Edited: Apáthy Gergely
Be it the first one or the umpteenth one, some things stay the same: we get really stressed when it’s up close. Of course we’re talking about the exam period, what else would a university student’s thoughts revolve around? The next month and a half is going to be a great challenge for everyone, no matter what faculty or year we’re in, since our performance throughout the whole semester is going to be evaluated.
Diligence during the semester is starting to seem more valuable, we all promise ourselves to take better notes next semester, and get into a closer and more intimate relationship with our desks, as we are going to spend most of our days sitting there. But between notes, books and topics we also need to make a little room for bejgli (A walnut or poppy seed roll traditionally eaten in Hungary at Christmas time and for Easter.). We’d like to offer some help to our audience with these few pieces of advice.
There is no secret to success though, but rather a price one has to pay for it. It all comes down to the hard work and energy you put in.. That is why I’m not writing an article named ”10 magic tricks for the exams” or ”do THIS to avoid failure”. Instead, let’s consider this a kind of survival guide that might help make this upcoming period a little more bearable. The list is never complete, there are so many little things that could be helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this topic, don’t hesitate to contact us!
MAKE A SCHEDULE!
With the semester coming to an end, most of the cornerstones of our daily routine disappear as well. We don’t have to get up and get to class on time, there are no lectures or practicals to be attended, and it’s easy to lose track of time. To avoid that, make daily schedules, write down when you’re going to get up, what subject you’re going to study, if you have any additional tasks or have any (online, of course) meetings etc.
You can use a pen and paper for this, too, the point is to give your days structure and make them more transparent. Of course writing it down is the first thing, sticking to it is a whole other thing….
BABY STEPS
”I have to study this subject” – that sounds scary, right? Impossible, even! Even the best of us have bad moments. Based on that you’re better off dividing the challenge ahead of you into smaller portions: the textbook for this subject has ten chapters, all chapters have five subsections, all subsections are fifteen pages long, fortunately these pages are filled with images. If we manage to finish one chapter a day, we’ll be just ready with it all by the date of the exam! All of a sudden, it doesn’t even seem that bad. Of course it still won’t be a walk in the park, but this method makes you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the one, undefiable obstacle turns into a long chain of little achievements.
Self care, self love
No matter how big of a rush we’re in with the material, a successful ’study day’ doesn’t necessarily mean spending sixteen hours studying. Sometimes we need to take a break, we’re not robots. A short nap, a nice bath, some delicious coffee and a bit of conversation with a loved one can give us motivation and be a huge mood booster. Every now and then, we just need to get away a bit from the thing we’ve been spending our last [insert number] days with.
Social dilemma
Let’s be honest: social media is the graveyard of all of our productivity. I don’t even want to start counting how many hours I spent scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, Pinterest or TikTok. Half an hour can pass by like a second on these apps, just like that. If this scenario is familiar to you, I’ve got some bad news: we need to quit this habit, and we need to do it right now. It’s time spent ineffectively, and bombing our brains with even more useless information isn’t exactly a good way to relax. It helps to keep your phone away from your study space so it doesn’t ”accidentally” get in your hands, or, if you really need it for some reason, the app named Forest (which we mentioned in a previous article of ours) can help a great deal in staying focused.
Together we’re stronger!
Humans are social creatures, and even though exams (and the virus) separate us these days, we need the motivation and sense of belonging somewhere.
Studying together, spending quality time with someone, talking to each other, relaxing and charging our batteries together, as well as supporting each other are huge and much needed treasures in these times. And even more importantly: complain! Let’s squawk, cry, lament and rage together! Sometimes we don’t even notice how much we need to get things off of our chest, and if we do that in the presence of someone in a similar situation, we are sure to find sympathy.
#LovelyLearningDay
It may sound strange at first, I mean, there isn’t much ”lovely” in some dry material, especially if it’s our fifth day revising it non-stop. But if we’re doing it anyway, we might as well try and find the beauty of it. An exceptionally neat page of notes, an organized table where everything has its place and is within reach, the joy of finally understanding a complicated connection….These might seem not necessary, but if we learn to appreciate these little things, we may not even end up quivering at the sight of our beloved study desk by February.
The battle
We should look forward to taking our examsNot just get it over with and shove the textbook to the bottom of the stack, instead you should want to actually prove something. Dr. Miklós Kellermayer put this state of mind into words better than I ever could, so I’m just passing his words onto You:
”An exam isn’t just everyone dressing up nicely, the examinee getting a topic and telling the examiner what they know about it, and the examiner then giving out a grade. An exam is a mental combat, the fight between David and Goliath, a challenge for the examinee and the examiner as well. Intellects collide to prove their abilities. Such a gladiators’ fight needs to be fought until the last breath, you should think until the last minute of it, and no one should give up on it. Be willing to show what you know, be willing to win!”