Easter Tips for Students: The clocks have gone forward, the weather is getting better and the unmentionable is closer to ending! As schools and colleges close for the Easter break we take a look at what boxes you need to tick to make the most of the 2-week break and set you up for a successful end to the academic year.
Easter Tips for Students
Pace Yourself
You’re coming into your final semester – the finishing line is in sight. Easter is a great time to take stock of the work you’ve done, congratulate yourself and keep up the pace going into the last lap. Don’t ease off now and keep your eye on the prize. During the break you should keep up the effort and being free from classes gives you the opportunity to structure your learning to your own abilities.
Routine
Make sure you set out a routine for yourself to study over the Easter break. Time management is essential when you are not working around class time. You need to put a structure in place to study within. Set out block times and plan ahead what you want to do and hope to achieve within those block times. The more organised you are, the more you’ll get done.
Look Back
This break gives you the perfect opportunity to look back over the year – assess what you are weak at or work you may have missed or feel you need to do more work and take this time off classes to fill in the banks and catch yourself up with where you should be.
Look Forward
Take a look at what’s coming up on your course in the final semester and do a bit of groundwork. Any sort of preparation for what’s down the line will stand to you once you come to learn it in the classroom. Arming yourself with knowledge ahead of time will give you a greater understanding and broader scope for analysis of a subject that you have already engaged with.
Exam Practice
Get your hands on past exam papers and spend time going through them – for 2 reasons. First of all you need to familiarise yourself with the structure of the exam and take note of what’s likely to appear in exams, you will notice similar topics and types of questions recurring. Also you need to sit down and practice a full test under exam conditions, i.e. in one sitting, in the allotted time.
Be Positive
Your mental health is so important and is essential to how you function in your daily life. Positive mental health contributes to your overall wellbeing and is experienced when you can realise your own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully. It is important that we all maintain and improve our mental health. Mental Health Ireland have set out Five Ways to Wellbeing.
Sunshine
Take advantage of the weather improving. Get out and load up on Vitamin D! Be active and be sure to get a daily walk in. It’s the perfect way to give yourself a mental break and fire up your endorphins. At this stage in our current climate you’re probably on a daily walk – maybe if you take the same walk, mix it up over the holiday and go somewhere else within the safe limit to mix things up. If you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by nature on your walk take the time to take it all in – sometimes we can get lost in the repetitive military nature of a walk. Take in nature’s story all around you.
Connect
Don’t be afraid to reach out to fellow classmates over the break and check in and say hello. It’s been a strange year for all of us and where we once would have made close friends on campus this year our bonding opportunities have been severely limited by the reality of remote learning.
Take a Break
It’s not all about study. Treat yourself to a day off. See it as a recharge for batteries day! Relax – enjoy your walking exercise, spend some remote time with loved ones, read a book and take your mind to another place. Consciously absorb the time you are taking, be aware of it and then you’ll find you’re all set to get back into study mode!
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