scotland, I usually spend an hour or two sitting in the sand enjoying my sandwich, and then cycle back home refreshed and ready to get back to writing.

Now some of you might think that I am referring to the popular youtube video, but not this time. It actaully refers to possibly the only thought that went through my head as I watched the countdown to 2010 whilst partying hard with my friends. I woke up the next morning and whilst filling in my new calendar I realised that 2010 is actually a pretty important and busy year for me. In 4 months time I have to hand in the final draft of my disseration, 6 months till graduation and my best friends’ wedding, 7 months to a trip to New York and a possible 9 months before I start my new degree (which is still yet to be decided). Usually when I know I have a lot of important things to do, my brain will occasionally go into panic mode, and I’ll end up hiding under my duvet with a cup of tea, but these days I seem to spend most of my free time thinking back to how much my life has changed over the last three and a half years. It only feels like yesterday when I was frantically packing my suitcase with all the things I thought I would need for my first year at university. Having moved around a lot as child, I had always thought that after finishing my undergraduate degree in Aberdeen, I would probably want to move again for my next degree (I just want to get as many fancy letters after my name as possible), but right now whilst sitting back in my comfy office chair and staring out at the university campus, I can happily say that I have no intentions of leaving Aberdeen any time soon.

Anyways enough reminescing for today. Well I know it has been a while since my last blog entry, but I have been a very busy bee. I’ve just started working on my dissertation, which is surprisingly interesting and the best part is that I can work from home, so I get to enjoy a daily lie in . I’ve also decided to do my part for saving the whole planet thing by buying a bicycle, and cycling pretty much everywhere. It’s lucky that Aberdeen is pretty bike friendly otherwise having never ridden a bike on a road before, I’d probably end up under a bus.  However I have discovered the joys of cycling to the beach whenever I feel like it, and how a helmet can be used for other purposes aside from cycling such as protecting my head whilst cleaning a part of my bathroom that has a ridiculously ceiling.

It is now quarter to five, and time for me to start closing things up in the office. So hope everyone had a good new year and good luck in the upcoming exams.

I’ve always loved the Easter Holidays as it’s been a nice break after a hectic few weeks attempting to get my coursework done on time (I am the Queen of Procrastination). Last term was a lot more busier than usual; I got the opportunity to go to the Parent’s Evenings in Scotland and do the Student Life talks (some of you may remember me as being the slightly nervous speaker at the end :-P) and then was elected President of the Aberdeen University’s Secular, Humanist and Atheist Society at the last AGM, so I had to quickly get used to organising committee meeting and sorting out paperwork, though I am exceptionally lucky to have an amazing Vice President to make sure I sign the right papers.

So 3 weeks off are always a welcome break and a good opportunity to catch with my family and friends, however I do have to admit spending the first week either asleep or glued to my TV catching up on my favourite soaps. This last week has been slightly more exciting as my mother travelled up  to come have a look at my flat and see what life was like for me in Aberdeen. So the day before there may have been some frantic tidying up and I have to admit to staying awake till 4am polishing my oven but the visit was definitely worth it. We wondered around the campus and I got show off my amazing campus tour skills that I’ve picked up over the last few years. We managed to find some lovely little cafes in the heart of the city centre, most memorable being the Jacques Creperie where I discovered a new love for smoked salmon and cream cheese savoury crepes. We also had an afternoon at the cinema where I insisted that we watch Monsters vs. Aliens 3D, which was quite cool though I don’t think my mother shared the same level of enthusiasm (she fell asleep).

So 2 weeks down and 1 left to go, and it’s already shaping up to be quite a fun filled week. Tonight I’m having a sort of mini reunion at my flat, a good chance to hear everyone’s gossip from over the Easter holidays, and I think one of my best friends from Newcastle (whom I haven’t seen in nearly a year) may be making an appearance. Then tomorrow I’m hosting a mini Easter dinner for my friends staying in Aberdeen and I’m think I’m attempting to cook a proper roast dinner, which should be interesting to see how it turns out. The rest of the week will then be spent getting the last of my coursework completed and generally catching up with old friends (I am a very popular woman :-P) and then getting ready for the last half of term.

So all in all I have to say it’s shaping up to be a very successful and relaxing Easter holiday. So until next time, I hope you’re all having a lovely break and a very Happy Chocolate Egg day.

Nooreen

My blog title today refers to 2 very important things today, the fact that after what has felt a lifetime my exams are finally over, and for those of you who are Snow Patrol fans you may recognise that’s it’s a song title from the Eyes Open album, and apart from it being an appropriate title for my blog, it also celebrates the fact that I get to see the band play in Aberdeen in 23 days!!! (Yes I am a bit of a fan).

Being a big live music fan, I’ve always tried to go see a band play as often as I can, and Aberdeen is brilliant for that. In my first year I was lucky enough to see my favourite band of all time, Muse, play at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, and that was by far one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. I sometimes manage to slightly smaller bands like Elliot Minor and Thirteen Senses at The Lemon Tree or Moshulu, which is always fun, and a good opportunity to see some the newer faces in today’s music world.

The entertainment scene is not just limited to live music, in the last few months I’ve already been to see some of Britain’s finest comedians live in action, most recent being Dylan Moran, who made his name with the brilliant channel 4 comedy ‘Black Books’.

So as I mentioned before, my title also refers to the fact that as of last week, I am free of exams till May, and it feels great to finally have them behind me. It’s always been quite interesting to watch the atmosphere on campus change during exam period, with the library becoming a lot more popular, and watching students do their last minute revision outside the exam venues. But once exam season is over, the streets begin to fill up with students again, all ready to start the second semester. This term I get to start some really interesting courses about Neuroscience and Cardiology, and I’m going to be travelling around Scotland giving Student Life talks at the Parent Evening events, so some of you may see me looking exceptionally nervous before I tell you about how awesome life at the University of Aberdeen is.

Anyhow I should really get back to answering important emails, and attempt to sort out my new timetable. Best of luck to all of you who have interviews this month.

Freshers Week…possibly my favourite part of the university calender, and maybe even the busiest. It’s the time of year when all my friends come back to Aberdeen, get into study mode and then kick back and enjoy our last week of freedom. It’s great having my group of friends back, we’ve recently made Fridays our home cooked night, involving a lovely meal (usually roast chicken) and awesome summer stories.

Fun aside, it is time to possibly contemplate burying my head in the textbooks (for once). At Freshers week, every student has to go meet their advisor of studies; someone usually linked to the degree programme you’re studying. The last two years it has always involved talking about what courses I need to do and then random summer banter, but this time round I had to talk about what I want to do after this degree (scary music plays in the background). I’m planning on applying to study Medicine, which means I will joins the ranks of thousands of students who have to fill in their UCAS form. I still have a year before the actual form filling, but I’m slightly crazy and paranoid, so I’ve already started planning. Luckily the university’s Career Service is really helpful , especially when it come interview techniques and CVs. Fingers crossed, if all goes well I will one day be Dr Nooreen Akhtar - cardiothoracic/neurosurgeon.

All this talk of work is making me sleepy, so time for a change in subject. Right, what else have I done these last weeks….  Well I went to watch RocknRolla (brilliant film), and am planning on watching it again sometime soon, had a day trip down to Edinburgh which made a nice change from the 4 walls of my flat (got to love friends with cars) and then there a really interesting lecture on the new Alzhiemers drug the university have been working on. You never know, we might have a 5th Nobel prize to add to our collection. Right I think that’s enough typing for today, I’m off to a friends house (yes I am Madam Popular) for pizza and more summer banter.

Nooreen