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!!! ;)
