March 2013 – Yellow Belly

Alternatives to a night of boozing

March 22, 2013 Laura Wood Leave a comment

Most of student life revolves around going out and the drinking culture. Sometimes it is nice to take a break from nights out and the hangover the morning after.

Here are a few ideas of how you can have fun with friends or flatmates without consuming alcohol.

Bingo

This sounds incredibly old fashioned, but going to the bingo is definitely a funny night. Gala Bingo in Lincoln offers students to play for a discounted rate on Thursdays.

Bowling

Lincoln Superbowl (not to be confused with superbull) offers student discount meaning that one game is no more than £5.00 and two games is no more than £9.00.

Cinema

If you feel like splashing out a bit of money then take the movie night to the cinema. At the moment there is only one cinema in the town centre, Odeon.

Create a meal

Flatmates do not generally cook together, so for a change go on a outing to the supermarket and make dinner together. Alternatively, spend the money you would take on a night out and treat yourselves to a meal out. It saves on the washing up and gets you in a different environment.

Play card games

You need a deck of cards to play drinking games, why not sit around and play some standard card games. You could also hold a poker night (you can play with 1p and 2p’s if you are skint), yes people may have alcohol but it’s a time to socialise and also do something fun.

Play games

Most people have board games at home that they may no longer play, if you’re group of friends aren’t too competitive, (my friends nearly fell out over a game of monopoly) then sit down and play.

Playzone

An indoor children’s play area that is open to students and over 16’s every Tuesday night. Only £5.00 with your student ID you can relive your childhood and play in the ball pit, go on the slides. If you have a large group then this is a fun couple of hours. However, it will leave you aching in the morning.

Student Life

Why is work experience so important?

March 20, 2013 Alice Rose Leave a comment

Getting a degree is undoubtedly one of the most important steps towards getting a job.

But because of the current economy crisis, employers are looking for more than just a degree; they want experience.

With little jobs available, the job market is extremely competitive, – so having work experience can put you one step above fellow applicants.

Depending on your university hours and the course you do, having time for work placements can seem impossible.

However, even just a few weekend shifts at your local radio station or elsewhere will instantly put some pizzazz on your CV.

Hannah Webster, a media student at the University of Lincoln, says that in many industries work experience can even be more important than the degree itself:

“You can make contacts and get some real life experience that academic projects can just never compete with,” she says.

Many employers love to see that graduates have gone out into the real world & taken responsibility of their future.

It may sound a bit odd to those with degrees that cover a wide range of topics, but even a small placement at somewhere local will boost your CV no end.

Alex Dunn works for the University of Lincoln Careers & Employability and says that work experience will help you stand out from the crowd in the eyes of your employer:

“There are so many things you can gain from doing work experience – it is a more hands on way of developing skills, and helping you decide whether certain types of work are right for you. Work experience complements degree work fantastically, allowing you the chance to put your new found knowledge into practice and allowing you to relate what you’ve learned to the world of work”.

So there you have it, work experience can do you the world of good. Getting a placement will bring your confidence levels up and help with producing your CV, but don’t forget the importance of your degree as well.

If you want more information or advice about work experience, the University of Lincoln Careers and Employability team can help. Contact them on their website or drop in to their office behind the Library on the Brayford Campus.

Student Life

Easter treats – Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies

March 15, 2013 Alice Rose Leave a comment

Easter. Its that time of year when we gorge ourselves on chocolate and find it hard to get off the sofa afterwards… But it’s worth it right?

Too much of the same chocolate can be a bit boring though, so how about something different to the usual Easter eggs?

We found this recipe via Facebook and HAD to share it with you all (we’re all currently drooling over the picture too).

So what are you waiting for? Go on, get baking!

What you need:

185g unsalted butter
185g best dark chocolate
85g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
3 large eggs
275g golden caster sugar
6 Cadbury’s Crème eggs cut in half.

How to make:

Preheat the oven to 160C and grease a 20 cm square baking tin.
Melt the butter and dark chocolate together either in the microwave or in a bowl over boiling water.
Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes. You will know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume.
Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, and then gently fold together.
Hold a sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and sift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. Gently fold in to the mixture.
Pour into the baking tin and cook for 15 minutes then take out of the over and gently press the cadburys crème egg halves into the mix, spacing them apart evenly. Put back in the over for another 5-10 minutes.
Leave to cool before removing from tin and cutting into squares.

Share your brownies with friends or be greedy and eat them all for yourself.
These are the ULTIMATE Easter treat!

Oh and don’t forget to take a picture and send them in to us, we want to see them!

Eating out on a budget!

March 15, 2013 Samantha Thomas Leave a comment

Every student’s been there. You’re hungry, the cupboards are empty and you have to leave the house before your tempted to eat your housemate’s food.

Fear not, it is in fact possible to eat out on a budget!

Here’s where to go; and most importantly when:

Mondays at Slug and Lettuce-

Half price food, all day, and on everything on the menu! There’s a great range of food to choose from and in the summer you can take advantage of the spacious outdoor terrace, the perfect sun-trap for a short English summer!

Mondays at Vodka Revolutions-

50% off all food, all day long! It may not boast a terrace but it’s full of vodka and is famous for it’s pizzas; what more could you possibly need on a Monday evening!?

Monday – Thursday at The Cloud Bar-

Located in the picturesque Bailgate, the five star bar and restaurant offers four tapas dishes for £15. Try a taste of Spanish cuisine and 241 cocktails on a Wednesday! In the summer, the terrace offers amazing views of the famous Lincolnshire cathedral.

Tuesdays and Sundays at Dogma –

Half price food all day! Make sure you take advantage of the half price cocktails which are also on offer everyday!

Tower Bars –

A student favourite! Present a valid student I.D at the bar and receive 20% off your food and hot drinks bill all day, everyday!

Wednesdays at The Shed –

Meals and snacks start at just £1.99! It’s also the perfect place to meet a few friends before that big night out.

Walkabout –

Are you part of a sport or society and the University of Lincoln? If so, then take advantage of 25% off all food at Walkabout all day everyday! If you’re partial to trying something different then try the Kangaroo, a delicacy in Australia!

Eating on a budget

The curse of social media

March 15, 2013 Samantha Thomas Leave a comment

There aren’t many students who can admit to not being involved in some form of social media.

For most, it’s become part of the daily routine; you wake up, check Facebook, shower, write a tweet about how you’re ‘not a morning person’ or how you ‘totally don’t want to go to this lecture’ and the day goes on.

I’m a victim of this myself. I wouldn’t say I’m addicted; but of course that’s what all addicts say!

It’s now estimated that there are almost 850 million active users on Facebook and over 200 million on Twitter. Since Twitter began, there has been over 163 billion tweets sent out by its’ users. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why education can sometimes take a backseat.

You write 100 words, check Facebook, write another 100 words, write a status about how much you hate your essay and then get hooked on Candy Crush.

It doesn’t really register how much of an affect this has on your education until it’s three o’clock in the afternoon, you have an hour to complete your essay and you have 300 words written.

The only solution I’ve found to work is having someone sat beside me; shouting at me as soon as I type the ‘F’ word into Google.

Technologies are evolving, and the results are amazing; but at what cost is this having on students’ education?

When a cure for avoiding social networking is made, sign me up! Until then…”ooo a tweet…”

Speak Up

1 2 3 4 »