Where have the last two months gone?

I can’t believe that it’s over two months since I started working at the University! When I was writing my first blog post I was only a couple of weeks in and was just finding my feet – just over two months later and it feels like I’ve been here forever (in a good way!)

As promised I’ve been kept really busy with a lot of different tasks which has been a great way for me to get my head around all the different areas the MARC department are involved in. I’ve been writing content for the new PG prospectus, the UCMK prospectus and the new student welcome guide, sourcing images and liaising with various staff members. We’re now in the proofing stages and it feels great to see all of our hard work coming together!

I’ve also filmed a couple of videos which have appeared in the e-zines. It’s been a while since I used video and editing equipment so it felt really good to get back into it!  It was also a nice way for me to meet both staff and students around the university. I’ve got a couple more videos planned this month so don’t forget to smile at the camera if you see me about!

I sent my first edition of PG Life last week which was rather exciting. If any of you read it, I hope you enjoyed it! At the moment I’m beginning to plan the next edition as well as content for a couple of other e-zines for potential students and new starters.

Later this month I’ll be helping out at the Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes UCAS Convention, which is being hosted at our Bedford campus on the 22 and 23 June. I’ve participated in open day events when I was on my placement year but this will be the first UCAS fair that I’ve attended since I went to one when I was in college so I’m looking forward to helping out and seeing what goes on (maybe I’ll grab myself some freebies whilst I’m there too…).

All in all June is looking like an exciting month with prospectus sign-offs, e-zines and UCAS conventions! Not to mention that it’s my birthday this month and I’ll be celebrating it by singing along to Taylor Swift at Hyde Park! And I’m also going to Download festival next weekend! If you’re thinking that Download and Taylor Swift don’t really go together you’re probably right but what’s life without a little diversity eh?! 

Becoming a proof reading pro.

This week seems to be drawing to a close before it’s even started! It’s been really busy - full of interesting new experiences.

On Monday I was out of the office and in London completing the CiM Effective Proofreading course. It was great to be learning again, especially developing skills that will help me do my job more effectively on a day-to-day basis... Bring on the PG Prospectus proofing!

Our course leader shared his years of experience, talking us through lots things to watch out for when we’re proof reading. He also explained lots of writing and proofing methods. Some of the things that stood out to me were:



Follow the University of Bedfordshire style guide.
Our course leader asked us to write down the date and when we each revealed how we had written it, we realised that all eight people in the room had written it differently but that no version was incorrect; this exercise pointed out how important it is for everyone in an organisation to be writing and proofing with our specific style guide in mind. Our style guide is really easy to access on in.beds

Take the sense out of the copy by reading it backwards to begin with.
It is difficult to proof when you are invested in the story so reading it from end to start allows you to thoroughly proof the copy for grammatical and spelling errors. Proofing for sense should come later.

Keep the customer in mind when writing, editing or proofing.
Consider what their greatest challenge is and tailor your copy to address their needs. Keep it simple.

Ask somebody else to proof read your work, and be prepared to proof read for others.

Not only did I leave with loads of tried and tested proof reading methods, but the course was also a really good refresher for spelling, grammar and punctuation meaning that my writing will hopefully benefit lots too.

At the end of the day we each got a certificate. I don't think I've been given a certificate since I was about ten years old so that was a very exciting moment.

On Wednesday I was tasked with meeting and greeting all our candidates at the Campaign Officer interviews. It was not so long ago that I was being questioned by a very similar panel, so I felt nervous for everyone as they arrived! I met some really interesting people throughout what was a very busy day, and I look forward to finding out who the successful interviewee is.

As you can imagine, with all that going on, the week has slipped by very, very quickly! I’m looking forward to a week off next week but before I can relax there’s a lot left to do…

See you on the other side!

Clare