Guest blogger Produced by

Kamila Bianchi (Brazil)

I am Kamila Bianchi studying a master’s in 3D Computer Animation here at BU. When I arrived at BU I attended the Fresher’s Fair and joined the Film Society straightaway. After a while, I discovered the Meditation Society on Facebook and decided to join them as well.

Help with concentration and focus

I never meditated before coming to England but wanted to try it out. I downloaded an app that helped me train for it. In the Meditation Society, I had the opportunity to meditate with a group and it was an amazing experience! It is immensely cathartic to stop in the middle of the day just to relax and calm down your mind…especially with the challenging assignments and deadlines we have.

To organize myself and ensure I have time to meditate, I always use a weekly planner and hang it on my wall. Doing this, I can clearly see the gaps between assignments and classes and use this time to relax and focus on my mind.

Make your work a hobby!

As an animation student, the other society that I truly enjoy is the Film Society. They organize screening sessions almost every week with popcorn and refreshments to create a real cinematic experience. Usually you can vote for the movie of the week between several options offered in the Facebook Group.

It is great to have the opportunity to enjoy different genres, diversify and amplify my cinematographic references, and have fun at the same time. This is important because, as an animation student, sometimes I tend to focus just in watching animation films. The Film Society takes me out of my comfort zone and helps me expand by knowledge about the film industry.

Keep involved

I follow the Facebook pages and groups for both societies, so I am always updated about the events they have on offer. As most of them happens in the same Campus as I study, it is easy to conciliate the events with my timetable. Even when I am busy with all the assignments, I try to find a way to join the activities. I know taking some breaks can help me work even better when I get back to my studies.

When you join a society, you usually donate one pound through the SUBU website to help support it. There are a lot of other options of societies to choose from – even one for Disney or Game of Thrones fans. Visit the SUBU website for a full list of clubs and societies available to BU students.

I want to make the most of my BU experience. Joining clubs  & societies is a great way to meet new people, make friends and have fun beyond my studies!

By Kamila Bianchi, Brazil, MA 3D Computer Animation