As much as so many of us desire, we cannot remain students forever. And now the official end to my student days has been and gone, it is time the official end to my student lifestyle blog that has followed me throughout my three years at Keele also came to an end. I started this blog inspired by my sister, who runs CupcakeMumma. It became a sort of public diary for me in the run up to university and it really did help me feel so much more prepared. My relationship at the time was on the rocks, friendships were beginning to drift and I was working long hours to save up money so writing about the preparations I was making for university really distracted me from everything and put my nerves at ease. 

Here's a throwback to my first ever blog post here at Life and Times of a Student. I ended my first post on Friday 31st August 2012 with: 'So, Goodbye summer. Hello University - well in 23 days that is. Look forward to hearing from the life and times of a student!'. When I actually got to university I really didn't jump straight back into blogging, instead I jumped straight into partying and the wild side of university - my blog reawakened at the start of October with a blog post reflecting on Freshers' Week and this actually became a theme on my blog over my three at university.

University made me feel more confused than ever at times; sometimes I wasn't sure what I was doing there, other times I felt like it was the place I'd been looking for. Whilst I honestly believe university isn't the place for everyone, I know it was the place for me. No, I didn't always act as sensibly as I should have done, yes I did have too many jeagerbombs and no I don't know how my liver, or anyone of my friends livers' for that matter, are still going and yes I could have worked just that little bit harder. Truly, none of that matters. I got out of university a lot more than I anticipated. I'm a much more confident person, I found some truly amazing friends who I'd happily move in with again and really can't imagine my life without now and I found my boyfriend, who I've now settled very happily in with. As cheesy as it sounds, I found myself at university and I stopped trying so hard to please other people, I stopped trying to fit in to groups I never belonged in and I learnt to simply be myself. It doesn't matter how cheesy it does sound really, because it's the truth for many other people too. 

I quite literally take my hat of to Keele University and everything that applying, attending and graduating from it did for me.

Speaking of taking my hat off: last week was graduation week at Keele and as I said, my blog is graduating because I have! I spent 3 nights in a cute little cottage in Kingsley which was about half an hour away from Keele with my boyfriend and my parents. It was nice to spend some time with them and obviously, quite simply see them! Now I've moved over 300 miles away for good, it's quite a rare occaision.

My boyfriend's ceremony was the first of all the graduations at Keele. He studied Pharmacy and graduated with a 2:1 MPharm degree. Here he is in a sea of hats!

The weather was pouring down on the day of his graduation so we barely got the chance to take any photos and when we did they weren't particularly good. Out came his dad's 5 year old camera (I honestly believe it's about 15 years old!). I put my faith in his dad and hoped he would capture some nice photos and put my phone away for the day, and wow how I regret that! We got a few, none of them particularly flattering of the two of us though!

The week before graduation I had completed my first week of work and Michael had driven me there everyday, hence the bags beneath our eyes! I'm glad we look half decent though...

My graduation was the following day, an early start again with a 10:15 ceremony, but it was so nice to catch up with my friends. I managed to see Faye the day before at her boyfriend's graduation (she's doing a four year course) and on the day of mine, I graduated alongside two of my English Lit pals.

I have to say how disappointed I was that we didn't get a free lunch after our graduation like my boyfriend did. Because his course is pharmacy he's entitled to more funding, and me a mere humanities student is not allowed the privileged of free lunch. I also felt my whole day was a little more rushed than his. Everyone was tired - especially my brother who had come straight off a 10 hour shift to attend my graduation (dedication) and still scrubbed up better than I had done the day before!

Keele really does have a good back drop for graduation photographs! Fortunately there was less rain on my graduation day, though whilst taking all these photos there were some drops of rain. I'm really upset we didn't get more on the day of Michael's graduation, as it really is a once in lifetime opportunity - unless you do another degree or continue onto masters etc! But still...once in a lifetime if you have no ambitious to do however many more years of studying!

Here's a slightly better photo of us together! My only wish is that we looked as well slept and happy on his day too. Michael managed to take so many photos of my day which I'm so grateful for!

I bought a beautiful dress from Lipsy - it was £58 and tighter than dresses I'd usually wear, but graduation called for something special and the colours of it were beautiful! It was more summery than the weather, and my shoes were probably more summery than any weather we've had in England!

The actual ceremony put me to sleep a little. I'd been up at almost 6am for the past 10 days and the ceremony is quite a quiet atmosphere. There were long speeches that were interesting, but I'd heard them all the day before at Michael's graduation! When it came to my row to begin formation for our handshake I felt extremely nervous. Who hasn't imagined falling flat on their face!? I'd picked up some new tights a few days before and they'd made my shoes slip off all morning, I felt like disaster was on the horizon.

As it came to my turn all I could think of besides falling over was how they were going to say my last name. On most occaisions anyone who says my name to call me over for something pronounces it 'Good-ie' but let me tell you all that the 'e' on the end of Goode is silent...thankfully they knew that too.

After my name was announced I extended my hand to meet that of the chancellor of Keele, John Porritt. He said 'Well done, Isobelle' to which I replied politely 'Thank you' then from him another really sincere and reassuring 'Well done' came, to which I then responded in blind panic 'Cheers'.

How elegant of me. The main thing is, I didn't fall over.




Here's a slightly better look at my dress and shoes! The shoes were from Debenhams and I didn't care how flowery I was, I wanted to be summer personified for the day!

I hope everyone else who graduated all over the country last week had an amazing time, and whether your graduation has been or is yet to come I hope it was/is an incredible day for you. And maybe you'll be lucky enough to receive a free lunch unlike me!

I may be saying a big goodbye to student life and my student lifestyle blog but as you can see, my blog isn't going anywhere. The only change that's truly happened here isn't the design, it's the fact that I can no longer blog as a student, but it won't stop me blogging about student life. So past, present and future students, don't forget to stop by the blog of MissIsGoode for all the tips, advice and adventures you found on Life and Times of a Student - and hopefully so much more. 

If there's one thing I've never really understood, it's tablets. I'm a big fan of the old pen and paper, or failing that just a simple laptop. At university I was satisfied with a book rather than a kindle, and a well designed, sturdy notebook with good quality paper rather than a tablet to tap away on. But in fact, I can really see the benefits of having a tablet at university.

I was recently sent ASUS's brand new Zenpad 8.0 and after playing on it for quite a while during my first evening of receiving it, it peaked my interest. I thought about how convenient it would have been to have a tablet whilst I was in lectures. I could have typed up all my notes there and then rather than having to stack up old notebooks, unorgranised random pieces of paper and folder after folder. Whilst a pen and paper is still, and will always be, a favourite of mine - the Zenpad makes sense.

Now I'm no technology expert so you won't be getting a technologically informed review. Just as I have always done with similar products I've shared on this here blog, I'm not going to pretend I know what I'm talking about, this is a layman's review!

So, setting up was so quick and easy. With everything at hand like your Wi-Fi password and your serial number you can easily set your tablet up in a couple of minutes. There's plenty already on the ZenPad to get your started such as google docs in which you can tap up work on the go without an internet connection - useful for commuters or for journeys back home in the holidays. You can create notepads and to do lists, and can link your Kindle account and even your PC to the ZenPad. There's plenty of Apps you can add to your tablet too - one of the most useful ones I've been using on my tablet is Hootsuite. I tried to connect this up on my phone but just couldn't get along with it - the tablet makes it a lot easier to use! It also comes with ASUS WebStorage which is a useful place to upload any notes and access on your computer.

Getting used to typing on the ZenPad is a bit of a struggle. I've written up a fair few blog posts on it now, including this one. But I don't yet feel confident enough to compose and post it straight from the ZenPad. Instead, whilst watching TV I get typing away on the tablet and then edit the posts on my laptop. It's a little tricky to get your cursor in the correct place on some occasions, but there are things that have been done to try and make it easier.

For example when on a webpage if you click on a link or within a part of the text it will zoom in and open up something like the screenshot to the left in order for you to be precise with where you're clicking. This comes in really handy when blogging - it also makes up for the small screen size. I like working using things like blogger on a browser as opposed to the app and this makes it just that little bit easier to use!

My favourite part of the ZenPad has to be it's design. I find it sleek and professional. The cases are interchangeable and I was sent both the white and the silver case that you can see in the images above. I find the white case makes it an aesthetically pleasing product but the silver is pushing on the tacky side in my opinion - but that's a personal preference more than anything! As you can see in the top photo it's a slim product, weighing only 317g and not even a cm in width. In fact it's about the same thickness as my iPhone 5c.

It's not as fast as an up to date iPhone or android phone but it doesn't lag. The screen resolution is good and all the settings are easy and simple to adjust. This is the 16gb version of the ZenPad 8.0 which is more than enough room for what I'll use it for. It's not as quick to charge as an iPhone - but then again we know how long they last too! From a flat battery it takes under 2 hours to charge to 100% but I've managed to go quite a few days without needing to charge it again. My max was 5 days with between 1-3+ hours use a day. I've taken it to work with me a couple of times and it's so lightweight that it's easy to carry to and fro. It's nice to take it out during my lunch and set some notes down for blog posts or schedule some tweets. After using it for a little while it can begin to lag a little like a lot of tablets, phones and even laptops, and sometimes it can begin to get hot which I feel contributes to the lag. It's not a long wait it's just sometimes a delayed response to the action you've taken, it's easily resolved by switching it off and on again but obviously this isn't something you want to keep having to do. So far this has only occurred a couple of times for me.

It's available in sizes from 7-10 inches and I think whilst I quite like the size personally, others may like a slightly larger screen. The speakers are really good quality and it's good to snuggle up in bed with whilst watching a film instead of having a laptop on top of you. It would come in handy during hangovers as it's compact enough to curl up under the covers with. You can hide yourself from daylight and other human beings and instead, indulge in hours of Netflix. The sound quality is good for playing music whilst you get ready for a night out with access to all sorts of music apps including youtube and spotify.

Just after graduation I was scrolling through Instagram throughout my job searching days and found so many quotes that related to the student life I was leaving behind - which you can check out here. Now, with that life unfortunately well and truly behind me (except when I go back to uni for freshers' week in October, eeeee) I've been seeing so many quotes that feel extremely relevant to graduate life and the hard working days that have now become my daily activity. 

MissIsGoode

For a long time I'd convinced myself pretty well. I saw the sadness on my friend's face when I told her I was ready to finish uni, I've seen confusion on the faces of others - how can someone want to leave a life that involves such freedom behind?

Some people do. I really didn't. 

Everyone knows graduate life is about struggling to find a job that actually has some relation to your degree, suffering with the lifestyle of an adult but being treated like a child, and moving from rowdy club nights to pub quizzes but, there's more to know about us graduates than just that...

We're suckers for nostalgia 

The aftermath of university brings forth the need to look back at photos and tweets from your university years and of course, only remember all the good things that happened. It's like the initial months after a break up - all you see is every wonderful memory you have of the past years. You can barely look beyond the euphoria you felt in freshers week causing you to totally ignore the dirty dishes, the terrible mess, the shower you shared between 15 people and all the tears that were shed for various dramatic reasons. None of it matters when you're overwhelmed by the fact that come September you won't be going back to university...but we'll cope, somehow.

We won't hesitate to revisit university

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But three years just wasn't enough to satisfy you. Despite the fact you patted the back of your friend who failed first year and apologised, suddenly their life seems a lot better - they're still there and you're not. Then there's those lucky devils who have 4 or 5 year courses. Towards the end of third year I didn't believe it was possible to manage a fourth year, but now it seems a delight. Fortunately, those that are still studying at university give us graduates the opportunity to return in freshers' week and, well, all year round if we really feel like it.

We'll crave the company of our uni friends a little bit more than those at home

Whilst you may have grown up with your friends from home, knowing them from the age of 5, growing up together and sharing many adventures and secrets, there's something very different about these friends in comparison to your university friends. Those you live with at university and still get along with after 3 years in their constant company are likely to be your friends for life. You know you can bear their disgusting habits, their weird food combinations and basically every good and bad thing about them. There's a bond that can't be understood by everyone between you all.

Moving out is always on your mind
It's an extraordinary graduate who says 'I love living back at home with my parents' and actually means it. Many of us have lived independently for 3/4 years and whilst you would have thought people cooking your meals, doing your washing and keeping the house clean would be a dream, when you know you can manage it yourself, you really would rather that someone would leave it alone. You're made to feel like a child again, and some parents want you to feel like that in order to keep you that way, others probably do it to try and drive you crazy in order to chase you out of the house faster.

Money is always on your mind
There's one big thing moving out needs and that's money. Money which you don't have. If you're a graduate who's borrowed lots of money from your parents - your debts with them still stand and need to be paid first and foremost if that's what they request. Then there's also the case of rent - not many parents will accept zero payment from a graduate under their roof. And of course, you've got those visits back to university, the cost of travelling to work every day, nights chilling out with your mates or going for a nice meal every once in a while - life IS expensive. Student life was bad enough when it came to money but at least the next loan was always around the corner and it always felt like Christmas when it came. Paychecks don't always produce the same happiness because you know your money has more places to disappear off to the moment it's in your pocket.

We get jealous of freshers who are taking our place 

We wish you well but not very secretly we wish we were you. Freshers' week is possibly the most freeing moment of a teenagers life, you have no cares in the world besides the hangover you're going to have the next day, but that will be cured by another stiff drink. You may have to wake up for lectures but by the time the introductions are done you can get straight back to bed and continue being irresponsible when the night comes. And how we envy the fact you have very few responsibilities. 

Graduate life isn't all bad in all honesty, but as I said it's like I'm in break up limbo - my life is moving forward just like that of all the other thousands of graduates out there but then again, going back in time wouldn't be something I'd say no to. 

Once you get to university, don't take a moment for granted!

Buying a car privately is often cheaper than buying from a used car dealer but if there is something wrong with the car, you won't be covered by certain things like for example, the Sale of Goods Act [PARA 15], which states that a vehicle must be:

For the first time in 16 years I won't be returning to education come September. It's daunting, depressing and a little bit emotional in general to admit that I am now expected to face the big wide world that lacks the comforts of student life. 

Commuting back home from work everyday means there's one thing I need in my life to make the bus journey's bearable: Music. But there's nothing worse than untangling earphones, battling with poorly fitting buds and hearing more of the rumbles from other commuters than you can hear your own music. 

Have I possibly found a solution to earphone woes? 

As a company I've personally never heard of before I was interested to know a little more about their history so here's how they started out:

The packaging for Sudio's earphones is what can only be described as beautiful. It's sleek, professional and so well designed. Everything's tightly packed into a rectangle box, and it looks so much more expensive than it is - and overall has a real high end feel to it.

The sheer convenience when using these earphones is what impressed us. You have your usual buttons to control your volume, but the middle button can do basically everything you want it to when controlling these earphones. So one push of the button - pause/play. Two pushes - forward. Three - backward. One push and hold down on the second - fast forward. Two pushes and hold down on the third - rewind. Hold down on one push - opens up Siri. 

If for example you're at the gym or out and about, there's simply no need to get your phone out of your pocket unless you desperately need to see what song is on. 

Then there's also the fact that these don't tangle! You heard me correctly. Rather than the rounded wires we're all used to, Sudio earphones are about a millimetre wide and they're flat. They come with a case too, which is a bit of a snug fit if you shove them in in a rush, but it's once more part of their professional, sleek and convenient qualities. When you drape the longer wire around the back of your neck, it sits flat on you and stays in place pretty perfectly, and if you need any more support, for example if you're out exercising, then there's a handy clip to help hold them in place.

The overall sound of these earphones is fantastic too. There's a good selection of buds to fit both big, small and medium ears so you'll find one that fits comfortably. The bass is impressive considering they're only small earphones and it really does keep the noises from the outside world out. My boyfriend is quite a fan of deep house and basically obsesses over the bass of speakers, so he was surprised to pop these earphones in and actually be impressed by the bass.

In a quiet room, you can hear the music coming from the earphones when in some ones ears, but on noisy public transport not so much. A lot of earphones claim to be noise cancelling but I've yet to find a pair that truly are, and whilst I don't feel as though these ones cancel out their own noise completely, you get the sound you want in your ears and not an overly intrusive amount outside in the world around you.



I really would recommend these earphones. After looking online at these I could see the designs were beautiful and very stylish, but when they arrived I really felt as though those behind Sudio really had achieved their goal of making earphones on par with high end fashion brands. I'd also say that there's plenty of time for them to go above and beyond the high end brands! 

Specs & Driver:
Type: 10.0mm Dynamic Spealer
Freq. Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Weight: 22g

If you're interested in purchasing a pair then head over and have a browse of Sudio's earphones. As I said they offer FREE worldwide shipping and just for my lovely readers there's also 15% off when you use the code Missisgoode15.

Enjoy listening to some beautiful music!