Summer

Summer Holidays 

A break over the past few weeks has been much needed after the intense first year of the MSc! It has been important for me to switch off from uni and to engage in occupations that I do not have chance to whilst studying during term time.

On reflection from my first year I have thought of some tips to share with those who may be beginning the MSc in September:

• Keep a diary! Managing your time is hugely important on an intense course like this one. Plan for classes and lectures in good time, begin your assignments early and most importantly, make some time for yourself!
• Do plenty of reading! It took me a while to gain an understanding of academic literature from coming from a different degree background. But as I have read more and understood the language in which critical research articles are written, I feel my critical reading and writing skills have really improved!
• Be prepared to work in groups and teams and allow room for flexibility in your routine for this.
• Try not to panic, we have all been there it's perfectly normal to feel panicked and anxious (because you will at some stage) take a deep breath. The course intensity is a shock to your system but it will be ok!
• If you are completely new to research (like I was) make a glossary and familiarise yourself with research terminology before your research lectures... trust me, I wish I had done this! 
• Seek help and support from tutors and your universities learning support services.
• Be prepared to move location for your placements, be flexible with this and enjoy all the opportunities offered to you!
• Reflect on all of your experiences! I use my blog for this and creative activities.
• Become a student member of BAOT for access to the British Journal of Occupational Therapy (really good for writing your assignments).
• If you are a Twitter person, join in with #Otalk on a Tuesday evening to get involved and connected with OT's and other students.
• Keep updated with CPD opportunities and attend some conferences if you can.

• Most importantly....  HAVE FUN! Enjoy yourselves, make new friends & contacts. Feed off each others experiences, work together. 

So here's some of the occupations I have engaged in over the summer:

                                                             Painting

Cooking

Spending time with family

Socialising with friends

Time with my partner.

Pampering!

Walking

Exploring & visiting new places

Splash dashing for charity!

Spending time with my cat.

And of course working to earn some much needed cash!

So as you can see I have been engaging in a variety of occupations that span through the areas of self care, leisure and productivity and these occupations are all very important and make me who I am! 

I'm feeling very well rested and relaxed and somewhat ready to tackle second year... feeling slightly nervous about the intense road that lies ahead! But most of all I'm excited! This time next year I'll be an OT! Yippee!

For those new students that may read this I will leave you with this thought:

What is an occupation?