Friday, March 29Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: Exams

#GiveYourselfAPec: A Brand New Mental Health Campaign to deal with Academic Stress
Features

#GiveYourselfAPec: A Brand New Mental Health Campaign to deal with Academic Stress

As exams have finally come to an end, I would like to say congratulations to everyone reading this! You made it – bring on the champagne and fireworks. Now that the ‘worst’ is over, I would like to call everyone to reflect on how the exam and essay season went, even though I’m pretty certain most of you want to completely erase the horror from your minds. Ask yourself the following questions: How did I feel during this time? Did I neglect my wellbeing? Was I constantly stressed? Did my Mental Health suffer under the academic pressure? Some of those questions are easy to answer – of course I was stressed – but the others might be more difficult to realise about yourself. Mental health is a tricky topic and, in trying to find out how essays and exams have affected me personally as well...
UCU Warns of an Extension of Strike Action
News

UCU Warns of an Extension of Strike Action

There are plans in motion to escalate the strikes into university exam season in April, May and June. As of February 21, there has been no resolution to the dispute between universities and the University and College Union (UCU) over the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) that would leave lecturers losing an estimated £10,000 to their pension. The General Secretary of the UCU, Sally Hunt, has warned that there is a possibility of strike action being extended if negotiations are not successful in seeking a resolution to the pension dispute. The extension of strike action would lead into exam season, with the potential to disrupt exams for all students, but with a particularly strong impact on final year students. She said that she wouldn’t “rule that off the table at this point ...
De-Stress Differently
Features

De-Stress Differently

The academic year is flying by and now it’s getting to that time of year. The time of late night breakdowns, officially moving in to the library and thinking, do I really need this degree? Regardless of whether you’ve revised or not, we are all far too familiar with the sleepless nights, churning stomach and existential crises that accompany the end of year exams. With that dreaded season fast approaching here are some alternative methods of relaxing and de-stressing before your final exams. 1. Revise with friends. Revising with friends, talking about your subjects and working together is a great way of studying. Working with friends is far less stressful than working alone; help each other out! 2. ASMR. ASMR stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’ and has become massive...
10 Things to Do After Exams
Features

10 Things to Do After Exams

Ten Things To Do After Exams So exam season is finally over, and after all that worrying, revising and at times, sheer terror, you’ll probably have a lot of time on your hands. Sounds great, doesn’t it? However, you may find that there’s simply too much time and boredom may strike. To avoid that scenario, here are a list of the top ten things to do after exams, to give yourself that well deserved break and also put your time to use. 1. Go out Number one priority is definitely to go out and let off some steam. You officially have zero responsibilities and trust me, the ‘I’m a student’ excuse is enough at this point of term. Whether it’s a boozy night out on the town or a dinner date with some friends, make sure you relax and properly enjoy yourself. You’ve earned it! 2. Get your s...
In search of some much needed sleep
Opinion

In search of some much needed sleep

Sleep. It’s vital, especially for students. We seem to have two moods: ‘sleep is for the weak’ and ‘I want to sleep for a week’. With the frantic juggling of work and socialising, sleep tends to be neglected, especially around deadlines and exams. But then it can also be cruelly taken away by late night revellers, as many students in halls have found. One angry, sleep deprived resident said: "Due to living in Wedderburn sleep is often interrupted by fire alarms or drunk people singing ‘I dont want to miss a thing’ outside my window." This is not ideal for anyone, but especially inconvenient on nights before exams. It can be especially hard when you are free from work and others around you are not, but being considerate coming home from Monkey’s or the SU should be the norm. Another f...
10 Things Not To Do Before Your Exams
Features

10 Things Not To Do Before Your Exams

Exams can be an extremely stressful time, as we all know. However sometimes we don't make the best decisions during this time. Here are a few things you shouldn't do before your exams: 1. Do not develop an addiction to a new show on Netflix. Trust me it never ends well. 2. Do not forget to guilt trip your parents in order to avoid doing chores. "Mum, the most important exam of my life is in two days, and you want me to do the washing up?!" (Something like that should work) 3. Do not believe everything your friends say. They may be smart, but your lecturer is smarter. If in doubt ask them first. 4. Do not get drunk the night before. Exams are painful enough without the horrible hangover. 5. Do not forget to treat yourself. This is a stressful time people. Buy yourself food an...
Opinion

Post Exam Stress Trauma

Congratulations! You made it. You survived. You can finally say that exams are over. Depending on your personal revision style, the months, weeks or days of revising have come to an end. But what happens now? It is likely that you could experience some form of ‘Post Exam Stress Trauma’, and I’d like to offer some support during this potentially confusing time in your life. You’re about to go through many changes, and I don’t want you to be scared. Whilst I am not a doctor or medical professional, I want to use my personal experience to help you through this. Exams may be over, but your journey is not. During the first stage of the disorder, you are likely to experience emotions that can only be described as joy, ecstasy and pure relief. Regardless of your future grades, the soul-dest...