Graduate from university

I’m finally done for the year. When I first found out my two exams were two weeks apart I was happy I would have time to revise for them. But then it stretched out so horribly I was starting to wish they’d just stuck both exams and the essay in the first few days of the exam period. Anyway, I had pretty much resigned myself to the (Ritual and Religion) exam today going terribly – perhaps not even passing – as I felt so unprepared. That meant that when it turned out ok I felt elated! These last few days have been rough, I didn’t fall asleep last night until around 7am, after a night of cramming. But I think I understood ritualization (the first question) better than I had realised, and I threw all my ethnographic examples plus the kitchen sink at the second question – whether ritual is always religious – so I hopefully picked up some points even if I wasn’t referring to the specific readings and theorists they had in mind.

Well I got in all my essays on time, and I probably didn’t fail either exam, so all in all a pretty succesful term.

Things are not looking good for my last exam of the year, tomorrow. I think having to hand in an essay just two days ago took it out of me, and has left me tired, sniffly and run down. I’m struggling to muster the effort to revise – the fact that some of the readings are very difficult isn’t helping either.

I’m trying to tell myself that one bad mark won’t hurt that much. It only counts towards 1/12 of my final classification.

At least by half four tomorrow, it will all be over for the year.

I got my Visual Anthropology essay in on time this morning! Which means I got all 4 of this semester’s essay in on time. That whole essay was such a struggle from the start – the whole expereince felt epic – I never felt confident about how to structure my answer. (I think it was because the reading material seemed closer to a dense, literary criticism then I’m used to, I really prefer a simply laid out argument).

Anyway I stayed up all night, got it in, and I think it turned out alright.

I was so happy on the walk to uni this morning. It looks like I’m going to get through my 1st sememster, junior year, which was the one I dropped out of at my first uni. It’s no exaggeration to say that for years I’ve worried that I’ll never get the things I want – like my degree – because I couldn’t do it the first time around, and no one ever really changes. Well maybe you can’t change much, but if you set your life up just right, you can change enough . . .

I had the first exam (on Anthropological Theory) of the semester this afternoon and it was at best so-so. Of the 4 topics I had prepared, I was confident about 2 and pretty worried about the other 2. In the exam only 1 of my confident topics came up which was always a possibility. I got off to a slow and rocky start as it seemed so long since my last exam I just couldn’t fall into it the way I normally do. Still I think I answered that 1st question (on “perspectivism”) quite well – at least I had material for a few pages, my argument had a bit of a structure, and I put in some of my own criticism and analysis.

On the other hand I over-ran and so only had 45 mins for the 2nd topic which I only have a sketchy understanding of. It was on the “individual” and the theory of Marilyn Strathern, but even in our tutuorial on the material our tutor said she didn’t really understand it and we should probably skip the question!! So why did I pick it? I had to! Of all the other theorists either they were even harder to understand, readings were harder to come by for revision, or they simply weren’t asked about in the exam! Given that, I suppose I did the best I could, even if my answer was a bit rambling and unsure and unfinished (I ran out of time too).

It’s a bit upsetting as this was the first exam I’ve taken which will actually count towards my final degree classification. I feel I put in some solid revision and have a fair amount of knowledge, and I just didn’t do myself justice.

Maybe I’ll have better luck with the Visual Anthropology essay due in a week’s time…

I think I did get off to a good start this term, but I stopped going to lessons when i had to concentrate on the 3 mid-semester essays (incidently I did get the other two in on-time which was a small miracle in itself!!). Unfortunately once I stop going to lectures I really don’t start going back. Of course I attended the compulsory tutorials and still did most of the readings but nevertheless I feel like a poor student – and disconnected from the uni too which is sad.

Now the teaching block is over and I have 2 exams and 1 essay left. The first exam is on Monday and I have done some revision which I suppose is better than my usual night-before-cram. Still I’m worried about it, and am completely de-motivated. The exams count for 80% of my grade for those subjects so if I do badly in them it will completely negate my effort with the essays. I feel a bit like the safety belt has broken on my roller coaster seat and I’m at the top of the loop-the-loop – if I can just hold on through this bit the ride will come back down and it will get better, but it would almost be easier to let go.

I’ll keep trying for now though. Even if I just pass them maybe I can pick the points back up later, when I’m nearer the end of my degree and it’s a little easier to feel encouraged.

Well I’ve settled into the first semester of junior honours. I think I’ve done more of the required readings then ever, and been to more classes! I actually handed in the first essay of the term on time!!

I have two essays due in on the same day in a couple of weeks. It’s really hard not to think that I’m never going to get them in on time too….

I did my last two exams on Friday and so have finished the year! Almost unbelievable for me!

I didn’t stress out as much before these probably because the first “Social and Political Enquiry” exam went ok. “Archaeology” wasn’t that great, I felt that I knew enough about Iron Age Atlantic round-houses for the first question, but nothing at all about whether the Roman’s Antonine Wall could be seen as a symbol of failure – I wouldn’t have picked that question but I knew even less about the others!

“Social and Political Theory” was better. I felt really comfortable comparing Marx and Weber. I’m pretty comfortable with Rousseau and Mill too but not sure if I correctly applied their ideas to the situation we were given.

LESSONS LEARNED: go to classes! If only because you have a better idea which exam question will come up. Archaeology would have gone so much better if I’d only concentrated on learning the right bits.

Remember the adage – 80% of results come from 20% of the work. This means even a tiny bit of revision is incredibly useful, and also that you should move on to your second question when time is up for the first, squeezing out those last few points on one is just taking loads away from the second if you don’t have time to finish it.

I just had my first exam of three for this semester. I was procrastinating so much this last weekend it was ridiculous! I read through a few articles a couple of days before but yesterday when I was supposed to be writing notes and consolidating I was doing nothing. Last night I was really freaking out about possible failing uni all over again!

Turned out it was fine.

The questions weren’t awkward I actually knew enough to choose between them instead of having the choice forced upon me for once. And although I spent a little bit too long on the first question and so didn’t do myself complete justice in the second I think I still got the main elements down.

I know, I know, I know, I really have to keep on top of things during term if only because then I’m not so overwhelmed and upset come exam time.

Well I passed all my coursework even with the marks taken off for all of them being late. Of course I haven’t been preparing for my exams since then. The first one is on Monday so the plan is to spend most of the next three days in the library.

I’m such a terrible student! The problem is though that thinking like this doesn’t make me do work it just makes me want to avoid it even more. I have 0 self discipline in this area of my life…

I’ve handed in my final piece of coursework for this year – it’s 5 days late which is bad, but getting all my courswork in for the year, all over and done with, is still an improvement for me.

Now I can concentrate on my exams in just over a month….