Elise Paramore

According to the Oxford Dictionary a decision is "A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration". Decisions form the basis of our day-to-day lives, from the most mundane to the more substantial that require time and effort. As a marketing student, I've been exposed to the importance of effective decision making. Making a good decision can be the difference between survival or failure, especially with the growth of competition and innovation. What I personally find interesting is the argument of scientific versus intuitive decision making. I first came across this idea during my A-Level studies. Scientific decision making is using logical techniques such as probability and expected value to come to a final decision (Read more here ) The above diagram demonstrates the scientific decision making process. It suggests to start with setting objectives, usually SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Based) in order to provide direction and...

Throughout my life, I have enjoyed reading. As a child I sped through many books and adored escaping to the fantasy worlds of my favourite books. However, as I grew older, and it became more important for me to be reading, I fell out of love. Throughout my GCSEs, I despised reading, as I wasn't reading for fun, I was reading for the sake of reading. However, as my GCSEs came to an end, I re-ventured into the world of reading, picking up a book every now and then. I also went on to complete an A-Level in English Literature, reading a scope of poetry, plays and prose, and explored a large variety of styles. The title of this post actually comes from the final line of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' in which the main character Prospero addresses the audience. This final line struck a chord with me, because its inviting the audience to use their indulgences to set him free, and at the time it got me thinking about the indulgence of theatre. The idea of escaping to a world dif...

I am writing this follow on post around two years after I published my last. I find it strange to re-read my thoughts after going through a set of A-Level exams. Whilst my thoughts on the pressure put on young people to achieve 5 GCSEs is the same, I now understand that GCSE results do not make or break you. You can still achieve great things even if exams are not your thing.  A Levels opened my eyes to a new kind of pressure, made up of both the environment I was in as well as the newfound pressure of my own expectations. One of the biggest difference between GCSEs and A-Levels is that you are your own motivator. You are expected to want to do well and that you will put in the work needed to get the grades you require for your next stage of life. This new desire caused me to become increasingly stressed and disappointed when I wasn't making progress during A levels.  As much as I got the grades I needed to progress onto the University of Southampton (the dock pictured ...