As we all know, January is the infamous exam month. There wasn't much going on during this month other than lots of hours studying in the library.
As nerdy as I am (I hate to admit it), I went to AMBS or Ali G almost every day. That being said, I did have a few girls night ins with my precious flatmates this month.
I am staying in private student accommodation with 2 flatmates who are both English girls. One of them is from Birmingham and studies tourism at MMU; another one is from London and studies neuroscience at UoM. I must say that they’re my joy and make my time here in Manchester so wonderful. Thanks to national lockdown, life is so much slower. But we keep each other company in our private space. They’re both final year undergrads, so they’re free from exams.
As a postgraduate student, I don’t really revise each lecture materials, since I believe as long as you have fully engaged in and prepared for each week’s seminar, you should do well in the exams. I think reflection on the lectures is much more important. The exams are largely essay-based questions. It’s important to have a creative mind and critical thinking ability to form your own debate and reasoning. Reflection is very important as often time there is no right or wrong answer, it’s your viewpoint that matters. I practiced my writing and tried to enhance my critical thinking skill through past exam papers. I think they’re helpful as I feel much more confident after I finish them. This is why when my lovely flatmates invite me to the 3-people flat parties, I gladly accepted their invitations, even though I felt kind of ‘wrong’ to have parties before exams haha!
I must say I don’t like exams. I prefer assignments more than anything. Knowing the exams are getting close just makes me anxious. During a lot of nights I dreamed about the materials I was reading that day or the essays I was writing. The feeling of uncertainty just gets to me every time. But deep down I always know I can do well because I have to right? Again, my flatmates are angels. They sent me messages to tell me I can smash the exams on the day of the exam and told me we will celebrate it after it. So we did! They got me cute balloons and banners. It was one of the best and special nights I have ever had in my life. I truly appreciate them and feel so so grateful that I could spend this year and this national lockdown with them. This time is lonely, but with them, I am not alone.
