I survived last week, but only barely. I had decided not to study for the exam on Thursday, that way I would have enough time before Tuesday to focus on the Tuesday morning exam, and would leave me with Wednesday and Thursday to study for Friday.
On Tuesday I get to class, late. Well...actually, after Monday's exam I get to the station and see that my train is cancelled for unknown time. The only way to go home is to get a bus, but not one going straight from this station to my station, no the bus has to pass all the stations it always passes. So I would first take a bus from A to B, 1,5 hours, B to C, 1.5 hours, C to D 1 hour. And if you have motion sickness, that really isn't an optiion. So I had to wait, luckily I had schoolstuff with me, but I came home at 5pm instead of 12.
One of my friends said
Hope your train rides tomorrow. And I was like, well...we have our exam at 10.30, I'm at the station before 9 (train is supposed to leave at 9), so then I have over an hour to get to school, and I only need an hour. She was ok that's good.
On Tuesday morning, I get up 30 min earlier than I need to get up, I was awake and figured I could use the extra time to revise. When I'm completely done with my morning ritual, I pack my bag (that morning it was around 8.15), I checked my schedule to see what room I have to be in, and see that the exam starts at 9.30. Oh, that meant that I had to be in the train at 8. But we can be 30 min late for the exam and I would only be 5 min late, hopefully.
I called my friend to tell her that I would be late, and that she could have warned me that the exam wasn't at 10.30 but at 9.30, well...she didn't know, she also thought it was at 10.30. Ah well...she would be on time and notify the teacher. Then the train stops change, normally it's an intercity and only stops at the few big cities, but because of the accident the day before, it would stop at all stations in between as well. And there goes my exam, oi.
Well...I got lucky the bus was a bit late so I managed to catch it and be only 15 min late. I looked at the exam and thought I should have missed it, because I didn't know any of the questions. The teacher had mentioned that the models in his lectures and some chapter from the book were the most important, so I studied them and you could ask me anything about any of those models. It had just slipped my mind that we also had articles that accompagnied every workshop, so I had read them once for class but I hadn't studied them and most were about a model anyway. Well...the teacher asked very specific questions about those articles. Most people had no clue what he was asking.
The girl sitting in front of me gets up 45min after the exam started. That's fast, but most of the time I'm also one of the first to leave. So I didn't give it much attention.
Later when we're studying with a group for the afternoon exam, one says
She just walked out, she had only written half a page or so (not nearly enough to answer even 3 questions)
. Doesn't she know you have to have at least 35% to be allowed to do a resit? And I and all the other went euhm...WHAT!!!
Previous years you had to have 55% correct for a pass. This year it's 60%, under normal circumstances that is perfectly doable (I normally go for 70%, don't try to compare it to the US system, it just doesn't work), but with too much to do for all courses that just managable. But now we also had to have at least 35% to even be allowed to do a resit. Jeez. So long for my exam on Thursday and Friday :s.
I studied mostly for the one on Friday and did minimum for Thursday because I knew that there was no way I'm going to pass, so hopefully with minimum studying and creative answers I would be able to get 35% right. Well...I did the exam, and I'm not counting on it but I might have actually passed it. It was just sooo simple, and if I had done just a bit more I would be sure that I'd passed.
The one on Friday was also doable. At least this teacher already mentioned the models you needed to use for the question in the question (not like the one on Tuesday), but you have to completely explain all models. I think I have managed at least 50%, I know that's not 60% but this exam will be combined with a paper (deadline the Friday before Christmas), and I usually get 70% on those which is 60% on average.
As soon as the exams were over I had to start a project with a deadline this Tuesday. Well...I rewarded myself with visiting a friend, I was in need of some rest and no school thoughts (well....that didn't really work since her thesis is on stuff I had to learn for these exams, so I could help her a bit with giving names for models and sources).
Yesterday my brain just didn't work. I had managed to get everything non-school related done before 12 (that includes sleeping in), but there I was was, sitting in front of my notebook with my schoolbooks and just nothing.
So I only have today, and I'm sort of procrastinating. The paper is only 10 pages but the teacher said that it would be difficult to stay within those 10 pages (although it's allowed to be a few more but anything over 15 won't be read). And I soooo don't want to do this anymore.
It's not that I can't handle it, I'm managing, sometimes almost having panic moments/nervous breakdowns, but I'm handling it. But the thing is, I would love to just have one day, one day completely free of school. Not only just relaxing and doing nothing for school but also not having that little voice in your head going
it would be smart if you'd do something for school, you know it's going to be tough if you do nothing. Because right now, I have the feeling I'm going under and that I'm not coming up to catch enough breath before going under again.
This whole paper should have just not been there. They just gave it before the Autumn break (only studying for exam week) and it has to be done after the examweek, so only 2 weeks. And those 2 weeks no one had any time at all (everyone still had to start this weekend).
This weekend should have been completely relaxed, done with one period, not yet started on the next. A weekend where you could destress and mentally prepare yourself for the next challenge.
Although there's some good news. the next examweek is after the Christmas break, so 2 weeks of studying instead of 1. And I've checked and we can only have 3 exams.
But with good news there's most of the time also some bad news, only 3 exam mean at least 5 papers to write (got 8 courses), and those deadlines are all Friday 18th Dec. Only 6 weeks. (but that also means, only 6 weeks till Christmas).
Another reason for me going under. In October I wanted to go a month without snacking, which I gave up after 2 weeks, since it didn't help. And I still have no idea why not? Instead of loosing weight I'm gaining weight. I know I haven't moved a lot the last 2 weeks, because I was too busy with school but that also means that I haven't been getting up to get snacks. I gained 2 kilo's, how on earth is that possible?
So with the new school period starting tomorrow, I'm going to stop snacking again (at least till Christmas) and try to do extra exercises every day for 30 min (I already cycle for 30min (but that's from getting to the station and back) and walk 30 min (since the damn train is delayed and I miss my bus) on top of all the walking daily do). This needs to work. I can't start dieting, I'm a too picky eater for dieting.
Now I really have to get to work on my paper, ugh.
