… by Ginte / from Vieciunai, Lithuania / BSc Computer Science and Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)
Exams and the “fun” that comes along with them was definitely not the main thing on my mind when choosing what and where to study a few years ago. After all, I had been in countless academic competitions, sat my Matura exams – the ones that would determine if I even get into university in the first place. I’d even managed to spend an hour gripping a steering wheel as hard as I could, trying to look calm (so the instructor didn’t suspect I was doing just that) and passed my driving test. Surely the exams at university couldn’t be any worse. I knew I could handle stress by now, why would I ever worry?
What I seem to have forgotten at first was how used I was to being good at the subjects I liked. I chose to study mathematics and computer science not only because I loved learning about them but also because I had spent years studying various topics and never had too much trouble understanding the underlying concepts. So what I didn’t expect to experience at university was struggling with the very subjects I loved and thought I could understand. Well, the pace picks up, the material gets more advanced and there I am, trying to figure which part of this seemingly fundamental concept I managed to miss and why I don’t really know why the calculations work anymore. This made exams and the preparation leading up to them a bit more stressful than I would have thought. But surprise surprise, I’m still here, still enjoying my studies so here are a couple of things that helped me remain this way.
Probably the most rewarding part of studying at a university so far has been becoming part of the community here. Meeting course mates and people from other years isn’t only a great way to make friends but also a way to make sure it’s never necessary to struggle alone with course content. Getting together with friends to go over course material and talking through the problems not only makes the learning process more fun and social (trust me, it definitely beats hours spent at a lonely library desk with only a cup of tea to keep you company), but also picking the brains of other students is a wonderful resource which can provide a new perspective on the material. So even though by now I probably spend a disproportionate amount of my time in computer labs, the friendly environment and the fact that there is always someone around who is willing to help, makes it all worthwhile. Not to mention that walking over to an afternoon exam with a group of friends who were just revising together is a lot more fun, and leaves less time for worrying.
However, preparation isn’t everything and even though you might be studying it is not easy to just “make the worries go away”. Taking a break and doing something distracting has actually proven to be very helpful for me – even if it is baking banana bread a night before a test, instead of trying to cram through the night. And luckily there are a lot of opportunities to do fun, relaxing things that can distract from the aforementioned worries (at least it worked for me!) at the university around exam time.
The case in question: I’m not a fan of calculus and struggle with it a lot more than with other parts of mathematics. Not so surprisingly, it constitutes a significant part of a mathematics degree so by now I have had to sit two calculus exams. Needless to say I didn’t feel too great after either of them, but thanks to the various schemes available at the university I had a chance to pet adorable fluffy dogs after one of them and go try karate after the other one which very successfully took my mind of off the struggles and stress. The former was a part of the Therapets initiative – a scheme that gives university students who might be missing the furry friends they had to leave back home a chance to pet not only dogs, but sometimes even alpacas. The latter was part one of the stress-buster sessions where sports clubs from around the university offered free sessions during the examination period for anyone who wishes to let off some steam and get their mind of the stress.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of the support available and there are many more ways to make studying more efficient and enjoyable. It will also vary a lot from person to person, but the greatest lesson I have learned so far is that getting stuck in a routine that is a little painful to be in, is rarely the answer. Taking a little time off for fun and relaxation, even during the most intense times, and keeping at least a bit of human interaction up throughout (bonus points if it helps with learning!) can really make a huge difference and ensure the struggle are all overcome soon enough.