What Sophie Said

A few days ago (on 10 th July), it was exactly two years since the day of my graduation ceremony. I studied English Literature at the University of York. My Instagram and Twitter feeds at the moment are covered with proud pictures of new graduates, the latest group of people who have succeeded, and completed the next stage in their education. It’s got me thinking back over that period, and over the three years which led up to that day, for me. It’s a funny old thing, graduation. There’s pride: you did it! There’s excitement: many people see it as an important life stage. Plus you get a cap and gown. There’s love: people are there with family and loved ones, and surrounded by their course mates. And then these feelings are all mixed in with uncertainty. How did I manage that? What next? Where now? I have to LEAVE this place and these people? For many that choose to go to university, it’s the next stage in a mapped-out process...

The first few days of a new year allow time to reflect on the year that has just gone by, and 2013 was certainly a busy one for me. It can be useful to look back at what you’ve achieved in that chunk of time, to put everything in perspective and be proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished. A huge moment of 2013, for me, was graduating from the University of York. After three years of ups and downs, and a lot of hard work, I got the 2:1 I had been aiming for, and could celebrate with my friends the fact that we had done it: we had our degrees. A few months later, in September, I began my role as marketing executive at my dad’s market research company, where I am preparing to study for my Professional Certificate in Marketing. I feel so fortunate to be in a position where I am in the industry I want to be in, making valuable connections, and earning a real salary so soon after finishing university. With the end of university came the sad day that Andy and...

In the first half of this month I passed two huge milestones: I turned 21, and I graduated from university. I expected both of these things to leave me with a sense of pride, of having achieved something, and to provide me with a chance to reflect back on all the experiences I have had thus far.  Of course, the pride has come, but it has been mixed in with a lot of very strange emotions that nobody warns you about.   Happy birthday to me My sister, dad, me and mum at my birthday party My birthday was significant in that, as with any birthday but especially with the ‘big ones’, it gave me a chance to reflect. It has obviously come at a point in my life where everything is changing, having finished formal education for good, so some of the reflections have been even more poignant. The main thing my birthday provided was a chance to think about my friendships. At my party were the friends I currently hold close, and whom I feel sum up the past 21 years. There’s Ali...