Exams and 2nd year transition

My first year at the University of Manchester has, to my surprise, quite abruptly and unexpectedly ended. Looking back, it feels as if barely a month or two have passed since my enrollment in the business course, and yet it has been almost an entire year. Frankly speaking, it has been a wild ride – exciting, slightly daunting, but mainly full of new opportunities and challenges. Since, I believe, I have already gotten to the nitty-gritty of being a university student, I would like to reflect on my experience with regards to university, but mainly the UoM. As such, I will briefly discuss the examination process and the transition into the following academic year.

I would like to start this out by giving out a general advice – intuitive to some, but certainly not universal. When it comes to exams, always plan ahead. I do not mean simply planning revision a month before the first exam. Always, when taking on a new responsibility – be it a member of a committee, a student representative etc., think about how that might tamper with your free time during the pre-exam period. I realize that planning something half a year or more in advance might sound a bit excessive, but just hear me out as had to learn it the hard way. Before exams, it gets quite hectic. A constant exam prep is expected, however, be it from a society or RA, there are a lot of other major events going on, and if you find yourself leading one of the aforementioned groups, the responsibility falls on your shoulders. Now, it does not sound like much, but speaking from my experience as the RA chairman, a major event can take up a hundred workhours and above. To summarize, always be mindful of the miscellaneous responsibilities that might pop up during exams, as they can be quite frustrating to deal with, especially if there are multiple at once.

The exams themselves are a quite brief process – which I attribute mainly to the “heat of the moment” and full concentration. However, overall, it is perhaps longer than necessary. It took me an entire month to complete fours exams. While a week-long break between each session can be quite handy, in my opinion, it only proliferates the anxiety that comes with exams as a week can be a bit too long for someone who is already prepared. I cannot speak for other courses or universities, but I found the content quite easy, mainly because of the extensive supporting material readily available – i.e. past papers. Hence, time is probably the most restrictive factor for achieving good results. I have concluded that confidence is quite likely the key to succeeding any exam. However, keep in mind that overconfidence can do the exact opposite. No matter what your knowledge is prior to the exam, it is almost always possible to achieve good results, as long as you can objectively judge the necessary effort that the module requires. I suppose what I am trying to say is that it is possible to learn everything pertaining to a single module within a week. From my personal experience, university education is not significantly harder than International Baccalaureate. Regardless, although possible, I would not recommend cramming everything a week prior to the exam. It is always better to be safe than sorry!

When it comes to the after-exam period, despite its reputation as a renowned party city, Manchester is quite laid back. Most undergrads have already gone home and while celebrations happen, it is nothing to boast about. Surprisingly enough, the city takes on a completely different atmosphere – perhaps since a sizeable part of the population are students. Regardless, I am pleased to finally be able to relax after the exam period. Then again, there is still a lot of non-academic work left to do and more keeps surfacing.

University is a continuous process demanding constant and unrelenting attention even during the summer vacation. For me, it has been a wild ride. None of my thoughts might apply to you, but that is aright. I have come to realize that university experience is exactly what you want it to be and nothing more, assuming your intentions match your effort.

 

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