Newsletter week 10

Newsletter Week 10

Mentors' Inbox

Table of Contents

More Study Tips

Wellbeing advice

Study spaces

GCU Wellbeing Newsletter

Feel in Crisis?

Togetherall

Checklist

Wee message for the Cat

Fit-to-Sit Policy

Top Tips for taking an exam

On the day of your Exam

Prepare for your exam day

Hello!

Exams

Study Tips

Hello! We hope trimester A has been going well for you all. This Newsletter is packed full of useful information to help you plan your exam preparation. Take your time to read it through.

Hello!

The trimester A exam period will run between January 8th to January 19th. Exam timetable Here is a link to the exam timetable. You can access this by clicking here Please check this in advance so that you know which room you are going to before the day. If you have an online exam, please make sure your computer/laptop are fully charged and connected to the internet before you start the exam. If you have any technical difficulties on the day of your online exam, please contact your module leader as soon as possible and IT services who can help. You can contact IT here

Exams

Prepare for your Exam day!

• Try and get a good sleep the night before your exam
• Set your alarms for the morning of your exam to give yourself plenty of time to travel on to campus
• Do not forget your student card as you will need this to sit your exam
• Make sure you have a note of which room your is exam is in and know where to find it before the day!

On the day of your Exam

Sometimes unexpected things can happen on the day of your exam; such as being late due to transport or not feeling well enough to sit your exam. The University has provided some guidance on what to do when the unexpected happens. You can find this here What happens during an exam? For more information on what happens during exams click here

Top tips for taking an exam

• Take more than 1 pen into the exam with you
• Do not read the exam paper or open the booklet before you are instructed to do so by the invigilator
• If you are required to use a calculator - please do not use your smart phone, as multimedia devices are not allowed to be used during exams
• Turn off your phone or place it on silent to avoid any distractions
• Allocate enough time to answer each question equally
• You can write a plan for each question on the back of the exam paper, so you don’t forget what to include for each answer

Fit-to-Sit Policy

The university uses the fit to sit approach for student assessments, whereby it is a default assumption that if you sit an exam or undertake a piece of coursework then you are automatically declaring you are fit to do so. This means that any grade received for coursework and exams will stand unless you declare that you were ‘not fit to sit’Any student can declare themselves not ‘fit to sit’ 5 days before the exam and up to 2 days afterwards using this online form which can be found here You must complete a separate form for each exam or coursework you feel you were not fit to sit.

Study Spaces

The library is open from 7am to 11pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 11pm on the weekends. Please note that the opening hours may change during the festive period, so please check before travelling on to campus.There is also a 24hour computer lab available to use in the student’s association building. This is open during the weekends and bank holidays. You must bring your student ID card to access this.Most catering options close after 6pm so if you are planning to study on campus in the evening then you may want to bring your own snacks.

Study Tips

• Start revising early
• Attend any exam revision lectures
• Organise your lecture notes by topic
• Familiarise yourself with key reading
• Look on GCU learn for past papers
• Familiarise yourself with the exam structure – some exams are essay based whereas others can be short question and answer style.
• Give yourself plenty of study breaks

More Study Tips

Studying for exams can be overwhelming and some students do not know where to start. It is best to give yourself plenty of time to revise each topic. You can find out more revision tips and tricks here Check out your schools Learning Development Centres (LDC) page for exam tips and academic workshop dates, click here

It is normal to feel a bit apprehensive about exams but if you are worrying so much that it is making you unwell then it may be time to reach out for some support. The Student Wellbeing Team The GCU wellbeing team offer a range of free and confidential support to students. You can access counsellors, mental health and wellbeing advisers. To find out more and to book an appointment, click here

Wellbeing advice

This is a weekly newsletter with tips, news and workshop details to support you and your wellbeing at GCU. Sign up here

GCU Wellbeing newsletter

Togetherall

Togetherall is an online space where students can get support for their health and wellbeing. The service is free and anonymous. You can access free wellbeing resources here and the service is available 24/7.You can access togetherall here and here

If the feeling is overwhelming or you feel so distressed that you have thoughts of harming yourself or you feel you are at risk of harming others then, you need to:

Feel in Crisis?

• Phone or visit your GP as soon as possible to tell them how you are feeling.
• If your GP surgery is closed, call NHS 24 on 111
• You can contact Samaritans on 116 123 (24 hour Freephone number)
• You can call Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 (Mon-Thurs 6pm – 2am. weekends 6pm - 6am)
• You can call or text HOPELineUK on 0800 068 41 41 or text 07860039967 (9am - midnight)

Checklist

Here is a checklist we encourage you to follow to support you with exam preparation:

• Start to organise lecture notes into order for exam preparation
• Take note of when and where your exam will be held
• Search GCU Learn for past papers
• Look up your Learning Development Centre to see if they have resources or workshops for exam preparation.
• Sign up to Student Wellbeing newsletter.

From the Disability Mentors' Teamand the Cat:Have a great festive break&Good luck with your exams!