Like everyone else I have been studying for finals the past few weeks. Long days in the library making study guides and going over notes gets old after a little bit. But studying needs to be done one way or another. This semester I have had a hard time finding the right study techniques, the exams I take here in Denmark are different from the exams I am used to taking. Here we take written exams based on a case study, the exams are timed, we are allowed to use our books, notes, and the internet. We type our answers and turn it in online, but for some reason we still need to be present while taking the exam.
To me this process does not make much sense. If the proctor of the exam does nothing but sit there while we take the exam why do we need to be in a classroom. I would feel more comfortable just taking the exam in my room during the allotted time, no need to add stress of being in a classroom. But I guess that is just another difference of the education system that I need to get used to for this next week.
I took one final yesterday, and I have two more this week. I have had a hard time getting myself to sit and study for these exams. Partly because I know they are open book/note, so I feel like as long as I am at least familiar with the topics then I don’t need to study too much. The other struggle is that this is my last week in Aarhus, and I want to spend it having fun and out in the city, not sitting in the library all day studying.
There are many activities going on this week because most people are leaving within the week, so I have to balance my time between studying and fun. It is not easy to do, but I have somehow managed this far, and as long as I can make it though the week of activities and still feel good about my exams I will call it a success. Normally during finals my main struggle is finding the motivation to study, and it is harder to find motivation when there is so much to do.
Even with studying I have managed to put time aside for friends and fun. This week we went to a christmas party where made Danish Christmas treats, played a traditional Danish Christmas game and learned about some Danish traditions. I also went to another Christmas market, this one had a lot of delicious foods! We walked around the city center and looked at Christmas lights, and all of this made me so excited for Christmas!
By Friday I will be done with all of my exams and my time in Aarhus will be almost over. I can’t believe these four months have gone by so quickly. So this next week I have to find my balance between study and fun, but I may put more emphasis on the fun!
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| Christmas lights in Aarhus |
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Read more from Jennifer at https://jenniferbuss.wordpress.com/
To find out more about the Walton college exchange program in Aarhus, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/exchange/wcobaarhus/
Read more from Jennifer at https://jenniferbuss.wordpress.com/
