let them eat cake
I’ve been doing revision sessions with various students all through today. They look so tired and pale, poor darlings. I remember carrying round that pre-exam pallor even now (despite the fact that time is such a healer). My advice for revision? – cut the 11 hour a day programme to 9 or 10, take regular breaks to stretch and breathe, get some fresh air and exercise… 
…and eat properly.
(And yes, I know I sound like somebody’s mother. But then Mother knows best, doesn’t she?)
7 Responses to “let them eat cake”
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
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.. another piece of motherly advice for revision ..
don’t try to cram it all into your memory by reading and re-reading your notes/books/whatever
get together with a crowd of friends drink some coffee/peppermint tea/beer (notice the ’some’ here)
and argue about different topics, use what you know to make reasoned points, listen to others make their points, you’ll remember more!
and
get out and have a water fight, or some silliness at least once every other day!
Completely agree. I’m halfway now (yay!) but I definitely have “revision pallor” despite my resolute insistence that I won’t work more than 8 hours a day …
Exam pallor – I have PhD pallor and its set to last til the end of the year…boo hoo
Lucky students, getting off home for the summer holidays in a few weeks.
CA
I’m an extremist, cut your 9-10 hours in half, prepare one A4 SIDE of notes on each topic, bullet points or a mindmap (depending on your style). Refine those in discussion with the friends Caroline stresses the importance of (and always remember not to end a sentence with a preposition). And always every day use the rest of the time to relax. At a decent University punting is good in summer!
Then carry those precious A4 sheets as near the exam room as you can, scanning all the time.
When you get in choose your questions and work out and write down the headings of the answer for each. Then smile a smug smile and start to write, slowly and legibly – quality is much better than quantity in any marker’s book!
my other little suggestion is unplugging the internet lead while you’re sitting at your desk.. (..he says whilst checking out the blogs he reads, before thinking about returning to the beauties of lipid metabolism..
)
thanks for everyones advice.. its a very timely bit of encouragement!
nealb – noooooooooooooo – not the internet! You can’t take that away from me!
“No, no they can’t take that away from me”
See, revision too!