Notre Dame Fam: Student Briefing - Monday 8th June

STUDENT NOTICES MONDAY 8TH JUNE

Message from CLT The death of George Floyd in Minnesota has given us all pause for thought this week. If, like me, you are outraged by this injustice, confused by how little regard humans can have for each other and frustrated by our seeming inability to make things different, don’t stop. Don’t stop trying to be the change we want to see in the world. Don’t stop standing against oppression of any kind and don’t stop doing what you can within your gifts and position to challenge racism on every level. Black lives matter to all of us. It is our fight. Educate yourself on the issues and listen.

‘Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of colour to deal with it.

It’s up to us all – Black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets’ Michelle Obama If you have any ideas about how the Notre Dame community can show our solidarity against racism and how much we value equality and inclusivity then why not get in touch and let us know achievementtutors@ndonline.ac.uk Keep checking the website, social media and your college email to stay in touch Stay safe. Helen Pattison, Head of Students.

This week’s good news story: Congratulations to Thomas Kehoe and Christina Davis whose Art work has been selected as part of a National Art Exhibition. The title of the exhibition is ‘At Home: Reflections on how it feels to be at home living a different kind of life’.

Thomas and Christina’s Art will be exhibited alongside that of other college students from 3rd to 10th June 2020. See link below for more information. Well done to them – we are very proud of you! https://www.notredamecoll.ac.uk/news/home-where-art

Notices L6 UCAS Applications UCAS applications for 2021 entry opened on Tuesday 19th May – to sign up, you will be asked to enter the name of

your college and a buzzword, the buzzword is NOTREDAME2021. Your tutor will guide you through the whole application process after May half term but you may wish to get a head start.

Applications cannot be submitted to UCAS until 8 September 2020.

True Crime Cases Workshop On the 10th June the University of Law are hosting an online workshop exclusively for students of Notre Dame. It will be an in depth look at some true crime cases. The cases that will be looked at will be the Gypsy Rose case, Guildford 4, Ponsi & Jack the Ripper.

If you have any interest in true crime and want to to participate then sign up following the link below. https://www.law. ac.uk/events/event-booking/?id=16B50FA8-5B94-EA11-A812-000D3A86D535 You do not have to be a law or criminology student to sign up and anyone who is interested in true crime is welcome to sign up and participate. Any questions please feel free to get in touch with Mr Sampson.

Virtual Work Experience.

The Moodle Careers page has a series of documents focusing on virtual work experience activities. These can be found under Topic 3. The following areas are covered: > Medicine. > Dentistry. > Veterinary Sciences. > Arts & Media. > Civil and Structural Engineering. > Primary School Teaching. > Midwifery. > Law. > General STEM. > Social Work.

If you would like help with a particular area/ sector/ career, please just pop an email over to htr@ndonline.ac.uk.

Funding for U6 Priority 1 Students Any student in U6 ONLY who is a priority 1 student and has been receiving lunch money payments, please be aware that these payments end on the 18th June as you have now left college.

Prayer from Andrew Pope Francis prays: Lord Jesus, Help all young people in their vocation.

We pray that they may boldly take charge of their lives, aim for the most beautiful and profound things of life and always keep their hearts uncluttered.

May they be aware that you are at their side in everything they do.

Amen.

Andrew

Notre Dame Fam - keeping busy!

As both our U6 and L6 students begin to prepare for the next academic year, this week Notre Dame staff share their experiences of University to inspire you about what it was like to go, what they gained from it and how it has shaped them and their life choices.

University was the best four years of my life! I was fortunate to spend 3 months living and studying in France and 10 months living and studying in Germany as part of my degree (French and German) and since then, I have not stopped exploring the world! I learnt so much about other cultures including their music, history, cinema, political systems and much more! University gave me the opportunity to travel and broaden my horizons – something I otherwise may not have had!

Charlotte Duckitt University can be “life changing” for many, but my one piece of advice is NOT to put too much pressure on your time there. Open-mindedness, maturity and good judgement are essential for having a positive experience. If university doesn’t quite meet your expectations, don’t freak. My time was enjoyable, useful, allowed me to meet some very interesting folk and certainly deepened my love of English literature- but I have also had life affirming moments before and since. Life is a big and complex tapestry of events, university being just one of them (and if you’re not going, and want to pursue an apprenticeship instead, that’s cool too- you’re definitely going against the grain!)

Heather Taylor Going to university changed me in many ways; I became more mature, learned how to live on my own and grew in confidence. I got involved with everything I could whilst studying, I was part of the Baking and Food Societies which were great ways to meet new people. Studying at degree level is tough, there are times when it can feel like you are not getting anywhere but stick at it! When you hear your name called on graduation day it will all be worth it.

Charlotte Siddons

My advice for students taking Arts based subjects is to enjoy the amazing facilities! Don’t be shy and try to explore and learn as much as you can. One thing I loved the most about studying for my degree (and really miss now) was the free reign I had to utilise all the different specialist equipment. It might be a good idea to think about which areas or equipment you use the most and ask tutors and technicians about places or organisations where you might be able to use similar equipment or facilities after you graduate so you can carry on with your practice.

Erin Hyde I absolutely loved every minute of university. I took the plunge and opted to go all the way to Southampton so I could study social work as I wanted to become a Probation Officer. It was a really long way from my parents and it stopped me from coming home when I felt home sick - I really had to make sure that I made friends and these friends are now some of my bestest friends in the whole world.

You really get to move out of your comfort bubble and meet amazing people. After doing my course for a year I felt that being a probation officer wasn’t the right career for me so I changed my course to a sociology/psychology degree instead. Universities are great at letting you do this (within reason) so you can really find out who you are and what you want to do. I also spent a summer mid degree interrailing around Europe with one of these friends, something I would never have done if I’d have stayed at home with my parents. Grab every opportunity you can – if all else fails to inspire you to go, my son wants to go because he’s heard you can spend most of your days in your dressing gown ha ha!

Lisa Kirk University was an amazing experience. I had a gap year so was really ready to dive back into learning after ‘a year off’.

I’d been abroad for a year so that helped me adapt more quickly to the new environment. My main advice is to take the opportunity to try something new, join clubs/groups but keep a good balance between work/social life/extra-curricular activities. Don’t be afraid to change your mind either – after a couple of 5am starts, I decided fairly quickly that rowing wasn’t for me! I was heavily involved in the student charity RAG as well as the college students’ union. This really helped me to develop new skills and mix with a wide variety of people. I also helped to produce an outdoor play, something that I would never have done in any other setting. It was a pretty intense experience but a really amazing three years.

Marie-Claire Keddie Going to university was one of the most exciting and rewarding times in my life so far....

My best bits would be: finding people like you and developing life-long friendships (like many here my best friends are those I lived with!); learning to cook (it can be fun!); starting to really work out who you are and being able to focus on developing your own ideas (on life and your academic work); achieving my degree and post-graduate qualifications and as a result achieving my career aims through hard work and resilience!

Try not to worry about the potential issues such as being homesick or money (you can overcome these!) - this could very well be one of the best experiences in your life – don’t miss it!!

And don’t worry too much about getting it right first time – life is about learning! Having completed a degree and three post-graduate courses to get to where I am in my second career I know that your academic journey may well be just beginning!

Mrs Newman

University and Higher Education opens so many doors in personal life and your career! So many of the benefits of doing a degree aren’t perhaps obvious when you’re sat in a lecture theatre. But you often have a much better chance of being noticed by employers and getting the work experience or internships to get where you want to be by being attached to a university as a degree-level student. I was able to spend six weeks working in the SkySports website offices in a World Cup summer which was an amazing opportunity... my phonecall would have gone ignored if I hadn’t been a university student! Throwing yourself into the social side of things with societies and activities outside of your studies also really helps boost your career prospects in a way that’s unique to the university experience.

It will give you extra time to think about what you want from your working life, devote to your hobbies and passions and also try out new things. Being a student can quicken the road to independence and being the adult you want to be, whilst broadening your horizons in a positive way. It provides you with the chance to share this process with like-minded others and spend time discovering more about your intellectual and leisurely taste.

Finally, you have the opportunity to make fiercely strong friendships which stay with you for life. For example, this morning a wedding invitation came through the post to me from someone I met on the very first day of university in student halls many years ago!

Anonymous

University was one of my favourite times of my life so far. Moving away from home for the first time – I became much more independent by learning how to cook for myself, do my washing, pay bills, food shop and budget! I made some incredible friends during my time at University. Two of my friends who I met on the first day in halls are still two of my best friends today and we still, 7 years after graduating are in touch and meet up when we can.

I studied Media Studies for my undergraduate degree, so my course was very varied. I gained a lot of practical skills including working in a television studio, making short films and photography. One of my biggest achievements to this day is that my final year group project was entered into the Hong Kong film festival!

Five years after graduating, I decided to study a master’s degree in Marketing part-time at the University of Huddersfield, whilst working full time. One of my fondest memories of my master’s degree was being able to go to Vimto HQ along with six other students to visit their marketing department, taste test some drinks and view their newest campaign! While it was hard work balancing a job, lectures and assignments this degree is what landed me the job as the Marketing Assistant here at Notre Dame!

Amy Harrison (Marketing)

A few key pieces of advice to make the most out of university: 1) Make the most of the contacts and partnerships that your university, course, or lecturers have. This could be beneficial when you are looking for employment after you graduate; I have personally had two separate jobs through contacts I made during university.

2) Get involved in societies, sports, and clubs outside of your degree. There’s no better time to meet like-minded people and speaking from experience, university friends are often the ones you stay in contact with the most as you get older.

3) Balance the social and work aspects of university. This is easier said than done for a lot of people but it’s important that you make the most of the amazing facilities, resources, lectures, and seminars that are available to you. It is what you pay for after all!

Tom Thorpe I simply wouldn’t be ‘living my best job’ if I hadn’t gone to University. At the time I applied, I never thought I was good enough. I proved myself wrong.

Helen Pattison