May 31, 2016, by Olivia

How I Survived The Library

Exams are thankfully over for me, but before I got to this point, I was in the deep depths of.. THE LIBRARY. Almost every day of the past two and a half weeks of my life were spent in the George Green Library cramming prepping for my last ever exams. I was pretty serious about this as these were the last exams I would ever take and doing well on them not only determined if I graduated, but also the class of my degree. I’d say they were kind of a big deal and to finish university with a bang, I had SIX exams to study for.

Hence, for all you unfortunate souls still suffering through exams for another week, I dedicate this post to you: How I Survived Over Two Weeks at the Library

1. Don’t go alone

This one is pretty obvious, go to the library with a friend, that way you will be more motivated to show up when someone is depending on you. Plus having company in the library increases the likelihood that you will stay for longer (at least this seems to be true for me). Additionally your friends will become a welcome distraction when you need to take a break or just a friendly face to talk you out of a stress-induced mental breakdown in the library. (I may or may not be speaking from experience)

2. Go early

Go early to the library and you will (hopefully) be able to grab your favourite spot, be it in the sunshine at one of the window desks or my personal favourite one of the round tables close to a plug point in the cafe area. If you are like me then be wise and refer to point no. 1, befriend someone who is an early riser to nab the spot you both love. Going early also gets you into the mood of doing work sooner as you get out of your morning groggy state by being in the library and get cracking sooner than you would have if you stuck around at home.

3. Come prepared

Get everything you are going to need for a solid 8 or 12 hours in the library packed in your bag or at least ready to go the night before. It is important not to forget things like snacks, lunch (or even dinner), essentials like stationery, chargers for all your electronics and of course all your revision material for your stint in the library. Forgetting these important bits will contribute to your downfall as you will find yourself having to leave early because you (or your computer) is hungry.

4. Set a goal (stick to it, and don’t leave until you do)

I may have mentioned this in my previous revision posts, but always, always have a revision timetable. It is such a great help and is especially useful to give you a clear view of what needs to be done and when. This timetable was what I referred to everyday before I headed off to the library. I would look at what needed to be done and have it done before I left. This is because no matter how I tried, once I left the library, that was the end of me being productive that day. This is because I cannot work at home (because it is where my bed also lives). Saying this, I did not achieve my goals on a number of occasions but that’s okay because with a clear timetable I was able to know what I needed to do to catch up.

5. Take a break (from the library)

This may be the most important tip (and easiest) to follow. Take a break from the library if you can afford it, maybe you don’t have to take a complete break from studying but after a particularly awful exam it can be good to go out for a meal or drinks and then come back refreshed and ready to carry on with revision.

Hope this has been helpful, I look forward to all of you joining the rest of us on the (exam-free) side!

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