Examining Thoughts

By Vikram on April 27, 2016 |Tagged with:, ,

Exams are a stressful time, this statement is believed without question. I asked all of my colleagues at the Chapman Learning Commons to share their thoughts on exams and how these thoughts have changed since their first year. Some of my colleagues were kind enough to reply.
I’ve always felt that the experiences of others, even if not directly relevant, help me make sense of my own adventures. An important part of this internalizing of experiences is context, so as you read through the responses below take the time to learn more about the people responding here.
Listed below are the answers to the following questions:

  1. How did you feel before writing your first final exam in first year?
  2. How did you feel after your first exam season?
  3. How do you feel going into this exam season?
Nathan:IMG_8713

    1. I felt ill prepared.
    2. Relief.
    3. Like it doesn’t really matter – bad case of senioritis.
    • Mary Jo:IMG_8619_2

    1. Nervous because I did not know what to expect. As well, my first final was on the first day of exams and then I had my second one the day after. I felt overwhelmed about all the material I had to cover and also worried that I would not be able to equally divide my time for both subjects.
    2. Relieved to have survived! I remember constantly checking the SCC to see how I did.
    3. I feel more relaxed. I’m not sure if it’s because I am used to finals now (it’s my 6th round of final exams!) or if it’s because my exam schedule is much more spread out this time. Nonetheless, I am glad that I am not stressing myself as much as I did during previous exam seasons.
    • Julia:IMG_8617

    1. To be honest, I don’t exactly remember how I felt before writing my first exam in first year since that was more than four years ago.
      However, I do remember eating a large bag of two bite brownies in less than 24 hours (and looking at the nutritional information after the bag was empty, oops) so it must have been quite stressful. I was most likely feeling very uneasy, yet procrastinating, learning some “new” concepts the night before and panicking over how in-depth the professor expected us to know the material.
    2. Again my feelings post first exam season are a distant memory, but it was most likely a mixture of relief and disappointment in myself for not preparing more than I had. As each exam season passes, I have noticed that this “post-exam” regrets/blues period gets shorter with last season’s being a 10 minute rant of “Ugh this was definitely not covered in class, why did I spend so much time on this stupid 1 point question” and a prompt forgetting after bubble tea.
    3. Going into this exam season, I’m feeling around a five (where one equals relaxing in a hot spring and ten equals table flipping) although I suspect this might change the night before the exam. After taking numerous exams over the years, you get better at gauging what material is more important to study and how much detail professors may expect on the exam. Personally, I have also started progressively studying earlier with each exam season. All these combined with the mentality of “I will study as much as possible and if a question asks for something I don’t know then that’s just too bad” makes exam season considerably less stressful in comparison to first year. Plus having a reserve stash of around 2 kilograms worth of cookies and cream chocolate, Haribo gummies and Japanese Kit Kats (pancake and raspberry flavours!) helps offset the stress too.
    • Nicole:IMG_8634_2

    1. Before writing my first final exam in first year, I actually felt pretty confident. I knew I had put in the work necessary to do alright on it, and I’ve always done decently with testing.
    2. After my first exam season, I felt so free!!
    3. And going into this exam season, I’m just looking forward to it being over.
    • Sindhu:IMG_8724_2

    1. Horrible. I thought I was too smart for the course but the final out smarted me.
    2. Relieved. I was happy that they finals were over and that I could start all over again next year.
    3. Confident. I think I have learnt to play smartly and I know I am going to ace my finals.
    • Umaima:IMG_8697_2

    1. Before every exam in 1st year (except for one), I would call my mom and spout an over-dramatic monologue about how I was about to fail. It’s not easy having your entrie grade determined within 2 1/2 hours.
    2. After every exam, I’d feel a lot better about my potential grade. The exam that I ended up feeling the most confident in was the one that I did the best in (which may be no surprise to anyone). For me, my attitude clearly plays a big role in how I do. I’ve definitely gotten better with my nerves over the years.
    3. Knowing that I wanted to take some tough courses this semester, I decided to take only 3 classes. So this exam season I am lucky to only have two exams. I do have to complete a semester-long capstone project and I’m still a little worried that I won’t be able to sufficiently cover the content for each course. If my study schedule pans out, I should do really well!
    • Kayla:IMG_8643

    1. Leading up the to my first exam period I was really nervous. However, that nervousness drove me to use all the study resources the university offered. I met with my professors when I had questions, I studied with groups, and I used the library silent spaces when I needed to focus. For me, I used the nervousness I felt to cultivate the motivation to focus and study. Being nervous isn’t a bad thing as long as you use it to your advantage.
    2. After my first exam season I felt physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I had a lot of pent up stress that I needed to let go of. Now I try to make time for more exercise during exams to help me relax and/or energize.
    3. This is my last exam period of my undergrad and because of that I feel both confident and bored. I know what I need to do to succeed but because I have done this so many times I am having a hard time being motivated. Hopefully, I can tap into that nervousness from first year to motivate my studies!
    • David:IMG_8624

    1. The way I felt right before my first final in first year was pretty much the way I still feel. I felt nervous and unprepared and was wondering exactly what the examiners would throw my way. Once I started writing, I’d realize that I knew a lot more than I gave myself credit for and would go through the rest of the exam smoothly.
    2. After my first exam season, I looked back and wondered how exactly I managed to study for 3 weeks straight and sit through 5 two and a half hour exams without dying. It was mostly relief, but also a bit of pride that I survived.
    3. I’ve been really busy with work, clubs, and job searching, so I have barely any time to prepare for exams. Luckily, all of mine are clumped near the end, so I have a bit of breathing room to cram.
    • Morteza:IMG_8628

    1. Fortunately for my very first exam at UBC I had paired up of with a friend, with whom I had two classes that semester. As a study partner he always motivated me to study for the two courses through the semester and those two courses were supposedly my toughest classes that semester. Even though, I was stressed about the exam, but I was also pretty content with the amount of time and effort I had already put for that test. I have to mention that I was a transfer student and the myth that courses at UBC are going to be way harder than college had already affected me and this fact was another driving force for me to study well for my courses that first semester at UBC.
    2. After the exam I felt relieved. I was happy that my efforts had paid off and I felt very confident about my answers on the test.
    3. I have tried to keep up with the exams and have tried to study with peers as it always have helped me. And I think I feel as prepared as my first exam.
    • Yadu:IMG_8648

    1. I felt very unsure of what to expect and considered the best/worst case scenarios
    2. I felt like university might not be for me
    3. I feel a bit overwhelmed by the complexity & quantity of information I need to absorb now, as a 3rd year student, in comparison to what I had to cram for in 1st & 2nd year.
    • Pauline:IMG_8656_2

    1. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect but I thought I would do quite well. However, after getting my grades that was not the case.
    2. My first was Math104 and I felt completely blindsided. I had used the textbook to study and the questions in the textbook were nothing like that in the final. I later found out that was not the way to study for Math
    3. As with every finals season i’ve had so far, nervous.
    • Vikram:IMG_8703_2

    1. I was nervous because I had heard that the exams would accurately test what I had learned in the past term and I could no longer study last minute. I lost a lot of sleep, didn’t do my body any favors and studied way too much.
    2. I realized that exams test only what you can remember for the span of that exam. Even though I did quite well, I was disappointed that I could still cram and pass without having to learn.
    3. I’m heading into my last exam season of my undergrad and I’m surprised that I’ve gotten this far without having to learn any of my courses. I’m pretty confident that I’ll do well, the first year fear is gone. In hindsight, I should have studied a lot less than I did for exams and went to the parties I turned down during exams. At this point, I look forward to the end just for a change of scenery.

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