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?