The Beginning

I began the University of Chester back in 2013, my degree was set to be in Media Studies and Journalism. After a few months I decided that journalism simply was not for me and weighed up my options to change my focus of study to Film Studies and Media Studies, and so my university journey truly began in September 2014.

My first year at UoC was truly amazing. I met some really cool people and I loved my lectures, which was incredibly refreshing after my false start the year before. Although I definitely could have worked harder I passed my first year and during the summer my passion for photography was re-ignited. I was then asked to design the KGA logo and website (for more information, click Here). My second year at university started off rocky as I faced a new challenge, Social Anxiety; having always been confident and able to talk to anyone and everyone this really knocked me back resulting in weekly CBT sessions. The beginning of 2016 was a new start for me and I was eager to take back control and so, I began talking to friends about the challenges I faced and was utterly amazed with  their support and willingness to listen. Anyone who suffers from any form of anxiety will tell you that it never goes away, but instead you have to try desperately hard to keep your rational mind predominant. It took all my energy and determination to really fight for sovereignty of my mind, and after a few tough months tackled my issues head on and worked hard to pull my grades back up. In the end I successfully completed my experiential learning project (work experience – to go to the UoC 2016 Showcase gallery, click Here), found my voice and confidence again and even got a 2:1 on my 100% Research Project (the module that started my dissertation off). Summer 2016 was genuinely amazing for me, I travelled the country working events for the KGA, began reading more and focused on strengthening my photography skills. I tackled my third and final year at UoC head on, with more determination then ever to succeed in my modules. I worked the hardest on my Dissertation which I can proudly say I got a First Class mark on, one of the proudest moments I’ve had, ever. My question and area of study for my Dissertation was;

How and why mental health is stereotyped in media and films such as the horror slasher ‘Halloween’ (Carpenter, 1978).  The project discusses how some representations challenge or reinforce stereotypical ideas about mental health.

I decided to study this as I wanted to understand my own mental health issues, and this was my way of understanding myself, finding and strengthening my artistry, and understanding others in the process.  I sincerely enjoyed working on my Dissertation and was incredibly lucky to have a tutor who was both enthusiastic and supportive of my work, this really geared me on and influenced me to work even harder.

Update: I am officially a graduate with BA honours

For the past 3 weeks I have anxiously awaited my overall degree classification, and finally have been awarded with my overall grade; a 2:1! I cannot even begin to explain how proud I am to have achieved such a grade, as my 4 years at university have been both amazing and extremely challenging.  My time at the University of Chester has been incredible and I’ll miss all the faces I grew to know and love!