Today, we are joined by Greg (over the phone) from his bedroom in Troon. The focus of this podcast is on issues surrounding selective education and private schools in the UK, as well as addressing whether social mobility should be a fundamental goal of society. We contrast our differing school experiences, shine light on elitism that is very present in the UK and ponder the Finnish model of education.  Is it time for a National Education Service?

This is an important conversation and Greg was a truly fantastic guest. You won't want to miss this chat. 

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Today on TNS, Ross and I explore the 'limbo stage' that many of us endure post-uni or post-school. This period of one's life can be very challenging and often existential crises can be at the forefront of your mind. A lot of this episode hinges on the notion that people believe they have to achieve something to obtain self-worth, such as finding a good job. Even in the limbo stage, there are so many productive things we can do to better ourselves - learn that language you always said you would, read lots of books on your list, learn an instrument or become the fittest you've ever been. We also touch on continuing university studies with a masters degree and the importance of developing skills.

Stay to the end for some light-hearted relief after what is quite a heavy topic. We hope to illuminate the difficulties of this period and it will certainly be a recurring theme with several of our guests.

Find us on insta at thenakedstudent_ or on email at [email protected]. 

Today, we explore the issues many of us face during Freshers Week and, more widely, first year at university. Ross and I begin by reminiscing about our moving in day and the major anxiety that we both faced. Often, moving to uni can be thoroughly overwhelming, especially meeting vast swathes of new people. There were several awkward encounters and from this, we move on to share some funny stories from our respective time as "Silly Freshers". After our popular segment, "Pointless Fact of the Day", we ponder the 3 things that we would change if were to go back to that time again. This mainly revolves around budgeting better, eating healthier, playing more team sports and saying no to nights out if you don't feel great. Stay to the end to hear our special '_ of the day', which we guarantee listeners will enjoy!

It's just Luke interviewing today, as Ross is enjoying a weekend trip down to the capital. In this episode, Charles joins me on the pod to talk about his route into the world at work. Charles has taken a role at the prestigious consultancy firm, Accenture. He attended Bath, a campus university in what is a small and quaint city, which presented a different uni experience. Moreover, Charles' course allowed him to pursue a year in industry, where he worked on two six-month placements. This is the predominant focus of this episode, as we explore the benefits of this path. As well as this, we also touch upon Charles' challenges at school, his passion for sartorial excellence and maintaining a long-distance relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed this chat and we hope you find it engaging.

P.S. Stick around to the end to hear the guests suggested '_ of the Day'.

Our first video interview (apologies for any minor glitches)! Our dear friend Raife joins us from his bedroom in Cambridge to speak about his experiences growing up. The conversation starts with a reflection on our time at an all-boys school with a fiercely competitive environment, and how this permeated into one's personality. Then, we get into the meat of our chat, on failure/rejection and how Raife has dealt with that in the past few years. After our Pointless Fact of the Day, Raife tells us about uni life in London and the challenges it can present. Finally, we cover the 'limbo' stage when finishing uni and Raife's decision to pursue a Master's at Cambridge.

This was an insightful and thought-provoking conversation and Raife will certainly join us again in the future.

In this episode, Sarah leads a discussion about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and how being active can influence your mental wellbeing. We discuss the importance of playing team sports growing up, both in school and in clubs, as well as independent exercise. This links to the focus of our chat, which is surrounding nutrition, an area that people of all ages often overlook. After our popular mid-way segment, we move on to what life is like as the younger sibling and we explore the pressures that can arise from family life. We firmly believe that it should always be family first and showing gratitude to one's family is so important. As always, there is a motivational quote to take into the rest of your day.

P.S. Here are some links to photos and podcasts for people who want to explore this topic further:

https://instagram.com/zannavandijk?igshid=bj1tqfs6k6dj 

https://instagram.com/stephelswood?igshid=1x4etqjl95va4

https://instagram.com/vegan_food_uk?igshid=lvnplyu55fxl

This is a link to the powerful photo we discussed in the show: https://www.facebook.com/255648024840781/posts/676103032795276?sfns=mo

In this episode, we tackle a very difficult topic, one that is often regarded as 'taboo' in society. Are people unaware of the implications of casual racism? Luke talks about his experiences with casual racism growing up at school, his home town and at university. The crux of the discussion is how dialogue is the key to breaking down this subject and our hope is that we make you think more about racism in society. We really encourage people to read 'Why I no longer talk to white people about race' by Renni Eddo-Lodge if they wish to explore this topic further. 

We hope for your feedback on this and any suggestions for future episodes: [email protected] 

Also find us on Instagram at thenakedstudent_

We absolutely loved this chat with our dear friend Liv. In the first half of the episode, we focus on languages and why we should all try and learn one. British people notoriously shy away from learning other languages, including both of us, and hopefully this makes you think about trying to learn one. We also discuss why studying abroad is so great, but also the challenges it can present, ultimately helping you to grow as a person. In the second half, Liv tells us about her time working in radio during her time at uni and her desire to get into the creative industries. We ponder as to why there is some stigma around this industry and why you should always try to pursue what you enjoy. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

P.S Stay to the end for another special segment, which will be lead by our guest each time.

Katie is our first female guest on the podcast and this conversation is truly fascinating. The main focus is on what it's like to live with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and Irlen syndrome. There is a lot of stigma that surrounds dyslexia and dyspraxia at school and university so we aim to enlighten our audience as to how difficult it can be for people to manage them. Additionally, we also delve into  discussion about state schools and assimilating into the Bristol university life. We certainly learnt a lot from this chat and we hope you do as well! Remember any suggestions or general chat can be sent to [email protected]

P.S At the end of the podcast we introduce our new, (slightly) zany segment, our '_ of the day', which will alter ever so slightly each interview.

In today's episode, we discuss all things music -  how it has helped us through difficult times, what music we enjoy, lyrics that have really stood out to us and how powerful music can be in de-stressing us or motivating us. We finish with our track of the day on this episode, replacing our usual motivational quote. Hope you enjoy!