My name is Connie and I have just finished my first year studying Psychology at Northumbria University. I completed a year studying Law but decided that it wasn’t for me, and I now love studying Psychology! I am going to be writing about how to manage your revision and stress levels in education and tips I have found useful.
So how do I manage my workload?
I own a planner where I write down every single thing I have to do for each week. Even if it’s something small such as ‘buy milk’ or ‘do the washing’. I then separate the tasks into colour categories such as ‘uni work’, ‘part-time job’, ‘friends’, and ‘general house chores’. Since I am at university, I now live without my parents for the first time and remembering to do the little things such as washing, and food shopping can often be difficult when I have essays and exams to focus on. Having everything I have to do written down in different colours helps me to remember things more easily, instead of just trying to remember them in my head or scribbling them down on random pieces of paper that can easily get lost.
How did I adapt revision to suit me?
I know that I am very much a visual learner. This means I like to revise by writing down the information I need to learn in a bright, colourful and easy to read way. I also like to include little pictures of key information. My favourite way to revise is to get a large piece of A3 paper and fill it with all the information I need to know in a way that I can read and is bright and exciting. I find this an easier way to revise than just sitting and reading through pages of information. I also make flashcards and get a member of my family or my friends to read me the questions while I give them the answer. This is so helpful to me as saying the information out loud can often help you to understand what it means.
Has anything changed between GCSE and now?
I don’t think I was very good at balancing my social life and my school work when I was studying for my GCSE’s which I definitely regret as once exams are over you have all summer to see your friends and do fun things! I wish I had been able to focus more and not see friends so much during revision as it would have been much easier. I am much better at this now and can think ‘okay so I have two weeks of revision left, then I can celebrate with all my friends, so just keep going!’
How do I look after my wellbeing during revision and exams?
It is so important to make sure you are taking breaks and still having fun during exam period. Definitely meet up with your friends after school and on weekends to chill out, but just make sure you are spending more time on revision than friends! One of my best friends studies Psychology with me so we often sit together and help each other with revision which makes it much more enjoyable and we can help each other out with things that we may struggle with. This helps my wellbeing as I have just revised but also spent time with my friend which I enjoy. I also like to have study breaks where I eat my favourite food then go back to revision. This is a small tip just to keep you going! I also recommend speaking to your friends and parents if you are struggling with exam stress or revision. I have had some particularly hard exams where I would get so stressed about everything I needed to learn, and it helps to speak to someone you trust so that they know how you are feeling and can try to help.
After reading this blog I hope you have picked up a few tips to make revision as effective and enjoyable as possible. My top tip is just to stay as calm as you possibly can and remember that whatever the outcome of your results, there will always be other options you can take.
