Oh no. Not again. Another student blog extolling the benefits of a University in the hopes of converting me. Right?

Not quite.

Whether reading this post leads to your becoming part of Henley Business School or simply bring a smile to your face or a chuckle to your day, I’m happy.

So let’s start from the very beginning (because that’s a very good place to start):

My name’s Tom, and I study Marketing and International Management at Henley Business School, part of the University of Reading. I’m the type to get overexcited about the mundane, and to overinvest myself into almost everything I get myself into, which as I’m sure you can imagine leads to some interesting predicaments. This first post has two motives, to introduce myself and to talk about engagement.

Engagement? You query. Engagement is effectively your level of involvement in University life, and if you’re like me, it’s very important. Whether you’re in a club, a society, involved with your Union or a Student Rep, you’re engaging. At my Undergraduate University, Brunel, I was involved in a huge variety of things, which culminated in my being awarded the Vice Chancellor’s prize at an upcoming, prestigious ceremony in Westminster. How exciting!

So why should you engage? Because, you see, that age old cliché of ‘The more you put in, the more you get out’ has never been truer than at University. Once upon a time, in the fairy-tale we call history, having a degree was kind of a big deal. Right now, everyone and their dog^[1] has a degree. So be different by being exciting. Whatever you do, whatever you attempt, whatever you fail at, it makes you… You. Just being ‘me’ has opened doors to Microsoft, Causeway, Laing O’Rourke and many more. So invest in yourself instead of sleeping in. For all the time you spend working, have some fun! I don’t only mean with wine, although I do want to take this opportunity to point out that ‘tis the season to drink Mulled Wine (in moderation) while completing assignments!

But yes, Wine and Work. What a bizzare concept? No. What a brilliant concept. So, should you have the attention span: Welcome? Welcome to my slightly eccentric, slightly baffling, moderately ridiculous blog about my unique take on Student Life.

[1] No really, a dog has a degree : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/05/johns–hopkins–masters–degreedog_n_3875440.html