Everyone has something to say - find out how you can make your ideas and opinions work for you!
With more people than ever in higher education, it is becoming increasingly important for students to be able to distinguish themselves with future employers. We can guarantee that you’ll be hard pressed to find an activity as flexible, fun and fulfilling as blogging to help you achieve this! Whatever you're interested in, be it music, makeup, gaming, or all 3 - put pen to paper (or rather, finger to keyboard) and start showcasing to the world what you think and what you’re capable of.
Why? Blogging is a great way to practise writing in an engaging and interesting way and demonstrate your ability to coherently collect your thoughts; it’s also handy for exercising your editing and proof-reading skills. Proving your ability build up an audience and use social media effectively is great marketing practice, something that employers increasingly value.
But it’s not just about having an extra something to put on your CV: blogging is a gateway to a community of like-minded thinkers and a whole world of events and activities that you probably didn’t even know existed! We recently got in contact with some uni students who skillfully juggle blogging alongside their studies and everything else that comes with the university experience - here’s what they had to say.
Katie Chesworth - KTMY Lifestyle & Ostomy Blog
“I’m Katie and I study Law but I also run a blog at www.ktmy.co.uk. I started KTMY to share my thoughts, feelings and favourite things and just have a creative outlet whilst I was doing my A Levels; however, during my first year at university I had to have emergency surgery for my Inflammatory Bowel Disease and ended up having a stoma created. I decided to use my blog as a platform to raise awareness of IBD and ostomies and how you can still have a normal life with one!”
How has blogging contributed to your uni experience?
"Blogging has definitely made me better at prioritizing my time and made me a lot more organized. It can be hard at times, especially when there’s coursework deadlines and exams but as long as you use your time wisely, you can fit it all in! I’ve also got to meet more people and go to events which is something a bit different and a nice change. One of the biggest perks of blogging is the community which offers so much kindness and support which I’ve found really contributed to my uni experience as you have so much support when you’re struggling with uni work or blogging or finding the time to do both."
"Through my blog, I’ve created a business so a perk has definitely been that I haven’t had to get a bar job and I can work on my own terms however that does sometimes mean people don’t quite get it when I say I can’t go somewhere because I’m working!"
What would your advice be to other students out there who might be interested in blogging?
Just start! Don’t worry about what people might think of what you’re writing, just write it and publish it and you won’t regret it. As long as you go into it with good intentions and have a passion for what you’re writing about, you’ll find a community there who will support you, read it and love it! You’ll find that over time your writing and photography and everything else which comes with creating your own blog will improve, and there are so many resources out there for beginners who are looking to start!
Tamsin Rebecca
"Tamsin Rebecca is a blog that centres around my life as a student and some of the advice I have for future students as well as completely non-student related lifestyle posts and reviews. My favourite posts are definitely the university posts though, they’ve helped so many people and it’s so rewarding to know I’m giving useful advice. I’ve always enjoyed reading blogs as they allow you to access other people’s lives! I started blogging in 2013 as I wanted to remember some of the things I got up to at university, and I’ve always enjoyed writing so I figured it would be a great hobby to pick up as I could write without having to commit to a strict schedule. Because it’s so easy to do and fun to write, it’s something I know I’ll be doing for a long time, years after I finish my university education."
Is it a challenge to write alongside university?
It’s definitely difficult if you want to stick to a schedule - however, because it’s just a hobby for me, I don’t have a strict posting schedule and I won’t do posts when I know I’ve got loads of assignments due. When I first started posting, someone told me ‘when you’re running a blog, you shouldn’t let it run you’, and that’s advice I’ve really stuck to. I have tried to post regularly, but it just doesn’t work for me, I get far too stressed which really isn’t healthy when you’re a student! I find that my university experience is what inspires my posts, so I like to experience my surroundings and post about it later which means that my posts are always a result of spontaneous writing and real time advice. It can be difficult at times, but when you really enjoy it, it’s worth the challenge.
Would you recommend blogging and do you have any advice?
"I’d definitely recommend blogging to other students! It’s a great way to relieve stress and you can use your experiences to help others. Not only that, but it’s also a great way to remember all the things you’ve done and everything you have achieved whilst doing your education. You don’t even have to write about student life, there’s beauty, fashion, parenting and so many other strands that you can go down, just choose whichever suits you. My one piece of advice to anyone who’s thinking about starting a blog is not to worry about making it look great but rather, focus on what you want to write. Write your blog for you and not for others, that way, everything you write is genuine and it will be something you enjoy rather than something you feel obligated to do. Your blog can be your best friend when you’re writing for yourself!"
Have you ever written a blog? Join the Student Hut Community today and let us know in our paid opinion panel.
