And so we draw towards the end of term with some students preparing for exams and others thinking that the exams are a very long way away. So a quick tip for both:

(1) Exams are coming:

I have written blogs about how to keep focussed mid-term and how to make sure your revision is effective . But I would also like to remind you to be organised in your revision. Make the time count. Switch off from everything else, allow yourself a little bit of time of fiddling about when you are getting settled, and then focus. You will need to find a place to work that encourages you to keep your mind on the task at hand – and I have written about that here . Oh and finally, try to find a small group of students to work with. You don’t need to meet all the time, but having a group of fellow students you can message and feed off is really valuable. And (you guessed it!) I have also written about that too.

(2) Exams are not coming:

yet

Yes, although you do not have exams before Christmas, they will be upon you sooner than you think. Amongst all the festivities, you should find some time to close down your term’s work. Check through your notes on each of your modules, look for loose ends like a text book to buy or a paper to track down. And tie all of these loose ends. This means you will be able to relax properly over the holiday period and be refreshed and ready to hit the books again in the new year. Many of you will be working over this period and it is a great way of getting some savings to tide you over the coming months. I quite understand this but you should remember to keep at least something going on in your mind about your studies. If you do, when the new term starts your brain will be primed and ready to absorb more information, think critically and work out how to express ideas in writing. In short, you will be ready.