More Top Revision Tips from Elsie

Hi Guys!!!!!!!!!!! Possibly one too many exclamation marks in that 0_o forgive me. But this is my first EVER blog entry so I’m excited - and a little terrified - at the same time, so bear with me please. 

So it's exam period! And like that isn’t scary enough on its own, it’s my first year writing exams at the university, so as you’d expect, I’m a little freaked out! It’s weird, because I really shouldn’t be, because I KNOW I’ve put in the work, right from the start. Knowing how challenging an engineering course is, I tried to hit the ground running, so I really shouldn’t be worried right? Well, I wish my brain would listen to me and just calm down because apparently, it didn’t get the memo. Funnily enough, while you have people like me who worry about exams, you have other people on the complete end of the spectrum who seem so calm. It’s a bit scary really. Especially when the calm ones are the people you barely recognise because they’ve barely showed up to lectures… So confusing. Of course, there are other types of people as well the prepared calm ones, the unprepared freaked out ones, and of course - my personal favourite - the people who have made the library their second home, to try and make up for the fact that they haven’t opened a book since September. Seriously! I’m really not exaggerating! Our Information commons (that’s one of our libraries) has showers, toilets, comfortable couches, a café and central heating! What more could you need?! So yeah! People live there now and it’s quite ridiculous really. The university has so many resources to help you study, the lecturers are amazingly helpful and approachable, and you have problem classes with postgraduate demonstrators to help you with whatever problem you have. So there really is no reason for you to move into the library a week before the exam starts. But students will be students! Procrastination is just such an attractive concept, we can’t help it! But seriously though, when you go off to university (THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD!!!), don’t be a procrastinator. So here are some tips that I think would significantly lower the chances of you becoming a wreck when the exam period draws near: 

• Don’t wait for the exam period to start before you begin to prepare! This is an error so many people make and it’s quite ridiculous when you think about it! If you could really learn 8+ months’ work in 2 weeks, then it would be taught in 2 week, wouldn't it? Make a study plan and stick to it! Even if it’s just dedicating a few hours to go through your lectures when you get home. This makes a massive difference because if you encounter something you don’t really understand, you’re able to get help and move on instead of camping outside a lecturer’s office the day before the exam. 

• Do the work as it comes, don’t leave it till the last minute, no matter how badly you want to watch the next episode of revenge or breaking bad (I've been there too ;D) Now don't get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn't relax or go out and have fun, I’m just saying you’re a lot more relaxed and have a lot more fun when you’re not calculating how many hours of sleep you’ll have left if you stay up to finish that lab report the night before its due.

• There are so many resources at your disposal - problem classes, problem sheets, texts books, the library, personal tutors, demonstrators, and even the lecturers themselves - USE THEM!! You spend money on fees to give you access to help! They’re here for you, so take full advantage!

• Now, there’s a long time between resumption and exams, so when the exam period is almost upon you, don’t forget to go back and refresh your memory on the things you've learnt. But unlike the library dwellers, you’re not earning the material from scratch. You’re just hitting the refresh button on the web page that is your brain. So it’s a lot easier. Also, go over as many past papers as you can to familiarise yourself with the structure of the exams and to make sure you completely understand the materials. 

If you do these, you should be absolutely fine and if you do freak out, it’ll only be because you’re like me and just freak out over everything! Now while this method requires a bit more effort than just cruising through the year, it’s totally worth it, and you’ll still have time to have fun and relax, but trust me when I say, doing it this way is so much easier and you’re less likely to have a panic attack when the exams arrive. :)

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely day. xx