Girls In Science

By Girls in Science for Girls in Science.

exams

Studying… CHRISTmas-Style

Leave a Comment

This year will be my first time in over seven years that I will not have any January exams,

I can’t say I’m overtly distraught about that, but I’ve had quite a few years of trying my very best to be content

And festive while having a stack of books round my head, and yes – I did the un-imaginable; One year I even studied on Christmas day.

However, to be honest I can’t say it was un-enjoyable , there are ways you can make sure you have a fabulous Christmas while still in study-mode – here are some of my best Festive-Study-Tips.

1. Plan , depending on the intensity of the exam, figure out how many days exactly you’d like to take off, and how many you’d want to spend doing un interrupted work. (tip : the more intense your exam season is , the less days you should take off)

2. Mornings are the best kept secret. – Its true what they say about 5AM risers , it can be the most productive time of the day, now I’m not saying you get up at 4:59 and caffeine-your-way into some form of awake-ness but it might be an idea to get up an hour or two before the rest of your family, find a quiet spot and get some tasks knocked off before you get too distracted with the bustle of the day , plus it could mean you get to spend an extra hour with your family when it really counts.

3. Deck the Halls – One of my favourite Christmases over the past few years was when I purposefully decorated my desk and study space with Christmas lights, candy-canes and tinsel. Beside the desk lamp, Adding some sparkle to the mix completely tricks your brain and can make any challenging piece of work a tiny bit more magical.

4. Music – Whether you like Bublé , Sinatra, The Gaithers or plain festive Jazz, Christmas music instantly changes the atmosphere – and coupled with the décor, can make any room a mini-grotto.

5. Get out a little – Now might not be the perfect time to take a ski-trip or travel to the continent for a Christmas get-away. But certainly don’t lock yourself in a room, catch up with some friends, attend a church carol concert, your local light display , grab some roasted chestnuts (although I’ve honestly never tried them!) and find a way to reward yourself after every few days of hard-working.

6. Don’t leave it till after Christmas : January come like a lightning-bolt , and before you know it, it’s the new year and your sitting down in an exam hall . Don’t allow yourself to get too caught up that you forget what’s coming !

7. Enjoy it : Christmas does come round every year, and exams don’t. Find that fine line for yourself where you are able to enjoy the season, take note of its true meaning, but also get your head down. – you don’t want to start off the new year with any regrets !

How do you revise positively ?

Leave a Comment

We recently got the question: How do I revise something I think I don’t like?
We all have had a particular topic of study that just didn’t mesh with us… but one things I’ve discovered during my studies and entire learning process is the vital importance of attitude towards all of the things you do. There is a Biblical proved that says: ‘As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’ (Proverbs 23’7); and new up and coming science of epigenetics is truly beginning to show that attributes like positivity, or anxiety can dramatically change gene expression and have biological consequences… now what does this mean for the normal student just trying to do her best ?
Think of this scenario; Before you begin your ALEVELS, you overhear some sixth-form students complaining on the difficulties of organic chemistry; and in your mind you end up saying:
wow Alevels must be super hard , I don’t know if I could ever master something like that’
Or perhaps: You flick through your text book for the year and see some ‘info-graphic pages’ that basically look like an Alienist form of communication and you think to yourself:
how could they ever expect us to understand this ?! It’s impossible.”

What you don’t realise you’re doing – is , you’re creating a fear in your mind that is crippling your ability to learn. It might seem like over kill. But it’s true.

Approaching a subject, an exam, a teacher with negativity indefinitely effects the complete experience.

But being negative is the easier than being positive so you have got to make a conscious effort to suppress your initial opinions and ‘think your self clever.’
For example in my final year uni exams we were looking at cardiology, it was an interesting topic , and the teacher was actually quite likeable, but his teaching approach just did not work for me. And I ended up feeling like I partially resented the entire topic. BUT I had to make sure I didn’t say anything negative because; I hadn’t done the exam yet and I didn’t want to give the subject ‘any resentful-vibes’ (so to speak).
It’s easier said than done, but coming from a good place internally changes everything when it comes to work. Even when you might not be feeling it. Fake it. And you’ll end up eventually tricking yourself into success.