by Leticia Alvarez | Apr 16, 2021 | Inside Word 2021
I read a book once that talked about “the furniture of the mind” (the Penguin Classics edition of George Orwell’s ‘Books v Cigarettes’). It was a concept that stuck around in my mind, and I guess you could say it became part of the furniture of my own mind. What I...
by Leticia Alvarez | Mar 19, 2021 | Inside Word 2021, Study tips, Uni hacks
It’s interesting coming back to university as a second-year student. This time last year, I was overwhelmed with my introductory courses. ‘I will succeed in this course,’ I thought, and was making mental lists of all the things I had to do to get the most out of them....
by Leticia Alvarez | Mar 12, 2021 | Inside Word 2021, Law, Study tips
Well, here we are. Just a year ago, move-in day was approaching and I was poring over UoA’s courses, trying to make decisions my future self wouldn’t regret when it came to enrolment. It was clear to me that I wanted to do law, but I had no idea what to expect....
by Leticia Alvarez | Mar 4, 2021 | Auckland Life, Inside Word 2021, Study tips, Uni hacks
It seems COVID always strikes around the start of semester, and we’re getting used to the uncertainty of rising and falling of alert levels. One good way to deal with this, I’ve found, is to look forward to the best aspects of life in lockdown just as much...
by Leticia Alvarez | Mar 4, 2021 | Auckland Life, Inside Word 2021, Study tips, Uni hacks
Though I was disappointed to hear we’d return to online classes for another week, I thought long and hard about what can be done to make an online learning as positive an experience as possible. With a year of on-and-off online learning under my belt, I thought I’d...
by Leticia Alvarez | Nov 28, 2020 | Accommodation
Well, it’s that time of the year. Just as I was moving out of Waiparuru Hall last week, I was seeing new faces and the residential team giving tours to families and maybe future residents. I started thinking about how I’d first approached all the decisions to be made...
by Leticia Alvarez | Oct 14, 2020 | Inside Word 2018
If there’s one thing someone took away that would completely transform my first-year experience (apart from uni), it’s empathy. Away from home and in an unfamiliar environment, the first year is full of moments out of our comfort zone. No one knows us. We can’t rely...
by Leticia Alvarez | Sep 21, 2020 | Uni hacks
Talking to my year 12 sister the other day, I realized I’d forgotten how confusing it is to think about uni, plan your degree, and wrap your head around some of the terminology. I remember going online and trying to sift out the most important things I had to...
by Leticia Alvarez | Jul 28, 2020 | Campus Life, Inside Word 2020, Uni hacks
Over lockdown, my inbox was flooded with emails expressing concern over students’ mental health. Uni in general can be stressful, depending on how much time and emotional investment you put into it. Living away from home can be scary (though I’ve come to love it)....
by Leticia Alvarez | Jul 20, 2020 | Accommodation, Auckland Life, Inside Word 2020, Uni hacks
Hi there, I’m Leticia, and I’m a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in politics and English. The inter-semester break has been a good time to reflect on the things I’ve learned about uni and how to be better prepared for semester 2 and the rest...