Tag: exams

this is early bc im skipping town

3 Comments

This post is *technically* about a day early but since I’m getting the heck outta Dodge right after my exam, I decided to write it tonight.

And that’s second year.  Tomorrow, I have my last exam, Roman World, at 2.30 pm (to 4.30pm).  I’m a little nervous for it as always, but I am currently channeling the planet Saturn which astronomically exudes confidence.  I’ve read through my notes and my textbook, so I’m feeling pretty good.  I also figure after four+ years of Latin, a trip to Italy, and having a published novel which draws on aspects of Roman/Greek society if I don’t know Claudius from Caligula by now…    

Right after my exam, I won’t have much time to celebrate.  I’m running right back to my flat to grab my bags.  I’m leaving for one of my favourite places in all of Scotland – the Bothy.  I’m officially become the Bothy Secretary for the EUMC and I cannot be more excited.  This trip is going up to work on the kitchen and finish up the main refurbishment works so that the Bothy can be ‘officially reopened.’

Anyway, I am so glad that exam season is over.  It’s been more tiring than stressful and honestly, more annoying than anything else.  Classes finished back in the beginning of April, so it’s been about a month of waiting for my exam.  I’m the type of person would would rather write 2-3 long essays in a class over the semester than wait for an exam.  So, I’ve read a lot, walked around a lot, and drank a metric fuck ton of coffee.  Yay!

But, two down and one to go.  My archaeology exam was last Monday and it was pouring outside.  Medieval Europe was last Thursday and after I took the exam I went to the NMS for a book talk with Diana Gabaldon (the author of Outlander).  She talked about writing and then signed my copy of Outlander.  It was pretty cool.  Today, I went for the massage/facial my mom booked me for my birthday and I have emerged a new woman with fewer knots and much less dead skin.  Thanks mom!  I’ve also been trucking away on my *space archaeology* manuscript, it’s nearly at 30,000 words atm. WOWZAH!

But anyway… tomorrow I finish up with my second year of university.  This, September (assuming all goes well and I didn’t fuck everything up on my exams) I’ll be starting my third year!  GASP!  Time to start working on a dissertation and having my marks count toward my final degree.  Honours years is going to be a transition, but I’m really excited for it.  This year has honestly been amazing.  First semester I got to take an osteology class and this semester I got to use those skills on the excavation in Chester.  I can’t wait for this summer to use them again at Bamburgh and in Italy.  This semester I took a course in Medieval History which I enjoyed so much.  It really makes a difference when you finally get to take courses in things that you have a genuine interest in.

It’s been a crazy two years.  If you had told 2015 Kennedy that 2017 Kennedy would be having a kick-ass time in Scotland she would have probably been a bit skeptical.  Sometimes 2017 Kennedy still can’t believe that she made it here either.  Walking around Edinburgh still catches me off guard sometimes as I catch sight of new things.  You’d be surprised how many old things tend to blend into the city unnoticed.  Just the other week, I wandered into the Old Calton burial ground and ran into David Hume’s tomb – who knew.

But, enough with academics already.  I am so ready to finally relax this summer and turn my brain off, enjoy the weather, and drink some well earned alcohol.  Treat yo’self.

Well, that’s second year.  It’s been grand.  After my exam I’m headed to the Bothy for a few days and then back to Edinburgh and then out for the Road Trip for week and then back to Edinburgh and then out to Northumberland and then back to Edinburgh and out to Italy and then back to London and then to America… you get the idea.

2/3 Exams Complete + Scotland Soundtrack 20

1 Comment

Heyyoooo! Two exams down and one more to go.  I had my Archaeology 2A exam on Saturday and finally 2k16 cut me a break with questions on both the Roman Army and Iron Age Scotland!  This morning I had my Osteology exam and 2k16 must really be sorry for the shit storm it realeased this year because the exam questions were glorious.  I felt really good about both exams, so that can either mean I did well or screwed them up entirely… but I feel like it is the former.

But, here’s to Wednesday – I hope that my luck doesn’t run out.  Wednesday is my final exam for this semester, Modern Scottish History.  Out of the three, this is the exam I’m probably the most worried about because instead of two essays in two hours like the previous exams, this one will be three essays in two hours. (Like my hand already doesn’t hate me after two exams and climbing…)

Today, after my exam I came home and played more Tomb Raider to decompress.  I’m nearly to the end of the game and it’s getting that part where playing it becomes increasingly dangerous to my productivity… that and it has me yelling at the television in both triumph and fury.  Both of which Tuva, Erling, and Gregor think are hilarious.  Later this after I had a volunteer meeting at the NMS, we’re probably going to have our tours running soon so stayed tuned.

Tomorrow, it’s one more final day of revision.  I’ve got three more episodes of the Scotland documentary to watch just to refresh and to read over my notes one last time.  I also need to talk a quick walk down to find my exam hall.  It’s in a new building I haven’t been before.  I’m not too worried about the concepts, just mostly the time constraints.

I generally tend to freak out over things and when I’m actually taking the exam everything usually turns out just fine… which can also be said for a lot of things in my day to day life.

But anyway, study tomorrow.  Exam Wednesday morning.  Final Xmas shopping on Thursday.  General packing and last minute stuff on Friday.  9:05 AM flight on Saturday morning.  Busy.  Busy.  Busy.

revision, exams, etc

8 Comments

Hello lovely readers! I’ve got my first (of three) exam tomorrow (Archaeology 2A!!) and I’m feeling confident about it but still slightly stressed.  The next on is on Monday and the last is on Wednesday.  It’s busy but I’m glad to get them over with so I can go back to Kansas and hang out with my cat.

I’ve been deep in revision the past week by reading over my notes and catching up on a few lectures I missed because I was sick and didn’t want to infect everyone else with a terrible awful cold.

Just because I thought you all would be interested and not because I don’t have anything else to write about… I figured I’d share with you how I revise for exams…

Generally speaking, I try to avoid attempting to learn new things during revision.  I’ve sort of accepted that if I didn’t learn it over the semester I’m not going to learn it now… which I’m not really sure is a good view to have but this forces me to spend my time synthesizing and better understanding the topics I read about and do understand.  Because, honestly, I’ve learned it’s better to understand 4-5 topics really well than mediocrity understand a whole bunch. Example: my archaeology class covered from the Mesolithic to the Roman Iron Age in Scotland, I focused my time on the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman Iron Age, and ‘Archaeology and the Public.’  I only have to answer two out of six questions and I know there should be two out of those topics.

I’m also a huge fan of documentaries and podcasts.  Reading all the time gets really boring and after a while I tend to lose focus so by switching up my tactics I tend to get more done.  And while, yes, documentaries and podcasts are going to be more general than the specifics from reading and my notes they offer a good contextual overview that truthfully in history is really nice to have.  For my Modern Scottish History class, I’ve been watching the BBC Scotland series.  It’s a little broad but again, it’s a really nice way of condensing the information into something easily understood by a wide audience.

I’m also a big fan of breaking out the markers and colouring some spiffy charts or drawing my notes.  I’m made quite a few for my archaeology and osteology classes.  You can check those out below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

But, lastly, and arguably most importantly I go do other things.  I’ve gone to the NMS, running, and climbing this week.  I’ve also hit up the pub quite a few times when 18c Scottish politics just gets a bit too annoying.  I take the time I need to study but then realise when I’ve hit the study limit and put the books away for a while… and play Tomb Raider… I mean Lara Croft is an archaeologist so it does relate… I actually just got back from seeing the new Disney film, Moana. It was so good and the animation was beautiful.

So that’s what I’ve been doing this week.  A lot of studying but also making sure to take some time to go to the gym or go for a run to get some fresh air before exams drive me crazy… enjoy this nice video instead of a weekly vlog.