4 ways to survive exam weeks

As the more experienced college students know, courses are tested and graded in different ways. Some teachers prefer just one exam at the end of the course, others hand out a final assignment. There's also a group that splits the exam in two parts, having one part halfway through the course and the other by the end, just as there are teachers who base the final grades for their course on several assignments. Last but not least, there are teachers who like to combine some of the above. No matter, however, how your course is tested and graded; it brings stress. Assignments mean deadlines and exams mean putting hours into learning all of the course material. How to survive this stress?

1. Remember that everybody in your class is stressed, too. It is perfectly normal to feel nervous for your exams and assignments. If you were not nervous, you would probably either be someone who is such a genius who passes all courses no matter what, or you would be apathetic about your studies. Talk about this stress with each other and try to help each other get over it by discussing course materials together and explaining issues to each other. 
2. Make a time schedule for yourself. Be it on paper, in your head, on your smartphone, or on your computer, it is important that you have some idea of what you want to do when (and maybe even where and how). This way you make concrete what has to be done and how much time you have for it. It also shows you where you might have some gaps for other activities than studying.
3. Take some me-time. I know it is tempting to pull all-nighters for studying and writing your papers, but this really won't do you any good. Allow yourself to sleep and to calm down before you are going to sleep. So, keep doing your yoga exercises, read an easy-going and fun book in the evenings, listen to your favourite music, watch a movie, or whatever calms you down and gets you ready for a good night.
4. Look forward and don't panic. While you may always feel you did not study as much as you should have, once you are taking the exam, you usually know more than you think. In multiple-choice exams, many of your correct answers come down to recognition, rather than to recall. If you are not sure about your answer, make an educated guess. If you really forgot the exact formulation, just blindly guess and go with your first intuition. In open-ended question exams, it is best to just start writing. As you write, most of the time you come to remember other related things. Neither question type is reason for concern. And remember, everything will pass, even this exam week.

Note: although it is normal - and even healthy - to be somewhat nervous and stressed, some symptoms may indicate severe exam fear, such as procrastinating studying, sleepless nights, hyperventilation and not being able to focus on the course material because of the stress. In this case, it is wise to consult with an academic advisor or tutor (or some other staff member you trust) to ask what you can do about it. Most universities will have student psychologists or student coaches who are there to help students overcoming the problems that are most common in the student population. Inform there for private consults, coaching sessions, or groups that offer techniques to cope better with your exam fear. 

If you have more tips and advices to share, leave a comment and maybe I will incorporate your advice with your (nick)name in the next exam-related post. Also, if you would like some more specific advice, let me know. I am happy to share my experience and knowledge with you!

A must-have list for college - just so that you can study

It's a lovely rainy Sunday where I live, and I figured that I would have liked a must-have list for college, even while it may seem easy to buy school supplies. 

First and foremost, college =/= high school. Your teachers probably will not require you to have a separate notebook for each subject or to have (within a subject) separate notebooks for lecture notes and homework. 

Secondly, it is likely that you will not have as many subjects each term as in high school. Whereas I had between 7-15 subjects throughout the year in high school, I now have 3 or 4 subjects each term. This may differ for each course: for example, I know that the Bachelor Law school in Groningen works with about 6 subjects per semester, but Educational Sciences has 3 or 4 subjects per term, which is half a semester in time. So: count your subjects!

So, then, what do you need?

1. Your textbooks and syllabi / readers / whatever your teachers call them. Without your textbooks and syllabi, you do not have the literature available you have to know for your exams. If you cannot afford buying all the textbooks and readers, I would recommend to look at the library of your university or faculty, to see if you can loan the books there. Make sure you can have them available when you need them, either way. 

2. Notebooks! Yes, you still need notebooks, but probably not as many as in high school. How you value technology and neatness might influence how many notebooks you need. If you prefer reading from your laptop screen, you just need to have your laptop ready during lectures and if you do not mind having Constitutional Law notes next to International Law notes and other things, you can get away with 1 notebook. They are available in many price classes and designs. If you can afford it, buy some notebooks that suit your style. That way, it will be much more fun to use them. 

3. Stuff to write with: pens in different colours, pencils, an eraser, a ruler and text markers are things I have always with me. I personally like to have the number of the lecture in red on top of the page and the key words in blue. For drawings, I still prefer a good old grey pencil and a ruler in case rectangles and square shapes must be drawn in the notes. Text markers are handy to mark the most important words in a text from your book or syllabus. 

4. A diary. Not necessary a school diary though, since your life might continue during traditional holidays, but a diary is necessary. College students are busy people; we have to study, work, be on boards and committees for our CV, keep up with friends, take some basic care of ourselves, etc. Again, there is a wide variety, so it depends on your budget, preferences and style which one you take. I personally like my diary to be not too big, but still big enough so that a decent amount of activities fit. Preferably with the hours of the day, because I am somewhat lazy. The photos below are from my own diary.

5. A few email addresses of people in your class and your teachers' email addresses. Questions may arise while you're studying a topic or when you're working on an assignment. In such cases it can help a lot if you can ask someone who is involved with the same topics and assignments as you. 

6. Folders and/or binders. For the tidy, neat and organised people among us, not so much for the techno students who do everything on their laptop. As subjects advance, your teacher might hand out more stencils and paper work or (s)he will put them online for you to print. Once printed/received, it is tempting to put them on your desk and eventually have them drowned in plenty other stuff. This does not make for a successful academic career, so it is more efficient to have a folder or binder in which you can put away your prints. I have planned to buy one notebook this year, but put all my notes and prints in a binder, with a tab for each subject. 

So, that is my list of must-haves to succeed in college (or at least pass your exams). Remember this blog is young, so there is much more to come, but if you think I forgot something important regarding this subject, please let me know =) You are also welcome to share your thoughts of course or just randomly drop by and say something.