Stress less fest

And, with the final tick of the clock at the front of the exam hall, that, as they say, was that!

As with James, Tayler and Kristin, recent proceedings for me have been dominated by the presence of exams and, although fortunately I’ve had a much smaller number than usual (just the two!) because my module choices were more heavily weighted towards coursework-based assessment (much better for someone who personally hates exams!), there was still the lingering prospect of this set counting for the biggest proportion of my degree to date, being my first batch in third year – so no pressure, then!

But thankfully, despite the usual hefty amount of panic, worry and general neuroticism along the way, I’ve come out on the other side of them, and now have a few days to sit back, relax and enjoy a short spell of responsibility-lifted freedom and celebration – well, while working towards the Third Year Project, that is!

January can often be a tough spell for everyone involved, in truth, with lecturers having to set the papers (while keeping questions proportionately fair and challenging!), students feeling the pressure to make the most of any and all potential revision time, and the University itself seeing an influx of demand, diligence and drive on behalf of the student body – just try getting a desk in Hartley Library during exam season without firstly waking up at crazy o’ clock in the morning and you’ll see what I mean!

Yet simultaneously it’s such spells which I often find can bring out the best in University life as well, with many a person on my Software Engineering course, for example, ready and willing to clarify any difficulties others might have with material (in turn testing and benefitting both parties’ knowledge), while others make a habit of contributing their revision notes towards an online shared resource which puts the more difficult concepts in plain English and helps everybody on their way – particularly handy when faced with rows of seemingly impenetrable Greek letters, for example!

And the support of fellows isn’t just academic, with the spirit of revision inducing ‘study groups’ within my household where we all get together in somebody’s room, with laptops, textbooks and notepads in hand, and we stick on a film which we’ve all seen a hundred times (to give some background noise without distracting us!) and work for a couple of hours at a time, knowing that the presence of one another working hard will force us to keep going even when distractions are abound. Well, at least until the need to procrastinate becomes too much, I guess, and we end up watching the film!

Plus, the Students’ Union is frequently on the lookout to make sure that its members (and that’s everyone who attends the University – you automatically become a member when you enrol!) are also well supported and coping with potential exam stress, with the annual ‘Stress Less Fest’ events playing a huge part in making sure everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing interruption, on a daily basis, to the pressures the season brings.

This time round, the happening which I went along to took place just inside the main Union building, in the form of a visit from a local petting zoo, featuring some fantastically fluffy rabbits and guinea pigs, which even included ducks, chickens, and two extremely excitable yet happy dogs – it certainly brought back my own memories of living on a farm!

The dogs had a clever tactic to ensure they received their fair share of attention – winding their leads around people’s legs!

Other activities throughout the week included dance sessions, lengthy screenings of some student favourite comedy series at Union Films (the Union’s very own cinema), as well as tea and cake sales and free fruit handouts, providing a great motivation to put down the books for an hour or two and remember to have a moderate amount of play to compliment the necessary work.

It’s strange to think that for many of my friends at University, this was the penultimate exam season, particularly after growing up with their ritualistic January appearances throughout the educational system. But with graduation on the horizon for them, I know plenty of people are excited to take the benefits that being tested in such a way brings, like the ability to concentrate on achieving their goals and getting the marks they want, and apply it in the working world. Personally, however, I’ve got another year after this one – so plenty of time to worry about the real world at a later date!

As for what’s up next, after a few days’ rest I’ll be throwing myself into intensive rehearsals for the next show I’m involved in; after all, Showstoppers’ (the musical theatre society) production of Little Shop of Horrors, a B-movie style horror-comedy bonanza which features murder, man-eating plants and a hefty amount of musical cheese, has its opening night in less than two weeks, which is a terrifying enough thought in itself! The first of a number of sneak previews has just been released – check it out below!

I’ll be sure to write about Little Shop more at the time but, for now, it seems like everything is settling into place for another busy semester two, following on from a challenging, yet wholly enjoyable, semester one. And given the nature of University life, I really wouldn’t want it any other way!

Robin