The first four months of the program truly flew by. I feel like just last week I was moving in and getting settled and now the first semester is over and I’m preparing to take my first exams.
The final few weeks of the semester were hectic, to say the least. Deadlines were fast approaching for a few projects and assignments, including a group project and presentation in Selection and Assessment in Organisations and the final research paper due for Research Methods 1, the latter which everyone seemed to be struggling with, but I feel that’s to be expected when it comes to statistics and SPSS. I luckily had the same amazing group for both of those assignments, and I’m really proud of our presentation for Selection and Assessment, which dealt with coming up with an assessment centre solution to a recruitment scenario brief.
The final week was definitely the most stressful. On Monday and Wednesday, we had our practical assessments for our Test User module, a module that qualifies us to administer occupational tests in ability and personality. On Wednesday evening we also had our program Christmas party, which was a lot of fun! But on Thursday morning I flew back to the United States for the holiday season and our research paper for Research Methods was due, which kept some people from attending the party. I definitely had to stay on top of myself to stick to a schedule and make sure I had everything done and submitted, and my suitcase packed, by Wednesday afternoon in order to fully enjoy the evenings' festivities.
While the end of November and the beginning of December was incredibly busy, I did find time to enjoy Manchester during the holiday season. The Manchester Christmas Market was truly incredible. A friend and I went to the Christmas light switch on, and I visited the Market at least once a week from the time it opened to when I flew home. I really enjoyed experiencing the holiday season in England, there is definitely something a little magical about all the fairy lights and decorations everywhere.
Going home for the actual holidays though was definitely something I needed. I missed my family a lot and having time to decompress from the busy semester and take a little break before exams were necessary. Now I feel recharged and ready to take on exams!
