15th June 2013 9:00
By Annetta Henry
So, you have sat your last exam, handed in your final report, submitted that dissertation you thought you would never finish, and now you are thinking it is time to enjoy the long, lazy days of summer. You are right! Well done on making it through another exam season, if you have worked hard (I'm sure you have) you will have earned the right to take it easy for a while.
Just a word of advice though as you head off to the park, the festival, or the beach; don't take it so easy that you set yourself back come September. As much as this may sound counter-intuitive to your too-tired brain, be sure to keep your mind active and occupied during your time away from the books.
If you are like most students (be honest now), you know that there were things you could have done better this term if you had been more prepared, paid more attention, stayed on top of things. Don't worry, if you plan this right you will not even notice that you are working (really). It is amazing how much less like work picking up that textbook will be when you're doing it because you want to and not because you need to.
How about going over those revision notes you made for just 10 minutes on a Thursday evening? Or re-reading that brilliant essay while you're soaking up some rays? Or, for the more adventurous, how about getting through the first couple of chapters of next year's textbook. You don't have to understand it all but you'll be letting your brain know what you'll be asking it to deal with in a month or two and it will prepare itself. And of course, if you are really hardcore, you could arrange ongoing sessions with your brilliant personal tutor. In the more relaxed pace you may even discover a new love for your subject.
Keeping up during the downtime is like warming up and stretching before a workout, it preps your muscles to work at optimum efficiency and reduces the risk of injury. And though your brain is strictly an organ and not a muscle, it does control all your muscles and has properties similar to them.
Think of how fabulous it would be to hit the ground running when the next academic year starts. You can do exactly that, if you you keep up during the downtime.