Charlotte Mealing (Publication Shipping Management)
Attended St Brendan's 2012 - 2014
Subjects Studied: English Language and Literature, Psychology, Sociology
Previous School: Winterbourne International Academy
Charlotte Mealing
Since leaving St Brendan's I have achieved an upper second class degree in BA(Hons) English, and a distinction in a postgraduate diploma in Event’s Management (the only difference between a Master's and a postgraduate diploma is that you don't do a dissertation for the diploma).
One of my biggest achievements has been getting into university. I was the first in my family to go and by getting through both an undergraduate and postgraduate course I proved to myself that determination, working hard, and setting achievable goals, can get me where I want to go. Whilst it's great to hit academic goals, I'm really proud of myself for putting myself first and practicing self care. I've struggled a lot, especially through college and university, and it's only in the last year that I've sought help. It's extremely important to look after yourself and seek help if you need it, no matter how big or small your problem is.
I have a couple of pieces of advice I'd give to current students. The first is to try hard; in hindsight, I wish I would have tried harder than I did. If you want to get the best grades then you do need to be doing extra reading and asking for help if you're stuck. Putting in extra work can really make the difference. The other advise I have ties in with the previous paragraph and that's to look after yourself. If you aren't feeling your best then you aren't going to do your best.
If I were to change one thing about my college experience it would be where I focussed my attention and my priorities. I was very concerned about friendships and maintaining a social life and it did negatively impact my work at times. Don't get caught up with what people think of you, you're at college for a reason - to get qualifications.
I'm honestly not sure what I'm going to be doing in the future. I currently arrange the shipping from China to the UK (or to other countries around the world) for a publication company based in Bath. I really enjoy it so I'm hoping to get promoted to managing the shipping department but it's impossible to know exactly what life will throw at me and where it will take me! I don't really think anyone truly knows what type of work they want to do for the rest of their lives.
