2 down, one to go!!!

My critical analysis and synoptic papers are out the way now, and it's just the in-depth one to go tomorrow morning. Critical analysis was a hard paper and there were a lot of detailed questions to get through in the 3 hours, as well as reading the article that they are based on, which was about synaptic vesicles (not something I've read much about before!), but everyone doing my option seems to have had the same problem so at least it wasn't just me! The synoptic paper this morning was much better - the questions covered areas I had thought about synoptically before and had enough choice to pick two that I liked the look of. There is the risk that I will have already written about the topics that come up in tomorrow's paper though, and overlapping answers can potentially be penalised. So I'll just have to hope that there will three titles that cover areas I am interested but that are sufficiently different to what I have already written! Out of a choice of 8 questions on my chosen themes, though, there should be something good there. I'll get back to my cramming now!

6 days to go...

6 days to go until I can forget which neuroscientists' names match up to which experiment! I'll be one of the first to finish my finals, although unlike every other subject we only get a week off before we start our 3-week clinical anatomy course which involves more exams at the end of every week.

The English students' exams have already started and they're easy to spot them in the library because they can't sit still. They're almost as distracting as the "sniffers" who are just too engrossed in their work to go and get a tissue!

My exams are in a different place to the usual exam schools, a bit further away in Summertown. So to add to the complicated business of making sure I am wearing the regulation "subfusc" clothes, including a ribbon around my neck, and have my mortar board with me, I will also need to find the place. At least all that faffing around and leaving plenty of time to get to Summertown will take up time in the morning before my first exam, so there will be less time to worry about remembering all those references!

Outside tutes

Hi,

It's suddenly managed to be Sunday again - the five weeks of revision we've got this term that I thought would go painfully slowly seem to be speeding past. I'm looking forward to getting the exams out the way though - only 12 days til they're finished now! Despite all the revision, there's always a lot going in the summer term so the library time has been nicely broken up by more fun things. And even my tutorial on Friday was made a bit more enjoyble by taking place in the parks - unfortunately, my synoptic tutorial tomorrow is less likely to move outside if the current rain carries on.

Arts Week

Hi,

I'm writting this from the Radcliffe Camera library where I'm doing more of the usual revision. Today I got here early enough to get a lovely sunny window seat - the rest of the library never seems to change from its fridge-like temperature however hot it gets outside. I have one and a half weeks until my exams now and I'm looking forward to getting them done because going over the same stuff again and again isn't very interesting! It is definitely better than only having two weeks to cram the whole year's syllabus like we did last year though.

It's my college Arts Week this week, which means that there are plays and other entertainment going on. I tried to go to Antigone on Wednesday but got there just a bit too late to get a place. I did manage to see an a capella group singing in the quad though - which was even more entertaining when it started thundering and pouring with rain. A Midsummer Night's Dream is also being put on outside - I might go and see that on tomorrow afternoon if I have time. Tonight I'm going out to a comedy night for a friend's birthday, so I should probably get back to work now!

revising in the sunshine

Hello,

I'm still just revising, and although the library is a bit cold and dark compared to the sunshine outside, its fairly sociable working there with my friends. This afternoon, I worked outside for a bit, looking at practise synoptic questions with a friend and brainstorming ideas on how we would answer them. I find it difficult to do normal reading-and-note-making revision outside with lots of people sitting around in the quad, but the active talking kind made a nice change so if the weather stays hot I'll do a bit of that everyday.

I had my first synoptic tutorial on yesterday, with a tutor I haven't had before apart from in seminars in first year. He was suprisingly friendly, considering he is known as Dr Death and has a reputation for enjoying awkward silences and humiliating students. And the tutorial was very useful so I've got another one booked for next week too.

I finally got my Chemical Pharmacology supplementary subject results yesterday - only a month after they were due! I passed but didn't get a distinction, as did the other medic I knew doing the subject. That means that it doesn't really count for anything (except that I can say I have done a supplementary subject if anyone ever wants to know), but since I only went to a couple of the lectures because they clashed with our FHS seminars, and only had a weekend to revise it, I haven't wasted any time on it.

Off to revise brain disorders now!