I'm a fan of tea. Occasionally black, but more often green, peppermint, cinnamon, or other herbal varieties; preferences motivated by colour rather than by flavour (I don't like stained china).
Yesterday, however, was a clear-cut cappuccino-craving day. Nothing could've been more hand/belly-warming, mood enhancing, simply delicious, than a frothy coffee.
A brief survey of the central library proves that many other students also seek comfort in a cup come exam time. Whether for mental stimulation, or simply taste sensation, students and coffee are a commoner couple than, well, assignments and deadlines, preparation and tests.
You see, contrary to intention, the weeks before exams are some of the least productive in an academic year. To the studying ("studying") student, exams are dark tunnels along the road of university education. Boring and bouncing echo; the real world is shut out for days or even weeks.
The entire exam tunnel experience becomes much more manageable if you cut chinks into the walls - allow the sun to come in, and make the whole situation a little more comfortable. Preparation for exam preparation is often neglected, and this is a major flaw in any student's study schedule.
Confused?
Allow me to explain.
Before delving into a particular topic, it's beneficial to do a little background reading first. Read literature from before, after, above, below your subject matter.
Read adaptations, critiques, translations, of the material that you've just read. Read until it's all irrelevant. Read until your eyes are red.
Move now from material to marker: Students should keep in mind that although grade criteria are objective documents designed to be fair and just, lecturers themselves are subjective creatures.
Through getting to know your marker, you can increase your chances of putting down exactly what they want to read.
What's their favourite colour, flavour of ice cream, time of day?
Any or all such questions have the power to influence your grade.
For some (or perhaps just for me), exam time involves lumpy track-pants, chunky socks, layers of fleece and polypropylene ... Eek. One way to reinstate some sort of aesthetic dignity is to dote on your notes: prettify them.
Enhance your lines with highlighters, felt tips, coloured pencils, stickers ... Can't find any?
Well then, it's time to go stationery shopping!Inspiration is an essential source of exam-study energy.
Head to your nearest art gallery, library, botanical gardens, to soak it up.
Fortunately, the Dunedin School of Art has timed perfectly its upcoming public exhibition Indiganation ( June 4-15). Take a break from the books and head along to the Otago Pioneer Women's Hall to support the project.
Eventually, you'll realise it's time to begin the serious study - to finally travel through the (pleasantly prepared) tunnel, you could say. From this point, my advisory qualifications are inadequate. Just the other day, during a conversation about studying, my sister (a science student, of course) didn't miss a chance to point out, "Katie doesn't study," and then explained, "... she's an English student."
"Oh you're right," I scoffed, "Arts students don't study. We create."
That was a lie on several levels. We don't create; we research. Researching is studying. Aha! All right, I'd better sign off before this becomes a personal vendetta on the validation of an arts degree. Yes, I'll see you at the Otago Pioneer Women's Hall.
• Katie Kenny studies English at the University of Otago.
