Strat-Man

Strat-Man has been the word on every final year student's mouth this week. (short for Strategic Management - a compulsory Business School Final Year module) With a Wednesday deadline, the library was buzzing with last minute group work and final report touches.

For those of you who do not know, every year the final year students at Aston have to write a strategic plan, on a public organisation, examining its strengths and weaknesses and suggesting a successful development path. The faculty usually chooses a company that is either in trouble, or on its way of success and has a continuous presence in the news. In 2007 the company to be examined was Amazon, in 2008 - BA, 2009 - RBS and this year - the BBC.

Thus, in the months culminating last Wednesday me and my group have been studying the BBC in and out, shows and channels, administration and management, accounts and market position. By last week we had managed to accumulate almost a hundred separate documents of different analysis. What we did not realise is how much work putting all those file together is. So, we spent four days, morning till evening, copying, pasting and editing our work to end up with one file that is withing the 7000 word limit (well, 7000 + 10% to be precise).

But finishing the reports is not the end of the adventure. There are stories passed on year after year, telling of the mythological queues that form in front of the Aston Copyshop when Strat-Man. With everyone in the business school submitting their report on the same day, the amount of printing and binding is overwhelming. Thus, me and my team sat on a stakeout in front of the Copyshop, 8 o'clock on Wednesday in waiting of the store's opening. Half an hour later we ended up with what you can see below - a 67 page, 3D graphics, customized cover, an A3 spread and 5 page references booklet that represents the most challenging piece of coursework I have had to write so far.
Lame or not, you can see the satisfied faces of my team above :P

Activities Overflow

This is week is shaping up to be an exceptional one here in Aston. The societies in uni have definitely made an effort to bring enough events to keep us busy all week.

First and foremost we have RAG week 2 kicking off today. Assuming you don't know what Aston RAG is, it is the Aston Student Guild's official charity society. RAG stands for 'Raise and Give', thus, the society organises and takes part in all types of collections and events to try and raise money for charity. Some of the events that the RAG society holds include a Hitchike to Dublin, project work in Uganda, Freshers Ball, Movember, Relay for Life, Christmas dinner, Ladies and Gentlemans Night, and many more, including the RAG weeks.

This RAG week is, essentially, a week of events the proceeds of which all go to charity. The current RAG week is kicking off today with the Apocalypse pub crawl. A mammoth of an even starting at the Arcadian (with buses ruining from the Guild all night) and finishing at Oceana. Then Tuesday, a B4 pub quiz; Wednesday - Silent Disco; Thursday - Comedy Night; and Friday - the closing night, a fancy dress party at Gatecrasher. (for more details check http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186613851372636&index=1)

In addition to RAG week we have the Cinema club projecting Wall-E on Tuesday. The Aston Triangle Cinema Club, as it is officially called, has been created in order to put on high quality and interesting films from around the world for the benefit of Aston staff, students and alumni. The series feature some films you have seen, some you haven’t and others you probably won't even have heard of with the emphasis on films which open our eyes to different cultures. Expect some more info on the Cinema Club soon, as it is definitely a society that needs to be noted.

Just to make this week even more interesting, the Aston entrepreneurs society presents the Apprentice Week, a 3-day event consisting of exciting tasks adapted from BBC's The Apprentice. From Wednesday 2nd until Friday 4th March, teams of 3-6 people will compete against each other in a variety of exciting Apprentice style challenges. The first challenge - Sales - designed to measure the team's salesmanship, or the society says, they're taking business back to basics; teams will compete against each other to make the highest amount of money possible. The second challenge - Negotiation - testing the one's purchasing skills as teams compete against each other to find, negotiate and purchase some very unusual items. The last challenge - Marketing - takes it up a notch as the teams will have to launch their own special beer brand; they will be responsible for creating a taste, type and brand of beer with the best one getting made and stocked in B4 bar!

So get ready, Aston, for a week to remember!

Valentines Day hits the Aston Campus

This week I am writing from the place to be, the podium of the Great Hall. It is incredible how you can just walk in when it is empty and just observe the details of this mammoth of a lecture theatre.

Anyway, I should not get distracted from the main purpose of this post and it is to share with you the experience that is Valentines Day on the Aston Uni campus. Whether you like Valentine’s , hate it, or just don't care it always ends up being pretty much a big deal.

For me, personally, the upside of Valentine’s is that whether you are single or in a relationship, you do always spend it with the people you care about; either bitter single friends, or the person you share a romantic relationship with. However, I do think that there is a downside to Valentine’s, and it is the commercialization of the holiday. The amount of cr*** that is being sold as gifts is overwhelming. It seems like any shop that is selling any product tries to squeeze the romance out of Valentine’s to make a profit. That is why I was amazed at the brilliant ideas that the Aston students came up with to not make money but rather give back to society.

There were several charitable activities going on on Valentine’s that were extraordinary. First, there was a group of students that would charge a wildly insignificant amount (and donate to a charity after) to sing a romantic (or other) song to your loved one. Just imagine hearing the door bell and as you open the door three people start singing "I Will Always Love You"; hilarious!

Then there was a flower delivery desk. Situated on the ground floor of the guild there was an improvised flower shop that would for the mere amount of 2.5 pounds deliver a rose with a card to you valentine's door. I didn't really have a valentine this year (Oh) but since the money goes for charity this is a great way to make a donation and at the same time make your friends feel special. So, I went to the desk and asked if I can send three roses (Sure!), to three different people (Huh?), that live on the same address (Huh?). My logic was simple, I get my improvised valentines in one room and sit them down to wait for their roses. This would save the deliverer's time and I would not have to coordinate three people to be home at a certain hour.

Well, my mates had a laugh and this just proves that whether you hate Valentine’s, love it, or just don't care, you can make a donation to someone in need and make someone happy with one simple walk to the guild ground floor.

Astonbury 2011 (update)

Everybody's talking about...

Uni vs. Long Distance

Every year thousands of young souls flee the parent nest and join the Aston uni community. They come from all corners of the world, hopeful and eager to start four (or three, depending on the course) character-shaping years of their life. Unfortunately, every person has emotional baggage; whether it's unresolved father/mother issues, self-esteem problems, [blank for adding own personal issues when reading this post], or, and this is the worse, a long distance relationship.

You must have heard it a million times but let me say it once again - long distance does not work - and I shall not use the boring arguments that other "wise" men use, instead let me tell you what you will miss out on whilst sitting in front of skype and waiting for your beloved to answer:

• new friends (from new cultures, speaking new languages, having interesting stories, etc., etc., etc., you get my point)
• sports - we do have a club for essentially every sport that exists (and if we don't, creating one is a piece of cake, and a piece of cake that you will have plenty of help with eating)
• social gatherings - there are enough social clubs in Aston to fill up every night of your stay
• nights out - come on, every day I get countless flyers and FB invites, and if I don't, my friends do and let me know (again, you get the idea)
• academic work - do you know how many chapters for my Financial Accounting Class (that I failed) I could have read for the time gullible young me spent sitting in front of skype and chatting with my soon-to-be-ex girlfriend.
• part-time work - duh! Developing your CV, Aston uni Job shop assisting you with doing that; do these things ring a bell?
• volunteering - I bet that all the people I could have helped volunteering would have been more grateful for the time spent with them than my, well, same soon-to-be-ex girlfriend
• basic human needs - do eating and sleeping ring a bell? (especially sleeping)
• travelling - there are so many opportunities for travel and I am talking cheap student travel; the kind of travel you will be jealous of when you graduate because it is biggest bargain ever!
• and there is so much more [blank to add own dream since it is most likely possible to complete within the four years in Aston]

When I look back at my uni life I see a pool of amazing memories, time well spent with new friends, satisfaction from well earned marks, and loads of new experiences. I am grateful my long distance relationship ended only three months into my first uni year when after loosing so much of could-have-been-spent-better time talking to my dumped-me-before-christmas ex-girlfiend. Long distance does not work, try experiencing Aston uni life instead!

ISA + iPhone = Webmail @ all times

I have regained faith in the excellence of our ISA helpdesk. I, usually, detest the long queues and endless FAQ reading, thus, most IT desks are not my favourite place in the world.

I have only been to the ISA desk four times

• to get my ID issued
• to add printing credit (back when we used to do it offline)
• to get my lost (and found) card cancelled
• to get a new card re-issued (after breaking the old one)

So, you can imagine that I know extremely little of the pool of services that the desk offers. And by extremely little I mean, I don't know and don't care! But as I was strolling along the corridors of MB fourth floor today I decided, today I actually do have time to ask a question that has been bothering me for ages. How does one add one's Aston Webmail Account to an iPhone Mail App?

So, I walked into the ISA and received instruction to simply google "Aston Mail iPhone". I thought, "Alright, is this guy taking the p***?!", said thank you and skeptically went to the adjacent lab. After following my "instructions" I ended up reading three lines instructing me to access the following link from my iPhone: http://webmail.aston.ac.uk/ios

I was asked to input my Aston username and password and voila I am looking at my Webmail as we speak! Apparently the ISA desk have designed some kind of a extremely simple to use software that does all the work for you. GR8 JOB!

January Exams 2011

The January exam session is over and the post-exams time is upon us. It is a period of late nights, beer and hanging out with your friends. Realistically, we still don’t really have any academic work to concentrate on so we have all the time of the world. Especially for the people whose exams were in the first half of the exam session, this period must have been long enough to completely wipe the stress and tireless studying off their memories. I haven’t been so lucky because I had a constant reminder of my how horrible mid January was.

After one of my exams, or as I call it the APPALLING one, we decided to complain of the ridiculous condition we had; 2 hours for what seemed like an endless set of problems. Not a single person in exam room managed to actually complete the exam and let me tell you I have some n**ds in my course. In fact, EAM is so competitive everyone can be called a n**d; it’s as if someone said, “let’s gather all the Aston n**ds in one course and see who will survive!”; a little social experiment, if I may. But, seriously, there are some smart people in my course. Thus, the surprise – not a single person finished the exam. So, we started the appealing process. First, there was the matter of getting everyone involved. Then, we submitted an academic appeal form with all our signatures and as of today are all done with the appeal. Nevertheless, it kept me one foot still in the exam session (as we say in Bulgaria). So, I had time to analyze the differences between previous exam periods and this one. To be honest I was surprised how many I found.

First, this year the time we had to complete each exam seemed so little. In previous years I was one of these people who submit their exam half an hour (or more) before the time is up. I was mostly wrong about my answers but at least I didn’t take long writing them down. But this year was hell. Putting aside the exam that I am appealing, all the rest were so tight time-wise, I would start writing immediately, not even think about the answer because I know it already and still I would not have enough time to, say, go back and check my work or maybe write something extra. No, I was like, question, answer, time’s up, home, sleep, library, exam, question, answer, time’s up, no pee-break, home, pee, library, exam, question, answer, home, sleep.

The second difference from previous years was the requirements for the exams. I was surprised how much material we need to absorb to manage to do well in the exam. Actually, scratch that, not well, just good. Unlike previous years, we had to quote, know extra information, or know everything so well you don’t have to think about the answer on the exam. For example, one of the exams we were expected to have read academic literature and successfully quote and comment on it to get a first (or a maybe first). On another, due to the ridiculous amount of open question we had to know all the material in a concise and efficient manner, so that we have time to write all we know down. On a third, we had to know by heart (the longest, ever, and I mean ever) mathematical formulas to apply to the problems in the exam. I still don’t know how I found time for all the information I needed for this exam. Hopefully, I do forget some by the next because there will seriously be no space left.

The third and very personal difference from previous exam sessions is probably something that only I find different. Since the beginning of this, final for me, year, I have felt so much more energized and devoted to uni than before. I think that the placement year off uni really put my goals into perspective. (Plus I would never forget what Ms. J.S. told me back in Intel – “only one of the people we have ever hired back as a graduate after a placement has ever had a first”) So, some sick ambition got a hold of me once I got to Birmingham and did not let me go until the last exam. At some point I actually got a bit worried because I could not sleep. All I could think about is whether I know everything for the next exam - what am I forgetting? What was that formula? What was the third peculiarity of this and that? What does the bottom small lettering of slide two from page three of lecture five say?; In addition the creeping fear - you are gonna fail, you are so gonna fail, fail, fail, fail, fail. Before the last exam, I could not sleep for three days!

Anyway, once the exam session was over things went back to normal; I went back to sleeping like normal people and the uni went back to its normal outlook. Now there are seats in the library, there are people in MB and the guild is open. As a last note to this longest of posts, let me share with you the brilliant statement of one of the freshers on the accounting exam: (before you start reading this imagine you are in the dead silent GEM and mean/bore looking vigilantes are walking around you) “f***, f***, I failed this, I failed this, f*** I failed this!”

The Top 10 (Uni) Things to Look Forward to in 2011 (continued)

01-Graduation

We all knew this would be number one. Come on, I have been waiting for this day my whole life. Becoming a uni graduate, now that is something else! I have my best friends and my whole (extended) family coming to visit. I can already smell the graduation party, it will be legendary. The best strategy would be follow the footsteps of the older and wiser. Ania spent a week celebrating her graduation. I will spend two weeks! Ha!

The Top 10 (Uni) Things to Look Forward to in 2011 (continued)

02-The Day of Destruction

I have already discussed the day of destruction but I will not stop. This is going to be the single coolest thing that I will see in 2011. Seriously, how often do you see two 20-floor buildings being blown up (and having nothing to do with terrorist, and war, and that kind of stuff). This is pure fun (and is totally harmless!)

In addition, apparently, the disruption to student life will be absolutely minimal. The first question that sprang to my mind when I heard this was – would we able to actually stand close and watch? Probably not (health and safety, and all), but still, prepare your cameras folk because this is going to be a memorable one! (I shall be watching from a safe distance with my phone ready to upload ASAP)

And did I mention the perk for everyone who are not graduating this year – new state of the art accommodations. I guess the students following our footsteps in a few years will miss out on the breezy Dalton and “ceiling-less” Lawrence rooms.

(Note to self: I should keep in touch with the freshers I met this year, they could be my link to checking the new dorms out.)

The Top 10 (Uni) Things to Look Forward to in 2011 (continued)

03-Aston Snow

I am a newbe when it comes to Aston Snow. Until recently all I knew was that it is some society in Aston and that they go skiing and stuff. Well, this year I decided to check them out in a bit more detail. I ended up signing up for the Val Thorens trip in April! (8^th -16^th April). Skiing in the French Alps with your mates and partying every night, if this is not EPIC, what is?

The Top 10 (Uni) Things to Look Forward to in 2011 (continued)

04-Astonbury

Astonbury is great (awesome, legendary, you name it)! How many times have I told you that Astonbury is great? I don’t know but it is one of the best facts (yes, facts) of uni life. The first time I went to this giant among festivals, I spent the bets day in the sun, partying with my mates, eating awesome burgers, listening to great bands and going on the rides; then an evening of brilliant music that ended at 6 o’clock in the morning. The second time, I had the best day in the rain ever (and my mate ate the record number -11- burgers in one evening), and I got to be at the front of the stage, and I got a free CD, and everyone got brutally soaking wet (yeeees!)!

The Top 10 (Uni) Things to Look Forward to in 2011

I have decided to start this calendar year with a look at the great events that 2011 holds for us, the Aston students. I have done “extensive research” to mark these in a Top 10 of "things to look forward to in 2011". Here is the beginning of the countdown (number 10 to 5):

10-Any type of academic work

Come on you had that coming; this is definitely the least thing to look forward to in 2011. Then again, think about it, there are so many people who are counting on this year’s grade to find a good job. Also, what purpose would you have if there was not a single assignment in uni? Still, looking forward is not the best verb in a sentence including the word academia.

09-The end of the galablog

With the end of the academic year, the end of the galablog will come. I know that trough the years you have grown to love losing your time reading my very annoyingly dull posts. Then again, would you not look back one day and think, god I wish the galablog was still on. Plus, did you think I would not leave with a blast (yes, the-end-of-the-galablog party!)

08-Easter Break

See, usually a break is a great idea but the Easter break, i don't know; it’s not warm enough to go to the beach, there is no snow to go skiing and stuff… it is just a boring holiday. Then again, it is a holiday and every holiday should be looked forward to (do make travel plans, it makes it better but more on travel plans later in this countdown)

07-Fresher’s Week 2011

I know this is not in the current academic year and, yes, I know I would have graduated by then but come on, I will still be in England and have mates in Aston, do you think I will miss Freshers week 2011. Yes, fake ID saying I am 18 and a fresher (this is a new personal low)

06-Celebrating the end of the May exam session

Now, this is going to be legendary, all the best parties are when you know that there is no reason to not party hard! And why would you not party hard when the year is over, you have no worries and the skies are blue again!

05-Celebrating the end of the January exam session

The January exam session is pure torture. I never sleep during this dreadful period. Mostly, due by the fact that I have not revised during the Christmas break (because I have a life). The end of the January exams is always so sweet and the party is so well deserved. Don’t get me wrong, the May and June parties celebrating a similar occasion are awesome but there is something about January that just makes celebration a must (probably it's the New Year, dunno.)

***the rest of the countdown in 4 days!***

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great party yesterday! My one was a blast!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Countdown to Destruction (warmup)

There are only 148 days left until the day of destruction. To celebrate this event, please see photos of Low-rise being destroyed below:

Winter Flu :(

Usually, there are two flu epidemia in Aston before the winter break. The first one is the Fresher's week epidemia that I have discussed before, or Freshers Flu. The second one, I am suffering from right now - Winter Flu. When I went to the nurse in the main building yesterday she basically told me that everyone has it and there is nothing I can do. And it is so true, in the past month one could barely hear the lecturers from all the coughing going and sneezing, and nose blowing going around in a chain reaction around the lecture theatre. So, the nurse advised me to just wait it out and take better care of myself. The recently submitted Econometrics coursework has not really given me much time to be sick, though. In addition, I have been suffering from mild medicine shortage.

First, one of my flatmates (currently suspecting all) stole my paracetamol-based-Bulgarian-hot-drink. I had innocently left it on the kitchen counter to not forget to take it first thing in the morning. I woke up to see the packet used and ruthlessly left on its previous place! The medicine shortage continued due to the fact that I was more or less locked 12 hrs a day in the computer rooms, thus constantly hitting uni-shop when closed. As my illness continues I can't help but think how does it smell in this computer room ATM?

High Stakes and Coffee Breaks (pt. IV)

Today I am having the last coursework-related power study session. I hoped that by now I would be enjoying my winter break. Well, I should've thought of the extra work when I opted to write a dissertation this year. Now, I have an outline of the aforementioned dissertation to submit by the end of the week (i.e. by tomorrow). It did not help that I failed the Placement Report and Placement Journals and now have to re-write them again and submit them again by tomorrow. So, yes, one last day of "torture" :P

High Stakes and Coffee Breaks (pt. III)

I have just submitted the evilest of courseworks that is the aforementioned Applied Econometrics and Forecasting group project. My group has spent the last four weeks with this project at the highest priority; we have stayed in the computer rooms morning till evening trying to "crack the codes" to the assignment; we have been eating takeaway and drinking vending machine drinks; and all this with deadline 14th Dec 23:55. I have just successfully uploaded my group's work (a total more than 300 pages) and am off to finally continue with my life!

High Stakes and Coffee Breaks (pt. II)

Wow, I thought that at least until January I will not be doing a second study oriented post. Unfortunately, I have been hit by a new type of disease that has spread in the Aston Business School - econometrics'obia. My whole course and I have been stuck in the computer labs of the main building for weeks now. And what is worse, we've been spending crazy hours without food or drinks - 9hrs on Wednesday with one break for tea and pastry, 10 hrs yesterday with two breaks, one for a lecture and one for dinner. This is not how I immagined this year.

My dreams have been narrowed down to finishing this "bl***y" coursework and finally seeing my mates who have by now stopped texting me with going out offers as my replies has been "soz, econometrics" for way too long. To think that on the Aston Open Day on Wednesday one visitor asked us (the panel of current students) if the curriculum would be much different from the A-levels. Yeah it would, and the level of difficulty has been rising year on year in an overwhelming manner. As my boss, P.P. said, once you survive a final year in Aston, you can do anything. So, I am off to Excel and EViews fun.

The Countdown to Graduation

While we're on about countdowns, the date for my graduation has been announced as well - 14th July 2011. Here is The Countdown to Graduation.

MySpace-Countdowns

Paparazzi

Today I had the possibly most enjoyable studyexperience ever. Of course, the afternoon lecture was supposed to be no different than any other, but when has that stopped the ever so amuzing Aston students. So, as our lecturer, let's call him S.T., was rapping up the class and the whole theatre was sitting in complete silence, I saw a flash and heard a "click". The girl sitting next to me, let's call her I., had decided to unexpectedly take a photo of S.T.. The process was somewhat sabotaged by the fact that she left her phone's sound and flash on. Before anyone could react S.T. was asking: "Are you taking this for the paper?", as I. attempted to sink underground or, alretnatively, disappear. I don't even remember her answering the question. To be honest, I don't remember the end of the lecture, either. All I know is that I kept laughing until the end of it (and after). So, a Tip for I. (and future paparazzi wannabes): There are photos of the lectureres on the Aston website :P

High Stakes and Coffee Breaks

Unfortunately, I have spent most of the last two weeks in the library. My life has become a cup of Costa coffee with Pen&Paper on the rocks. With a mid-term class test and three assignments due, I have spent all of my time in isolation. Thus, there is little to blog about. Graphical examples above and below.

Beyond Knowledge: The Story of S, M & The Police

Aston uni has been my new "home" for more than three years now. Throughout this time I have been sharing with you the stories of my adventures, academia and social life but I have never talked about, arguably, the most important part of uni - the friendships. Some people say that the friends you make in uni are the ones that stick forever. I would like to agree with such a statement. The day-to-day challenges are the basis for the ever-flourishing and ever-evolving uni acquaintances. So, let's start with a graphic example, the story of "S, M and The Police".

I met S & M in the beginning of my second year in Aston. (Remember, my "Countdown to Year 4", M likes to think that she is one of the life-changing people I met on the 27 Sep 2008. I will, however, refrain from commenting on such a statement since it is not relevant to the current post. Please erase it from your short-term memory.) Back in 2008 S & M were just two students that were starting uni but they have by now merged in to one (in M's words) milawesome couple. Currently, S is doing his placement in Birmingham and M, hers, in London. This brings us to the events of the 11th November.

As the clock was about to strike 2200 and the icy wind was blowing down the London streets, M was on her way home. She was walking the irregular walk of a person who has enjoyed a colleague's birthday a bit too much, wine-wise. In the mean time, S was sitting in his Birmingham flat, reading the galablog, thinking how awesome Vlad is (I can just assume). M pressed dial.

M: Hey bebe, I am just on my way home.

S: Baby, I can barely hear you!

M: 2@18#%&^^...

S: What?

M: Baby... 29#$%9&*&575 ...it's too windy... 6745%$#%#... ...home in 10 minutes... ...call you from home!

S: OK, I wait.

An hour passed and S had no word from M. She seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. S sent Vlad a text; no reply. Was something wrong with S's phone?

Another hour passed and, as Vlad was waking up from his power nap, S called. He still hadn't managed to find the ever-so-missing M. Vlad tried calling M, nothing; S tried calling M, nothing; Vlad called R, R called M and, still, nothing. They kept calling and calling...nothing.

The clock struck 00:30 and they started considering the possibility that something bad had happened. By 00:40 S was on the phone with the police and Vlad was hurrying towards S's flat. They waited and waited but there was still not a word from M or the police.

At 02:00 S called the police again. They still had not been to M's flat.

At 03:00 Vlad called the police:

V: Hi, my name is Vladimir Galabov and I would like to report a missing person [...] she was on the way home [...] Yes, her boyfriend called you an hour ago [...] I am at his flat in Birmingham [...] No, he was the last person to speak to her [...] I understand [...] She's just not the type of person to disappear [...] I see [...]She's on her placement at the moment [...] I see [...] OK [...] OK, thank you.

As the time passed, they started seriously considering taking the 5 o'clock train to London. If the police were not willing to go to M's place, then S and Vlad would go on their own.

At 04:00 the phone rang:

M: Hey bebe...

I think what I am trying to say with this story is that trough my four years in Aston I have met, and keep meeting, people that I can count on to call the police if I go missing. This is why, uni is not just about the course, not just about the degree, it is about the relationships that you build and the way these relationships change you.

Old Blue Student Card - New Orange Student Card

I have had my uni card for more than three years now and, to be honest, have not been most careful with it. Don't get me wrong I haven't dropped it from the 7th floor of the main building or something but as I began this year I finally noticed that it is in not such a great shape. You could barely see my photo (my horrible, horrible photo) or my last name. To make it worse when swiping it last month I managed to break it in half. A little tape fixed the problem for the time being but I started wondering, could I get a new one? Today, I finally went to the ISA office to ask but a massive sign - £10 for lost or damaged card - hit me like a rock. I did not have £10 and even if I did have £10, I don't want to spend my £10 on a "plastic surgery" for my uni card (note that the cards are made from plastic, I know, hilarious :P). Being in front of the desk already I was asked if I need help (although I was actually thinking of the various uses of a £10 note). There was no turning back so I explained that my card is very old and the time (not me, definetely not me!) has damaged it in a very unpleasant way. Before I knew it I had a new (this time orange) card in my hands FOR FREE! So, if you ever have a uni card problem, it can be resolved surprisingly quickly and painlessly.

Photo shoot (God, no!)

We have all had these weeks when sadly nothing extraordinary happens. The routine seems to be directing our every move making any story on the topic "how was your day?" as boring as a game of chess.

I was having one of these weeks and was struggling with finding anything interesting to blog about. And as I lost all hope I was unexpectedly dragged into something mildly interesting that I am going to now elaborate on until it sound awesome (or at least long) :)

I doubt there is anyone in Aston that has not heard of the new fancy library ground floor; different opening events have been going on all through the past week, including official ribbon cut yesterday. Of course, having a new library meant new photos for the prospectus and various presentations. That is why I was not surprised to see people being photographed (in a relaxed, smart but cool fashion) when I went into the library yesterday.

I wanted in to fill in a missing book form and request a new one to be bought by the library. Finishing this surprisingly short task, as I was leaving I bumped into a girl from my course that had just done the photo shoot. We started the ever so popular discussion on how hard our course is. (for the record Applied Econometrics is the hardest subject anyone has ever created!) Then the photographer from the photo shoot came and asked K. to go back in for an extra round. I said bye and was just about to see myself out when...

The photographer asked me to join K. for the last shots. "No, no, I was just leaving.", "Come on, it's going to take a minute and we might not even use the photos.", "OK."

So there I am, in the middle of the library with K. having a fake chat, not loosing eye-contact for what seems like ages with a massive camera in my face. All I am thinking is "Stay straight!", "Did you even look at your hair today?", "Are your glasses even clean?", "Does this look fake?". Being a pro at this, the calm K. was trying to continue our previous chat. Of course, this is never easy when the person you are chatting to is a sweaty-distracted-constant-eye-contact-some guy.

As the photographer did the last shot, he asked if we would like to have one regular photo as a 'memory'. Before I could even answer, K. had said "Yes.", the photographer was behind the camera again and I felt K.'s hand on what seemed like the sweatiest back ever. Gross, no?

Half listening to the library assistant I put my jacket on. She was explaining about the potential usage of the photos (prospectus, website, TVs in library, presentation). I still have not actually seen the aforementioned photos but I guess I will. Hopefully, the rest of the uni will not.

Bureaucratism

What world do we live with? This is probably one of the most frequently discussed questions in society. Through the years the answers vary - capitalism, communism, nationalism, fascism, neo-anything-ism, anyone's-name-with-an-ism-in-the-end-ism, etc.(and this is a very long etcetera). Here I will define a new ISM, the ISM that has been ever present in our society - Bureaucratism. Can you think of any advantages of bureaucracy? (if you can please do share, especially today, I cannot think of any)

The first time I met bureaucracy is when I was ten years old and my parents had to get me a new international passport (that is how they were called in Bulgaria back in the day). They filled pages and pages of forms just to get a little piece of paper with my name and picture on it. Had I known this is just the beginning of my relationship with bureaucracy, I would have emigrated to a deserted island.

This relationship of mine has been like an unhappy marriage, every time bureaucracy shows her face I get a headache, the headache that men get when they are getting a divorce and have no prenup. When I was applying for high school, university, health insurance, work permit, bank account, travel pass, tesco clubcard, boots clubcard, H&M clubcard (I could continue with the shops for a while), credit card, (god forbid) a loan, accommodation, or any other card or piece of paper in my wallet, I would have an intimate meeting with bureaucracy that would test all my skills and senses.

To get to the point in this most important of post, I would like to give the non-UK students in Aston an advice that could probably spare them my bureaucracy-caused wrinkles. When it is time for you to get a work-permit (or whatever the certificate is called) do NOT open any of the government websites. They have no useful information, whatsoever; call HM Revenue & Customs and ask all your questions on the phone (just prepare for a waiting time of approximately 3-5 minutes).

If you do not have the phone numbers, and you probably don't, just go to the Careers Office in uni. They are supposed to be our point of contact for problems and questions connected with work and placement. Unfortunately, I decided to tackle the problem myself and only three hours later (after spending most of the time in various government websites) did I have the form I needed to fill in. The Careers Office must have answered a thousand questions like mine and most certainly would have effortlessly given me the phone numbers that I ultimately found.

So, to sum up, bureaucracy sucks, government websites are useLESS, careers office is useFUL, calling institutions on the phone is most effective (though pricey).

Final Year Project: First Crisis Averted

As I was going to bed yesterday there was one little, long-forgotten thought that burst into my head and stung me like a bee - sh** I forgot to submit my final year project proposal. As I woke up, I decided I would do all that is in my power to fix the situation.

First, I had to print out and fill in the proposal form. Now that was a slight problem as I lost my student card this week. I was at the ISA desk at precisely 8:30, much to the surprise of the staff on duty. Apparently, before one gets a new card out, they need to go through the lost cards record. Well, my card was there! This sorted my first problem as now I could actually go into a computer lab to print out the form.

After printing and filling out the form, though, I had to take it to my supervisor to sign. I was so sure I would not find him before noon and I would miss the deadline. As I was hastily staggering toward the Economics and Strategy department, I came up with a "brilliant" plan. Was I to end up in a situation where I have no supervisor to sign my form, I would knock on every university staff door (if I have to) and ask them to sign my form. It was insane but it could just work.

This is where the dramatic end of my story is lost, as I actually did find my coursework supervisor having coffee in the communal area of the floor. He signed my form and calmed me down so now I am sitting in front of the coursework submission hub. Why am I sitting here waiting until 11:00 you may ask? I don't want to forget about submitting the bl**** form again!

Final Year Project

This year, for the first time so far, I had the opportunity to chose modules. Typically, my Economics &Management course is very structured in a way that we have set subjects that we need to take. So, for my final 20 credits I had the choice to either take two modules or write a 10,000 word coursework. I chose the coursework on the basis of my writing abilities and lack of such in accounting base subjects.

Well, so far my choice has proved extremely challenging. My first topic was unrealistic, considering the available public data. My second topic was too simple and quite obvious and was, more or less, rejected. Nevertheless, after my second attempt I sat down and decided it was time to evaluate my realistic options and ability. As a result, I chose a great final topic.

What was more important through this choosing process, though, was the incredible help I received from the Economics department. I have had the shortest possible e-mail response times and the most motivational advices. This is essentially what one needs to overcome the initial challenges.

Now, as I am at the beginning of the writing process I cannot help but be glad of the choice I have made. I know that it would be tough but I can feel it developing my skills already. Most expectedly, there will be more posts on the subject coming up.

Fire Alarms

Fire alarms have been an issue on campus since the beginning of existence. After having one two weeks in a row I am starting to think that this is indeed a big problem.

But, where do fire alarms come from?

Well, I am far from the idea that the fire alarms are Uni's fault. Big bad uni is to blame because it puts them on! No, I am sorry, but it is not the Uni's fault. The
real cause for the un-ending fire alarms are the various and plentiful "cooks" on campus. I have hears all kinds of stories about their adventures - setting sausages on fire is my personal favorite.

Almost every time when I walk into my kitchen there is an unsupervised pan overflowing on the stove or a pizza burning in the oven. The appropriate question would be, is it so hard to actually put a tiny piece of effort into the whole cooking ordeal? It isn't and the reason people don't care is because they are simply not hungry. If I put rice to boil and I really do want to eat rice, I would't ditch it for an hour in the kitchen - all day, every day!

The solution to the problem (there are three actually). First, obviously you can just watch your meal, or in other words, care about the fact that you are cooking/eating. Second, just do not cook, there is a perfectly well functioning food court in the main building and three discount pubs on campus. Last, and my personal favorite, just starve! OK, so starving isn't a good idea but I think options one and two are plenty (let's also not forget the £1 baguette shop down the street).

The advantage for the "cooks" is that they will escape those horrible fines for setting a fire alarm on. If you think about your cash-flow statement, this one major expense is more than any money you could save by not eating in the food court throughout the year.

So, together we can stop the fire alarms forever and sleep peacefully, all we need is a little common sense.

Back to Company X

I was sitting in my overfilled with stuff room yesterday, reading one of the Bulgarian classics - Tiutiun (Tabacco) when my phone rang. Company X's staffing representative was calling from an unrecognized number to ask me the question that every final year student is waiting for. As a result shall be back in the smaller of towns - Swindon - in August. I have a feeling this would be a great experience!

As we used to say in Company X - Yes, going back!

E-books

After a rookie mistake (put a wrong entry in my outlook calendar) I am currently in the main building downloading my textbooks onto my computer.

The library has gotten so much better now that I don't even need to go there. Apparently, except one, all my textbooks have been uploaded as e-books onto the library catalogue. For me, this means the end of the textbook reservations and the end of chest pain in the beginning of each term. (I get chest pain when paying for some of these greatly overpriced textbooks of ours.)

There is a little catch with the e-books, though, you can only print or save ten pages at a time, so right now my computer is full of P_1-10, P_11-20, etc. files. Nevertheless, this will not stop me from using only (or mostly) the e-books as the year progresses.

Aston Exchange

Apparently the Aston Free Marketplace is not as popular as it was back in the day. I sold all my textbooks from my first and second year through the free website designed to help students exchange textbooks without the amazon and e-bay fees. Check it out at:

http://astonexchange.co.uk/

Placement Essay (Results are out!)

The Placement Essay has brought me so many troubles it is actually ridiculous. After spending so much time writing it, making a mistake submitting it, now I had problems receiving my mark.

Apparently, essays were marked in the beginning of the Summer and results were sent out in August. To make things more interesting my results got lost by the greatly "talented" Bulgarian Postal Services. So there I am in my kitchen, catching up with my flatmate when the question, "so, how much did you get on the essay?" puts me in a most bewildered state. See, I had no way of knowing that the postman was talking on the phone, planning his night out, when he was delivering my letter to the wrong address (hope he had a nice time, though).

I ran off to the Placement office and asked for my results to be re-printed. This time I would pick the letter up myself. On the next day, I am sitting and waiting for my letter... then opening the letter... then (i remember) seeing one sole thing on the whole page... 39.95%...

Yes, this is essentially the lowest you can get to pass but come on. I enjoyed my placement so much and this did not reflect any of my experience. However, under placement on my diploma it would say 39-point-bloody-95. I was not going to leave things there; e-mailed the tutor immediately and asked her to meet me as soon as she can.

On the next day I am sitting in a meeting room in front of the undergraduate office and hearing: "So, I liked your essay, I hope you like your mark. How did the placement go?". WHAT THE FLIP (guys I was not thinking flip). I only had strength to give my tutor the letter I received the previous day. She started laughing and said, "Wait here."; came back with a similar letter 3 minutes later, this time the letter read - 60%. "There must have been a mistake in the system. They could not explain it."

It took me about a minute so assimilate the new situation after spending two days cursing the unfairness of the world we live in. Then I had a nice chat with the tutor about how much I enjoyed the placement and how much I miss being there,.

The Beginning of The Eng

My final year has officially started with my first two lectures this morning. It is a very different experience going back to studying after having had a proper job for a year. The confidence I gained while on placement has totally changed the way I interact with the lecturers. I feel at ease participating in the discussions and as a whole appreciative of the lecturers taking the time to teach me.

Looking back at my first two year I have been late, unprepared and, well, asleep. This year is a new chapter in my uni experience. True, the lecture rooms, the lecturers and the class have not changed, but my attitude has.

This better not be one of them standard student self-motivation talks in the beginning of the new course. Let's see how the rest of this week goes...

God, it's good to be back in uni. This time around I had a goodie bag waiting for me in my amazing lakeside room!

I am currently waiting at Sofia airport for my flight to Birmingham to depart for the very last time. The years I have spent at Aston now seem to have gone by as fleeting as a roller coaster ride. A ride that has changed my life completely. For everyone who has (or even the people who haven't) missed the first three or so years of this blog, this post is all you need to know.

THE COUNTDOWN TO YEAR 4

5. 27 Sep 2002

I was a scared little (or not so little) boy sitting in the back of the class in Sofia's oldest English High School. I was utterly confused by the crazy red haired teacher shouting at me from the other end of the classroom for not knowing how to spell "city". The whole concept of the English language, culture and country was something so foreign and eerie that I could not get my head around it. Still, I had to write "city" 50 times as a punishment for my mistake (this word will be stuck to my head for eternity).

4. 27 Sep 2006

I had spent the Summer trying to make my mind up as to where I want to go to uni. Finally, in September it was clear that I will be going abroad. I spent the 27th trying to find the red haired screaming teacher (from above) and see if she would tutor me. (writing and deleting the rest of this paragraph after deciding it is to over-dramatic)

3. 27 Sep 2007

I was sitting in my Dalton Tower room, putting the last of my stuff in place. I was having the best time of my life. I had arrived in Aston, had met the most amazing people and had discovered what it is to party in the UK.

2. 27 Sep 2008

I was walking towards the Aston Students Guild, and although it was almost midnight I knew the night was still young. I had no idea I would meet life-changing people and spend the rest of Fresher's week running to the Aston campus after work.

1. 27 Sep 2009

Waking up at my usual 7 o'clock I was getting ready to run to the Swindon Flemming Way bus stop. I would have a short gym sesh before going to work. This placement year routine had become second nature to me. I felt like I had lived in Swindon and worked for Intel forever. Had I known I would be crying like a little b**** after leaving.

So, there you go people, I am now a 21-year-old, final year student on his way to return to uni. This year is bound to be the pinnacle of my life-experience so far (or at least I hope so).

Summer Post #2 (Placement Year Feedback)

This is the moment of truth people. Every student on a placement receives feedback on his performance in the end of the year. Today is the time when I found out whether I have done a good job. I am not sat in a meeting room in company "X" waiting for my manager to come in.

Maestro, countdown sound please!

Summer Post #1

The Summer's on but there shall be no break for the Aston students starting their placement in the upcoming weeks. I will be welcoming the new students in company X on Monday. There will be a lot of experience share, advices and training I suppose. We shall have our one little Aston camp!

Astonbury 2010 (Photos)

Here are some of the many photos from Astonbury 2010. I noticed the guild team still have not put theirs on so this is kind of the only source ATM.

The Hoosiers

Mr Hudson

Me and me mates just before getting drenched.

Astonbury (Recap)

Let me start by apologizing for my drunk blogging yesterday. The atmosphere was just overwhelming! In summary the two acts I saw - The Hoosiers and Mr Hudson were spot on! I missed some of the other acts either due to rain or to queues.

The longest queues were definitely in Einies where there were about ten bar staff that were being pressed by the alcohol thirsty mob! Still, I have to say that having mind the ratio bartender to student/customer was much in the latter's advantage I was served quite quickly each time. The food this year was yet again spot on. My mate reportedly had six burgers in the time we spent on the festival site.

The stage was more or less the same as last year. It still seemed quite impressive in the evening. Having in mind we were not on the lake but in front of the guild I expected many problems with space-less-ness and fountain-diving. None such occurred. One of the highlights of the evening was the closing DJ set that really got the blood pumping!

In the end there is nothing more to say than good work Aston Guild (but please make it on the lake next time).

Astonbury (last but one)

The rain can never stop the power! We fired off with The Hoosiers and now we are jamming on a Fugees mix while waiting fir Roll Deep. It does not get better than this! A special shout out to the crew Nasko, Kara, Emi, Sasho & Charlene! God and all Goddesses bless Aston!

Astonbury (continued)

... and then the rains came to try and ruin the party :(

EOY Recap (continued)

As of today the final weekend of academic year 2009/2010 is upon us. Are you ready to party Aston Uni style?

EOY Recap (continued)

I have now spent one week back at good old Aston. There have been so many overwhelming changes on campus.

For starters the gigantic new accommodation looks done. It has been spread across zones that used to be unused thus creating this massive space that I can already see as the best place to chill out in the summer, on the grass, with your mates and some water guns. Well, Dalton and Lawrence will have to get knocked down first but that is life I guess; although Dalton does still hold much sentimental value, I would love to see what will be done with the newly freed space.

There is also this amazing new food court that just lured me in. After getting lost in it I was drawn to the Asian food bar partly by hunger and partly by curiosity. I spent every consecutive morning getting a strawberry, apple and banana smoothy. I can already envision next year as being the year of the smoothy!

When I was starting this post I was thinking - uni is indeed an ever evolving organism; whether the changes will come from new students, staff or simply renovations, there is always some developments to get your head around.

Moving-In//Moving-Out (Warehouse)

Finally the first part of my moving adventures is over. After going to the Black Eyed Peas at the NEC (God bless Birmingham for its venues!) I stayed with my mates on campus and packed up some of my gathered clutter and put it in the Aston Storage facility. This has been the biggest bargain of 2010 for me.

The storage for the whole summer was 30 pounds for four massive boxes or whatever other items that one wants to bring. The moment I was sure of the price (word of mouth because I did not actually read the e-mail I received - oops) I hurried to the finance office and sweatily ordered myself a four box voucher. Then I went back to my mate's and we started eagerly packing. After about two days of postponing and one day of packing I was back at the storage room awaiting my trolley. The one I received was the standard massive cage that we managed to fill over the brim. Let me tell you pushing this trolley was like dragging a cart full of stones; every piece of uneven tiling was like a small Everest, every little rock was like the grand canyon. I just think that the creators of the trolley did not mean for it to carry every single belonging for two shopaholics.

Anyway in the we got to the storage room alright (pushing the trolley through main building's halls was one of the funniest experiences I have ever had). We signed up the boxes, tagged them and they were taken in. Now all I need to do is not lose my receipt (although I assume that even if I do they have my student number so nothing can go wrong).

EOY Recap

As the last bank holiday till August is upon us with a promise of parties and rest for all placement students, back in Aston it is the last exam week. The library is full with students on the verge of insanity eagerly preparing for their last exams. As my second year mates say, "the last exam is the hardest one". I think this has to do not only with the subject of the exam but also with the summer utopia that everyone who finished their exams already have created; it has to do with the end-of-year parties that the student guild has organised; it has to do with the buzz around the lake that seems endless throughout the hot months; and, of course, it has to do with the moving out preparations that everyone is struggling with...

Unfortunately, doing my internship has isolated me from the whole experience that is the end-of-year. But not one can stay away from Aston for too long. That is why on Tuesday I am off to join the Aston crowd in a week of celebration of the last exam. More to be reported soon.

EOY - end of year

Astonbury 2010 (tickets)

For everyone who could not go to the guild and queue tickets are sold online here: http://www.astonguild.org.uk/astonbury/events/index.php?page=event&event_id=457683

Astonbury 2010 (lineup)

Here is the announced lineup for the event:

Mr. Hudson
Roll Deep
The Hoosiers
Gracious K
Portlan
Sick City Club
Heroica
The After Hours
Kredz
Wildkatz
Bhangra Society
Essence
SPD
And many more!

Astonbury 2010 (update)

Tickets will be on sale tomorrow in the guild!

Online sale will be available for everyone who could not make it later this week.

More updates are to come. The pull-in of the dates is great, though.

Astonbury 2010

It is end of year time again but it is not just exams coming up. The biggest party fling is upon us - Astonbury. Tickets for Astonbury will be sold online from the 31st May. The event itself will take place on the 13th of June after all exams have been done with.

Aston is year on year voted one of the best university from a student social life perspective. The student guild execs make sure every year there are numerous massive parties with famous performers. This 24 hr even will combine the whole year into one.

Last year we had all upcoming artists in Aston, including Daneo, Taio Cruz, The Futureheads, Guru Josh Project, Chipmunk and more. Who will be performing this year, some top secret info is on its way.

The Countdown to Destruction

It is official people, the D&L towers are going down. The current announced date is 8th May 2011. I present to you The Countdown to Destruction!

GRADUATE EMPLOYERS TOLD TO SCRAP 2.1 MINIMUM

While in my second year I spent some time interviewing final year Aston students on their expectations and decisions for the future. The majority were, of course, worried about finding a job after graduating. Always being a hot topic, here is an article on graduate hiring that I just got my hands on.

A poll of more than 600 students and graduates by Milkround.com found 58 percent want graduate employers to scrap this minimum requirement where it is used.

They want recruiters to understand job suitability cannot be judged solely on degree classification.

Many graduate employers use a 2.1 degree as a benchmark for their recruitment: unless candidates have or are expecting a 2.1 degree they won’t even be considered for a role if they have desirable skills such as relevant experience.

When submitting applications online, 2.2 and third class degree graduates will often be rejected after an initial batch of screening questions, preventing them from giving evidence of their potential employability beyond academic achievement.

Commenting on 2.1 minimum requirements, one respondent said: "The achievement of a 2.1 is arbitrary in terms of grading as some institutions award marks much more liberally than others."

Another added: "There should be a substitute for people who did not achieve a minimum 2.1, such as a strong extra-curricular background or likewise."

Eva Malecki, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Centrica, said: "We do not have a 2:1 cut-off as we believe that accepting applications from graduates with a 2:2 or above will enable us to attract and assess a larger, more diverse graduate pool, especially as the value of a degree classification can vary from one institution to another. To secure the best talent for our business, we look beyond a degree classification; job history, activities and interests outside of university and competency based examples are just as important to show us that an applicant has skills beyond their degree."

However, among the 42 percent who think the 2.1 minimum requirement should not be scrapped, one said: "If the minimum requirement is scrapped students won't try so hard and become lazy knowing that getting a graduate job won't be as competitive. This is a waste of taxpayer's money and a decision which would punish those who work hard to achieve success.” Another added: “Even if you get a 2:2 for your first degree and that you're not qualified for applying for most big organisations, this is not the end of the world: it just means that you have to stay strong and put in extra effort."

Milkround.com spokesperson Mike Barnard said: "Graduates who don’t have a 2.1 degree will always be frustrated by its appearance as a minimum requirement, but recruiters are facing far more applications than ever before as the demand for jobs is high: a 2.1 minimum is a simple way to cut applications down, save time and get a highly academic candidate.

"However, any recruiter who enforces their 2.1 minimum risks missing out on non-academic talents that could be vital to a role but not associated with the level it says they achieved on their degree certificate. No institution is the same so it’s also important recruiters understand a 2.1 degree from one university may not be comparable to a 2.1 degree from another."

Milkround News, 28 April 2010

Internship Recap

It is without any further notice that I have just been reminded that in precisely 100 days my placement will be over. It has definitely bee one of the best experiences I have ever had. Thinking back on it now I didn't even plant to go on a placement in the first place; I decided to change my course after freshmen year. I would have lost on so many experiences and adventures. As much as I have developed as a person in high school and university, this year "in the industry" (to quote the Aston placement newsletters) has thought me everything about real-life business experience that I could possibly want. Before I would have studied so many aspects of my current job but would hesitate to call in a conference call (or any call for that matter), now it is a tiny part of my daily routine. What is most valuable, though, is the look into my strengths and weaknesses that I got through the feedback my colleagues and managers gave me. When you receive a low grade in uni there is always someone to blame it on but when you are told "hey, this part of your job has to improve" the ball is strictly in your field. Similarly, a high grade is often regarded as luck but there is nothing lucky about securing a million dollar deal and hearing a "good job" from your colleagues. It is this type of comments, advices and help that will make me miss all the people I am currently working with. What is more the way I have been accepted in into the society has been amazing. I have rarely had a party-less week. When I leave the company doors in three months I will feel like I am not just leaving a job but that I am leaving friends behind.

Moving-In//Moving-Out (definitely moving in)

Could I BE more absent minded and absorbed in daily routine?

As usual I totally forgot to keep checking my status for the Lakeside Application. God, I have been wanting to live there for three years now. Well, I was saved by the bell, or more specifically by an Aston accommodation offices who kindly reminded me that I am yet again late with a deadline. Just picture me sitting on a kitchen table at 1 o'clock in the morning, just coming home from a leaving due, sweating in front of my laptop screen having read this angel-of-a-lady's email. Yes, quickly remembering all my credentials to log in and, yes, without a glimpse of a thought paying the deposit as if saying to the accommodation office - "too late to decline me now!".

Well, for what is worth I got the Lakeside room and could not be happier. The only "moving" problem now is transporting all my stuff from Swindon to Birmingham. I guess you should be expecting a post about the warehouse services of the uni :P

Placement Essay (Finito)

I can finally say that the placement essay is done with and submitted. It was a hard week doing the final touches. The writing of the essay actually took just as much as the revising and editing since there were so many guidelines I had to follow; special covers, abstract, references, content, graphs, tables... it was a nightmare. Especially, since I totally underestimated the time it would take me to make the essay into a final product that can be submitted. Anyway, I managed to submitted by post on time and it was all fine. One tiny detail, however, skipped my mind (and I am saying tiny but it was of utter most importance) - the essay had to be submitted online. Silly me, of course, got absorbed with work and friends, and planning my holiday that I totally forgot that this was due at all. Partly, I think I was so satisfied how I had finished so much earlier than my mates that I stopped thinking about uni work whatsoever.

So, I was sitting on my desk having my quick lunch before I run to gym when the light bub came on and I realized how foolish I had been. Luckily for me I had a copy of the essay on my work laptop so I just uploaded it (20 minutes past deadline). Then I panicked; all that hard work, for nothing! I quickly called the coursework office and being lunchtime no one answered. A soothing sun ray, however, arrived in the form of a confirmation letter in just a few days. Yet again, I had been prepared to pack my bags, go back home and work in M&S until the rest on my life. But Aston works in mysterious ways. I think what I am most often forgetting is that one the other side of the phone there is an actual human being and they do listen to my voice mail apology. What is more, it is high time I understood that my lecturers, tutors and all the staff at uni are just there to help me. Now all that is left is for that bloody essay to live up to its potential. I hope I've done well enough. Results to be revealed in a couple of months.

Placement Essay (Crisis Averted)

This weekend I finally managed to finish the introduction for my essay. I have made an action plan and now all I need to do is follow the steps and continue writing. I have given myself a deadline of EOM (end of month).

Step one of my action plan is interview employees of Company X on essay topic. Until now everyone has been really helpful so this should be easy enough. I guess this is kind of similar to the interviews I did for The Times 100 Recruiters. At least I will finally have an answer to a question that has been wobbling my head - can you get any useful information from a non-written source?

Bonus, Bonus, Bonus !!!

Placement year is just awesome. I just found out there is another bonus coming up. When I was applying for the placement, I though: "Hugh will pay the bills" but wow I have been paying much more. I have already had three bonuses since I Started work and there are rumours of a third. I am just so impressed how students are taken so seriously and treated as full-time employees. Should keep working hard and get even more (so greedy already).

Placement Essay (Crisis, Crisis!)

My netbook broke down last week and with it all my research is gone for good. Two moths of work are now stuck in an UN-bootable device and as the computer company support people said "there is no guarantee that any of [my] data will survive". As you can imagine been the ignorant positivist that I am, I have not backed up any of the data. It is just sensible that we come to...

TIP NUMBER 11 FOR ASTON (PROSPECTIVE) STUDENTS: Backup all your data!

Coming back to my story. I was doing a recap and action plan of what to do next. First, I have mentioned most of the research in the proposal that I handed in to my tutor and the placement office, that still ought to be in my sent files. Then, I can just start having fun with the most amazing Aston tool ever - the e-library. This has saved me so many times now that I should say: "God bless the kind people from the Library services for creating the e-library!"

The e-library is an add-in to our online uni account that let us access journals, essays, etc. 24-7 no matter where we are in the world. In basic terms the site is like a search engine with all a student needs (especially one that needs to do coursework research).

So I guess this week will be my week of research fun. One of the best thing about Company X is that the let me do uni work while on the job so I can just book one hour in my calendar each they and spend it in the "library". Of course, I will keep you posted.

Moving-In//Moving-Out (continued)

I have completed my application for the uni accomodation for the final 2010-2011 year. Everything seems to have changed already since I started attending Aston. The towers will be gone by the time I graduate and last week I could only apply for Lakeside and Stafford. What is most interesting, though, is that the new dorms will be opened for first tennants. Living in only a five bedroom flat in an en-suit room will change uni experience entirely. A part of me misses the old times when we had to queue for the bathroom in Dalton and when we used to crowd in the kitchen. It looks like the final year will be a totally different experience (a quite posh'er one for sure).

One thing has not changed, though - when you apply for the uni dorms you can just select your preferences but may not be allocated in your first choice. This saves the excitement so familiar from the first year and brings me back to when I was pre-UK'ish. Anywho, I have to get back to work since, even though I am alowed to allocate time for university related matters in the office, I do not want to exploit company resources too much.

Moving-In//Moving-Out

In every student's life there comes a time of the year (and I mean every year) when he/she has to move to a new flat. This is inevitable and here are the reasons why:

• if you live in dorms the first year of uni you need to move out the second (0nly first, final and international students are allowed to live in the dorms)
• if you go on a placement or exchange (and most students do) you will need to move, again, to the town (and/or country) you are going to work/study at
• when you go back to uni in the last year you are bound to not leave on the streets

Thus, my tail begins. For the past three years I have been moving every summer and applying for new flats every February. The first year it was Dalton. (Good old Dalton will be torn down sooner or later so thank God I have photos of it to remember it by.) The second year it was Aston Brook Green (My impeccably dirty house was the coldest place on earth.) This year my Swindon flat in Gordon Gardens. (Finally some comfort and heat.)

So, as you may have already guessed now I need to decide and apply for a new apartment. The more I think about it the more I see that living at uni just seems to be the best offer there is. So, Aston Accommodation office my application is on the way.

Top 20 Placement Companies

Here is something useful for all students applying for or wanting to go on placement. The top 20 Employers for 2010 were determined yesterday. Here I give you the top 10 with ratings:

1. Microsoft 8.35
2. Grant Thornton 8.20
3. BDO 8.19
4. KPMG 8.09
5. Intel 7.96
6. PWC 791
7. BAE 7.91
8. Morgan Stanley 7.87
9. BAE Systems 7.80
10. Pinsent Masons 7.76

It is great that Aston has connections with most (if not all) of those employers. I have friends working in almost all of the top 20 companies. You can see the full list by following the link below:

http://www.ratemyplacement.co.uk/articles/top-20-employers/

Placement Essay (The Proposal)

After a lot of time loss and inefficiency I have managed to spend the time since New Years in writing my Placement Essay proposal, that I handed in last week. Actually (I know it sound fallacious) I have had so much fun writing the proposal. I think that maybe it is the working nine till five routine that has got me missing uni and writing the proposal I felt like I was back in Dalton again trying to finish one of the economics courseworks.

What is to follow now is writing the actual essay and although I have already done all the research there is one last thing I need to take care of - the interviews. As an option for the essay research I can take interviews with employees of company "X"that are connected or working in the field/problem I am writing about. This out to be fun, I mean, I enjoyed the last interviewing job I had so much last year. So, the placement essay adventures must continue...

Working From Home

Our modern world allows us to have a special kind of a working day best known as working from home. Here is how the day starts:

08:03 - Trying to get the wireless on my work laptop to work

08:38 - Wireless finally on, now need to connect to company network

08:42 - Computer not working at all - restarting...

08:51 - Finally connected to work network

...let the working from home start!

... i have managed to read through some of the material. Concentrating has been so hard with all the distractions around me. Anyway, tomorrow is the only day that I will be working from home. More on working from home tomorrow.

... two days later I haven't done much :(

Placement Essay (The Tale Begins)

Beware! The long lost son has returned...

I am now back in Bulgaria having my winter holiday and it would have been weird had was I not doing uni work, yet again. For the past three years I have not had a winter holiday in which I can just sit back, relax and enjoy the winter as I used to do before.

Anyway I should leave those ignorant thoughts behind me. The bright side is that I keep, even while working nine-till-five, diving into the well of knowledge that is the Aston online library (or the e-library). I have spent my day reading (and falling asleep while reading) different articles written by known and unknown scientists. I hope that by Christmas I at least have a vision of my placement essay. The problem is that there are so many topics and so many directions (or chemin as the French say) that I can develop my thoughts in.

So, let's trace how far I can get in one week...