the pressure of tests

It had been a tough three weeks as all the essays and exams are due in these few weeks. It is hard to handle all these task as they are packed in such a short period of time. As the deadlines are approaching very soon, pressures are building up day by day that makes me suffocate. However, I think pressure is a very good thing to motivate a person to concentrate and maximise the productivity. It is important that daily revision is important, if you are familiar with the topic and you know what you would write about, it will ease your pressure of writing essays. Starting the research early would also be essential, as I can relax and look for informations slowly. Then essay planing would be important too. As I spread the workload into many days, when you started writing essays you only have to follow the plan and write the essay out. A early preparation can ease up your workload for sure. 

A big enemy when you are writing essays, is the computer you are working on. Facebook, youtube are extremely attractive especially when you are working. At first I am reading information, eventually you will be on Facebook playing mini games, or watching movies on Youtube. Finding a way to keep away from attraction is hard, as we also need the computer for research. It is a very good chance to train our mind to concentrate on a particular task and finish it as soon as possible. 

Anyway  the exams and essays are over, I wish my result would be good. Here comes the holidays!!! Wish all of you merry xmas, and a happy new year!!!!

First Impressions And Educational Culture Shock.

When I first came to the University of Essex, I found the campus was really big and I was literally lost on the first day. I spent almost half an hour to look for my first politics classroom. Although I started late, lecturers and tutors are very friendly and helpful. Thanks to their help I picked up everything very quick. I'm starting to make friends with classmates. I become familiar with Henrik as we play the computer game, and also with Mohammed who has a very unique view on political ideologies. I like the way that the lesson are taught. More critical thinking in class is required, which made the lessons interesting.

Another remarkable thing of this year is, this is the first time i rent a flat personally. I wasn't as complicated as i thought. However, I had been sleeping on the floor for two weeks until my furnitures came. The most annoying thing is ordering broadband, I ordered a service for British Telecom and their customer service is really bad. I would not recommend BT to anyone i know.

The second weekend since my arrival in Colchester I went to Nottingham. Unfortunately I left my keys in my friend's place in Nottingham, and I was forced to stay on the street for a night. It is my first taste of being a homeless, and the experience is awful.

The pressure of test

The pressure of test ,this is faced by most people  this is when an exam, test  is coming up and an individual is faced by a work load of thins to do and this generates pressure taking that  test. they are different way to stop and reduce the pressure of test Aldo it takes time and effort. firstly people underestimate them self to the extent that after they have studied the fear of failing is in them and this cause them to forget  and thereby put them self under pressure by the time they go back to read they do not have full concentration.
       nervousness is the enemy its stops you thinking and if you and not thinking during exams then you are not going to do well. pressure also comes when preparation is not done in due time when you have a test/exam coming you  don't start preparation at the last mins you start earlier to reduced the work load and by doing this pressure is taking away they are few point i have to reduce pressure of taking tests

1) you should have revision tips which will come in help while reading.
2)maintain a regular sleep pertain so you don't fall asleep while reading.
3)positive taking play a serious role while reading for exams.
4)no distraction
   
put all of this things together and you will find out the pressure of test is only generaed by inadequate preparation.

the pressure of tests

To reduce the pressure of tests it would be advisable to have a plan, a plan that best suits you. For some it takes a day or two to prepare for tests depending on the load of the test and for others it takes weeks. The pressure arises from a lack of inadequate preparation. Before you are given a test you are also given a time frame that tells you how many weeks you have before you take a test. The time given to you before a test serves as a reminder. If you cant remember the exact time and date of a test it is advisable to get a diary. Its these little things that reduce the stress and pressure of tests and at the end of the day it is entirely up to you to make these changes in your life depending on the kind of person you are. In addition to all of this you also need to have a particular style of learning. Some people like me write notes with a variety of colors. This serves as a way of helping me remember things fast. You could also test your self a number of times before the actual test because quite frankly there’s a difference between actually knowing your text and thinking you know. It’s very bad to assume that you know something it is however good to know that you know the appropriate text.  The most important fact is not to panic. Panicking causes you to act irrationally so even when you are right you begin to doubt yourself. It is best to keep calm and relax. Right before a test you could do something that clears you mind like listen to music or read a book. The truth once you have learnt that is learnt very well and tested yourself the moment you see the questions what you have learnt flows back to you. Unless of Corse it’s an aptitude test, which in this case is not meaning that you are presented everything, you need to know before hand. If you follow the right procedures you will most likely never be stressed unless you are a worrywart then I suggest you see a counselor.

 Folasade Khadijatu Ali

the pressure of tests

To reduce the pressure of tests it would be advisable to have a plan, a plan that best suits you. For some it takes a day or two to prepare for tests depending on the load of the test and for others it takes weeks. The pressure arises from a lack of inadequate preparation. Before you are given a test you are also given a time frame that tells you how many weeks you have before you take a test. The time given to you before a test serves as a reminder. If you cant remember the exact time and date of a test it is advisable to get a diary. Its these little things that reduce the stress and pressure of tests and at the end of the day it is entirely up to you to make these changes in your life depending on the kind of person you are. In addition to all of this you also need to have a particular style of learning. Some people like me write notes with a variety of colors. This serves as a way of helping me remember things fast. You could also test your self a number of times before the actual test because quite frankly there’s a difference between actually knowing your text and thinking you know. It’s very bad to assume that you know something it is however good to know that you know the appropriate text.  The most important fact is not to panic. Panicking causes you to act irrationally so even when you are right you begin to doubt yourself. It is best to keep calm and relax. Right before a test you could do something that clears you mind like listen to music or read a book. The truth once you have learnt that is learnt very well and tested yourself the moment you see the questions what you have learnt flows back to you. Unless of Corse it’s an aptitude test, which in this case is not meaning that you are presented everything, you need to know before hand. If you follow the right procedures you will most likely never be stressed unless you are a worrywart then I suggest you see a counselor.

 Folasade Khadijatu Ali

the pressure of tests

To reduce the pressure of tests it would be advisable to have a plan, a plan that best suits you. For some it takes a day or two to prepare for tests depending on the load of the test and for others it takes weeks. The pressure arises from a lack of inadequate preparation. Before you are given a test you are also given a time frame that tells you how many weeks you have before you take a test. The time given to you before a test serves as a reminder. If you cant remember the exact time and date of a test it is advisable to get a diary. Its these little things that reduce the stress and pressure of tests and at the end of the day it is entirely up to you to make these changes in your life depending on the kind of person you are. In addition to all of this you also need to have a particular style of learning. Some people like me write notes with a variety of colors. This serves as a way of helping me remember things fast. You could also test your self a number of times before the actual test because quite frankly there’s a difference between actually knowing your text and thinking you know. It’s very bad to assume that you know something it is however good to know that you know the appropriate text.  The most important fact is not to panic. Panicking causes you to act irrationally so even when you are right you begin to doubt yourself. It is best to keep calm and relax. Right before a test you could do something that clears you mind like listen to music or read a book. The truth once you have learnt that is learnt very well and tested yourself the moment you see the questions what you have learnt flows back to you. Unless of Corse it’s an aptitude test, which in this case is not meaning that you are presented everything, you need to know before hand. If you follow the right procedures you will most likely never be stressed unless you are a worrywart then I suggest you see a counselor.

Folasade Khadijatu Ali 

First Impressions And Educational Culture Shock.

All I could hear as I walked to the registry was my heartbeat, loud and fast. It was freezing outside but amazingly, I was sweating. All this was because it was my first day at the University of Essex. I arrived more than two weeks after studies begun. I had missed registration and also the famous 'Freshers' Week' which all new students looked forward to.

As I was ushered around by one of the university's representatives, I was completely speechless. Not only because I was nervous, but because I was in awe at the vast and beautiful area in which I was.
The reception I had on my arrival was very warm. After I had completed registration with the help of some staff, I was taken to my flat. My first intuition on getting to my flat was to scream. Back in my college in Nigeria, the accomodation or 'hostels' as popularly called were bigger and also more organized. As I stepped into my kitchen, it seemed like I was swimming in an ocean of dirt and disorder. Pots, plates, pans etc were heaped everywhere. My room was like a haven on the otherhand. I loved how small and compact it was. Most especially, I loved the fact it was just going to be me living in it. In my college in Nigeria, rooms were shared with 4 people so this was such a relief.


My first nights in the University were quite enlightening. I discovered how much the students here loved partying. This wasn't really a surprise because the students in my college back in Nigeria liked to party. However, here in Essex, it seemed to be a hobby or rather, a daily routine.

I was quite confused when I heard about the method of submitting coursework. Back in my college in Nigeria, most coursework or assignments were handwritten. However in Essex,  this was not so. Coursework was to be submitted online via OCS.
All my lectures went very well. Despite how many times I got lost trying to look for where a class was to be held, I was happy whenever I was in class. The teachers were so nice and cordial. I wasn't quite thrilled when I learnt I was to refer to teachers by using their first names. It was shocking because back in my college, it was mandatory to use 'Mr' or 'Mrs' when referring to teachers or anyone that was older.

Meeting different people from different parts of the world was enthralling. Although there are people of various nationalities back in Nigeria, there were few in my college. In Essex, I was completely surrounded by people from different places in the world.

In conclusion, the University of Essex is really a wonderful place to be and I'm happy to be here.

Adaeze xo

Impressions and culture shock.

Henrik Lyngås

The first thing I noticed about England was the hot dogs when i arrived hungry at Stansted. They looked strange compared to the ones I'm used to, but tasted nice. I was offered mayonnaise which seems to be the standard instead of ketchup, strangely enough. Secondly driving on the left side of the road was pretty scary the first time. It felt like I was about to crash all the way from Stansted to University. Arriving quite late I just managed to get my key card before the offices closed and got my bags locked up in my room. Next step was meeting lots of new people in the squares and eventually my friend that I knew from before took me to sub-zero. I first met a couple of my roommates at 3 am the first night when I came back to the flat, luckily they didn't mind some noise..  The rest of freshers’ week was awesome; I met lots of cool people and had a great time. The impression freshers left on me about Essex university and the students in general was very good, everyone were nice and friendly, and I feel like this will be a good place to study. I feel like I've been really lucky with my flatmates as well since they're all great people.  Academics have also been good; I find the subjects interesting and teaching methods effective.

First Impressions & Educational Culture Shock

My arrival to university was on 28^th of October, I was bare nervous, didn't know what to expect. I remember when my mum gave me a cuddle and kiss and left me, I came into my room, holding back the tears and I kept telling myself to man up (even though am a woman) lol! I went to kitchen and made myself some pot noodles and met my flat mates, you could tell with our faces we were terrified. But we began speaking and asking each other questions, you know the typical questions fresher’s ask each other, such as: Where you from? What you studying? Blah blah blah….. I was pleased that they were all nice and chilled out people. My imitations about fresher’s week was so different from its reality, it was one crazy and  boisterous week. If you went to fresher’s week and attended all the events, then you know what I mean. Lol!

In my own personal opinion, student life became a reality on week 3 when we had lectures and when I realised I needed to cut down on my spending also time management. Student life for me seems to be exactly how my friends and I perceived it to be, for example: budgeting, going out and also getting smashed.

As much as I hate to say it my teachers were so right and am happy they tried their best to equip us for university. I mean it’s so different from A- levels, lecturers are called by their first name, you ought to complete all you’re assignments and had them in on time, no lecturer hands out notes, so you have to keep up with them when they are speaking and use Moodle. Here no one checks up if you’re revising or not, basically you choose your own pathway in life, suggesting you’re a full grown adult. Which is a bit scary, but you do learn with time.

Tracy M 

first impressions (& educational culture shock) - Priscilla (｡･ω･)ﾉ

finally, I could get this blog working ( ^ v ^ )

here's my blog entry on my first impression on this university and the culture

After two weeks of studying at the University of Essex, I have mixed feelings towards the UK culture and the academic environment. I would like to start sharing about it by talking about the people here, followed by my thoughts on the food, and the academic environment here.

My thoughts towards the people in UK or rather students in this school could be summed up in four words: Loud, drinking, clubbing and undisciplined. I know it is not a very positive image but it seems that most students here, particularly western students seem to love clubs. In Fresher’s week I had such a hard time trying to sleep every single night because my flat mates were so loud after a night of clubbing and drinking. Most of the other students and student support crew from the school told me it was just a Fresher’s thing; however the clubbing activity every night seems to still go on today. There is just something out there every night. And in every club outing, being loud and drunk seems to come hand in hand with the word clubbing.

I have been dragged to the club twice by my new friends, and I did not enjoy a moment of it. The lights were changing colour so fast I got dizzy. The music was so loud I had to shout to talk to the person next to me and still could not make out half of what is being said. The majority of drinks served is alcoholic and were ridiculously overpriced. I still do not understand why people would still be crazed over clubbing after spending 30 pounds a night. Along with some crazy nights like the foam party where people get drenched going back to their rooms in the middle of a cold freezing night. Though I don’t understand any of it, I suppose it is part of the UK culture and main form of entertainment.

The place I came from is a busy city, Hong Kong never goes to sleep, yet I have never seen so much music and clubbing before. It is hard to get used to. Especially since most of the new friends I made were pulling me to the club when I did not even want to go. I got used to lazing in my room with bright lights outside my window at night, so spending the night outside with lots of people in a loud room was definitely outside my comfort zone. Also the main entertainment for us would either be shopping, sports or electronic games, clubbing and staying up all night with friends is considered a rare thing to do and almost never happens unless we are on a school outing trip.

The local students here also seem to lack discipline, not in terms of school rules, after 15 years of disciplined education, they are better than most teenagers from other countries. However, when it comes to day to day, taking care of yourself kind of discipline, UK students did not give me a very good impression. They never fail to keep the kitchen messy with sauces and food all over the floor, table and counter tops. Though most people in Hong Kong do not act much different I do think students need much improvement at taking care of themselves and staying tidy.

That being said, I do find the people here to be really kind and nice, though not all people, the majority of them are willing to help out and accept foreign students. It was nice to have friends to teach you the different currency, the food, how does the buses and trains work, and even how to use the self service. I would imagine it to be so hard if I had to figure all of that out on my own. Compared to where I came from, I would definitely say the people here are a lot kinder and more willing to lend a helping hand. If I was back home, I would probably end up trying to figure things out on my own slowly from embarrassing moments.

With the people out of the way, the next is food. Before I came, I was so excited about the food since this lecturer who came in my high school months ago told me be careful of putting on 15 pounds since all the kids she knew that went to the UK to study came back gaining wait from eating too much fish and chips, pies and so on. It was not until I came and lived with local people that I knew fish and chips, pies, and pizzas were pretty much the only thing they could cook, and take-always is all over the place. No matter who, eating food like that every day would make you fat. These are not the main stream food in china, we eat rice and vegetables most of the time, and we cook it from scratch generally, so it is unusual to see rows and stacks of ready-made frozen meals in Tesco and the SU shop.

The food was not tasty either. I tried the well-known English breakfast and with the sole exception of the scrambled eggs I did not like the rest of it, especially the sausages, never want to eat those again. Pork pies, a traditional food my flat mates introduced me were terrible, well they did give me ready-made ones that came in little packets though, maybe the original would taste better? Good thing I could cook to avoid the food here. The only thing I liked was tea, early grey sure taste good with milk and sugar in it.I lived in a place where the food was great. There are so many different types of food within a 15 minute walking distance from your home, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French. You name it, it is all there! I kind of miss having all those foods just there on the table, now I have to cook it myself to be able to eat a decent meal.

Another thing with a cooked proper meal is they cost so much. For fried rice in the top bar, it cost around 4 pounds; I could make the same thing in the kitchen for less than 35p. it does not taste all that good either. I am guessing because most UK students, at least the ones I know so far, cannot cook, they would still pay the 3 pound premium to get a proper meal. Where I came from the food does not cost a lot, in fact it is almost half the price it is here in the UK. Opening restaurants sure is good business here.

For the academic environment, there is not very much to say as Hong Kong was once a colony of England, the education system is adapted from the UK, though it has changed though out the past 15 years, most of the education structure remains similar. It is also a very international city, so I am used to seeing and studying with people from different countries across the world.

Not directly tied to education, I do find studying in the middle of a park quite usual as I came from a city. Facing the trees and grass half of the time does scare me quite a bit, simply because I am not used to it. Living in the city also means facing technology all the times, and to me Colchester as a whole just seems like I am living on earth 30 years ago, though it seems like I am the only one thinking like that.

In conclusion, the University of Essex is a new challenge to me in many ways, especially in getting used to the lifestyle here. I hope I would be able to get to know my way around the UK culture better and maybe learn to enjoy British food and entertainment one day.

Priscilla (＾∇＾)