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Tuesday 19 March 2013

Snow in Spring


The British weather this year has been absolutely crazy!!! Snow in Spring? Who would have ever imagined it!!! Just when I thought we had escaped another episode of snow for this year, it started to snow again this week, making my usual commute back to the Medway campus from London early on a Monday morning soooooo difficult, I just hope it doesn't snow again until next year!!! :(

The end of term is in touching distance now which makes me wonder just where time has gone??? It feels not so long ago when we came back from the Christmas holidays and now the second term is nearly over!!! Reality really did strike when I realised the timetable for the summer 2013 exams  was finaaalllllyyyyyyyy put up on the portal!!! I just can't believe how terrible the exam period looks!!! All my exams are one after the other on the 13th, 15th,16th, 17th, 20th and 30th of May and are each 2 -3 hours long. As I am  pretty bad at coping with stress during the exam period I know I have to plan the time I have now wisely ( i.e draw up a revision timetable and start revision as soon as possible!!!) I find that the best method of revision for me is to look back at my lecture notes and create mind maps on large A3 pieces of paper which I can refer to when I have a moment of panic (usually a few days prior to the exam or on the day itself when I suddenly manage to convince myself that I have forgotten everything I had ever learnt about a particular topic). This method not only acts as a very useful reference when I am in panic mode, it also helps me learn and remember all the key points and allows me to link various concepts to each other to gain a more in depth understanding of the topic (and of course looks visually good on the bedroom wall!!!) I also tend to give myself plenty of time to complete past paper questions so that I can familiarize myself with the format of the exam paper and the variety of questions which may come up. Having group discussions is another good way of revising, particularly closer to the exams when you can really put each other on the spot and test each other's knowledge on a particular topic. Similarly, teaching someone who is completely new to the concepts being taught by you is another great way of revising- you can be sure you have learnt the topic well if you are able to explain these concepts in a simple way, a way in which that person can get to grips with the topic easily.

I'm not going to call the next few weeks ahead of us a holiday as I know most of you will probably relax for the first few days and then head straight for the books (I know I will!!!) But in case I don't get a chance to write again before then, I wish you all the best of luck with revision!!! Revise Hard!!! ;)