“Into the thick of it” : Battling peak exam season

I tried a little something with the title, I hope some of you found the humour in it 🙂 Let’s be honest, getting through these few weeks has not and will not be easy at all, given the sheer stress and workload we take on as a student community. For some, exams started at the very beginning of the month while others’ exam journey commenced recently. Whatever the situation, you are very likely in the middle of some intense revision. If you’re particularly feeling the exam blues, just can’t seem to focus or just anxious it’s important to gauge how you feel. We’ll go through some small ways you can check in with yourself in this blog post.

Method 1: Having a healthy outlet

It’s important to have a way to release what has been festering inside you during the course of the term. Some people like journals, or more creative pursuits, but it can be as simple as a conversation with a family member or friend. Having uni friends that are on the same boat as you might make for better, more encouraging conversations that are free from pressure. It also helps you reflect on what you can do for yourself during this time. Some other things you could do if you’re feeling particularly stuck/anxious:

• Video yourself or make voice notes about your day; what you struggled with, what you enjoyed
• Apps such as Concept or Mindly help bring out your creative side
• Take a run or a walk to clear your thoughts
• Even things like mood tracking apps exist, Daylio and Journey are examples

Method 2: Goals and expectations

While having expectations of yourself can quickly turn into pressure, having realistic or even ambitious goals is vital! My academic journey so far has given me a good foresight into what I can achieve and how much I need to work to reach a certain grade level. By gauging my strengths and weaknesses within modules in the last two terms, I now know how I should go about planning for exams or coursework to accordingly obtain my desired final classification. If you haven’t managed to quite understand how to do this yet, it would be worth your while to go over past tests and/or coursework to work out where your best skills lie. If you haven’t already, input your year’s marks into GradeGuide, it gives you a module and yearly average, as well as an estimate of how much you need to fall within each set of grade averages.

Method 3: Don’t forget to have fun!!

It is going to be impossible to completely drown yourself in revision without any balance, and at some point this leads to burnout. It is important to take a good break every week, whether this is going out, having a nice dinner or a picnic, or really anything you fancy, it really makes a difference in keeping you motivated and energised. If you have an intense couple of weeks that’s preventing you from this, make sure you plan something of this sort for a post-exam celebration. Looking forward to it will also help with motivation, a reward for your hard work.

These three methods are simple yet essential to term 3 survival. Hope reading this was helpful and makes some difference in your lives. Good luck with your exams everyone!!