Spring and exams

Corridors in student halls become silent,  increasingly more students come to dinner wearing pyjamas and the number of complaints demanding silence at nights briskly increases. It’s the exam period and nobody is safe.
 
Almost a month of studying is handled by everyone differently. For some, such as the art and music students, the exam period is nothing but a time of final touches to their pieces and of giving away their portfolios which never seem to be done. Apart from these, art students at do from time to time have an exam. This, however, is often due in a couple of days so they do have time to spend some time over them in the comfort of their homes. What could seem to be a way of cheating, especially perceived from perspectives of Czech students, is, however, not as easy as it may seem. Having access to the internet does not imply having all the right answers at one‘s fingertips, but it tends to be a great test of students‘ research, presentation and organization skills.
 
Others tend to have meticulously precise studying schedules hanging on their walls with their studying time planned out to a minute. These are often adjusted for brief visits to the gym, extra tutorials and group study sessions. Being well-organized obviously pays off. On the other hand a purist approach to studying often robs one of the more fun parts of the exam period.
 
Despite trying to stick to my schedule at all times and devoting myself completely to mathematics and Gandhi during the exam period, there were some extra-curricular things I could not miss. Despite appreciating cuddling sessions which were desperately booked during the exam time, I preferred attending the ‘stress-busting sessions‘‘ during which I definitively relaxed while punching a bag during classes of martial arts or while trying out archery. These, along with classes of bee-keeping, provided me with a good dose of amusement during the dark times of studying.
 
The examination period flew by really quickly and while May was drawing to an end, students gradually vacated their rooms and the premises of student halls. Exams were not as bad as everyone feared and corridors in halls became alive again with students celebrating the end of the school year. Many of us finally got to appreciate the beauty of Scottish nature in Spring while having picnics on meadows and gardens in the city and though short, the end of the exams was surely sweet. On one hand it is a shame that at the University of Edinburgh only first year students are provided with accommodation and that from our second year we will not have to comfort of being served hot dinner every day, having parties in our common rooms and having our warden help us get into our rooms even during early morning hours. It was a good year and all I can hope is that the second one will be even better.