Hi! I’m Alex, and I’m in my fourth and final year of studying BA Management & Modern Languages (Spanish Pathway).
Term has finished, which means the start of assessment season for many of us, and I’ve been reflecting on how best to prepare for the last push of my degree.
Make sure my PAA is in place
The first thing that I do every assessment period is make sure my Personalised Assessment Arrangements (PAA) are in place. I have dyspraxia, so I’m entitled to extra time in my exams and a seven-day extension on all deadlines, plus a neurodiversity assessment cover sheet.
Having a few more days to submit an assignment alleviates a lot of stress, so I make sure I have submitted a Mitigating Circumstances Form to get a deadline extension. I find out when all my extended deadlines are before I even start my assignments so that I can plan my work accordingly.
If I have any questions, I head to the Assessment category on Student Services Online where there is a host of information about PAA as well as assessments more generally.
Find good places to study
I’m the sort of person who studies best around others. If everyone around me is working, I feel motivated to crack on and avoid the temptation of getting distracted by my phone. Because of this, I spend a lot of time on campus during deadline season and I’m always on the lookout for new study spaces. Luckily, all the best places to work are listed on Student Services Online. My faculty is based on Strand Campus, so some of my personal favourites are the 4th floor computer room in Bush House South Wing, the common rooms in Virginia Woolf Building and the informal study areas in King’s Building.
I also love organising study dates with my friends. It’s a nice way to catch up and have some familiar solidarity whilst revising. Booking a group study space through Resource Booker means we don’t spend too much time wandering around campus searching for seats. King’s Libraries also has bookable study spaces and floor plans so you can find where they are ahead of time, rather than improvising and getting lost in one of the Maughan Library towers for over half an hour (like I did in second year!).
Review my essay writing skills
I’m also planning to brush up on my academic skills, especially as I have to do a lot more essays this term than normal. Thankfully, we have access to King’s Academic Skills for Learning on KEATS, a hub of guides covering topics from managing your time to writing your dissertation. I’m a slow reader, so their hints and tips on how to read effectively are really handy. Libraries & Collections also have a lot of information on how to find and use sources, so I’ll be having a read of those as well.
Finally, I like to meet with each of my module tutors for a ‘vibe check’ of my plans once they’re drafted. They help me to flesh out my ideas and find any blind spots in my theories.
Looking after my wellbeing
Alongside preparing for assessments, I’ll also be focusing on my mental health over the next couple of months. I can feel quite stressed during deadline season, so I have a meeting planned with the Arts & Humanities Faculty Welfare Advisor to figure out how I can best manage my anxiety. I’ll be scheduling time each day for my wellbeing, whether that be watching an episode of whatever sitcom I’ve got on repeat, to meditating, which I’ve recently discovered, or going to a BeActive session for some exercise. I follow King’s Way to Wellbeing as a reminder to do a range of things to look after myself. Hopefully by taking a bit of time out, I can come back to studying refreshed.
Lastly, I think it’s important to remember that my grades don’t define my success or worth. I’m sure as long as I try my best everything will work out, and I hope the same for anyone else reading this.
Good luck, I’m sure we’ll smash this.