Krista Marija Etele Tingbranda, First year SPIR student; k.m.e.tingbranda@hss18.qmul.ac.uk
MANIFESTO
First Year Student Representative
Heya! You might not know me yet, but my name is Krista – a 19-year-old first year Politics with Business Management student – and I would be delighted to represent the opinions of you in front of the staff and the study board this academic year.
You might ask why? Well, simply because I already have been through the horrors you might be going through right now. A year ago, I began studies in Political Science in continental Europe and soon found myself deep into hysteria of HOW DO I UNIVERSITY?! I often felt like my opinion was underrepresented in front of the board (and trust me, it always was). Therefore, I see myself as the right person to lead you through the beginning of your new adult life: I am determined not to make the mistakes my predecessor in my old university made every day.
If you elect me as your first-year representative…
- your issue with your course will be attended immediately, as long as you notify me via…
- Facebook
- E-mail
- Approach me in person
- any sort of complaints will be heard and taken into careful consideration before passing them further to the staff
- you will receive advice on how to deal with any type of study issues from me at the highest level possible, simply because I already have suffered a year of university elsewhere and I know how dreadful the year can be if you fall behind even a little bit
- your complaint will be formulated in the most political way to reach the highest levels of staff within Queen Mary
- you will have a friend at your smartphone’s disposal to advise you on any type of issues during your first year in university, including advice in (or how to deal with):
- individual study
- I will give you advice on how to focus on being an independent learner quicker than you might on your own
- time management
- I will hand you ideas on how to manage your time and what tools you have at your disposal to do it much more efficiently
- note taking
- I will share with you ideas and ways how you might be able to reformat your notes into a more comprehensible and organised way
- active listening
- I will inform you how to be an active listener during your lectures
- academic writing
- I will attempt to help you to revamp the way you write your essays from an A levels appropriate essay to an academic research piece
- referencing
- I will give tips and tricks on how you can learn to reference the quickest and how to remember HOW to reference properly the quickest – who wants to hold a guide on referencing next to them all the time, am I right?
- homesickness
- I will bring you a plush toy to hug and will be your friend to listen to when you feel down and just want to pet your dog back home
- relationship issues
- … because we all have been there
- I-partied-too-much-now-I-am-behind-on-everything-please-help issues
- … same as before applies – who hasn’t been at the point of desperation amidst their studies during the first year at least once has not been hit by the “Oh Lord I Am In University” truck yet
Do not think of me as just a representative who listens to your complaints about whatever bothers you concerning your studies. Think of me as the person that is there for you as a true FRIEND: one that will listen and be there to help you develop your own tips and tricks on how to survive your first year of university!
Vote for me as for your first-year representative in Queen Mary and gain yourself a friend who is not scared to share her knowledge (and collection of plush toys to cry into during those sad, depressing moments) in the ways how to best spend your time at university while making the most