So, how do you fail this exam season? If you’re the type to chug down a Monster Energy at 4am or to indulge in any other last-minute attempts at not failing your assessment, this article is for you. Many of us tend to procrastinate assignments, some of us have perfect study plans that never seem to actually come to fruition and then there are the people who actually have their lives together. If you’re the type that doesn’t struggle with exam season, you can stop reading now.
If you want to fail, the absolute best thing you can do is procrastinate. Leaving everything to the last minute is a surefire way to stress yourself out beyond belief and reduce the quality of the contents of your essay or exam down to the lowest level you’re capable of. As someone who has procrastinated all his life, and has paid the price for it, I urge you to start your assignments and study a few days in advance at the very least. Cramming in extended writing sessions the night before a deadline only works for a lucky few. However, this approach will deprive most people of the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
“When you have a good routine you’re not only setting yourself up well for college, you’re setting yourself up well for life.”
Another thing you can do to fail is have a poor routine. We are creatures of habit so the sooner you adapt the habit to start studying and working on essays in advance, the better off you will be. No matter what year of education you’re in, forming these healthy habits will stand you in good stead for years to come. What’s important to remember is that college is preparing you for the working world, hopefully in your preferred field, and you will carry your way of doing things into your career. When you have a good routine you’re not only setting yourself up well for college, you’re setting yourself up well for life.
A crucial part of this routine is the amount you exercise and the amount you sleep. Exercise and sleep come in tandem, you will soon find out that one helps the other. If you struggle to sleep, try to exercise since especially vigorous exercise will improve your quality of sleep drastically. If you struggle to exercise, getting 8 to 10 hours of quality sleep a night will increase your motivation and energy levels. Nobody can run on an empty tank.
However, having said all that procrastination is a part of life and sometimes life just gets in the way. If you find yourself in the position of having no work done and assignments are due in just a few days time and you want to fail, whatever you do, don’t prioritise. Prioritisation of work that is due first, since work which is worth the most marks will save you from the worst effects of your procrastination. For example, if you want to fail, do that short, easy essay worth 40% instead of the long, hard one worth 100%.
Also, a tried and tested way of setting yourself up for failure is to skip lectures. When you go to study the material you’ve missed, you will find it doubly difficult to understand. We all know that lectures don’t just consist of what is on the slides. Often, the slides are merely just pointers for the lecturer to expand on. You also deprive yourself of the opportunity to ask questions and listen to the answers of those asked by others. Going to lectures gives you a good base to spring from, skipping on them means you’re playing catch-up from the get-go. However, if you did skip a number of lectures this semester, you can try to get notes from one of your friends and make sure you go over them ahead of time for your assessment.
“There are more important things in this life than college. Don’t ruin yourself for the sake of your inner expectations, those of your parents or because of what your friends will think.”
If you want to fail this exam season, above all else, don’t take care of your mental health. Don’t take your meds or seek out counselling and definitely don’t be kind to yourself if you’re going through a hard time. Remember, extensions can be granted and exams can be deferred. There are more important things in this life than college. Don’t ruin yourself for the sake of your inner expectations, those of your parents or because of what your friends will think.
As someone who ended up dropping out of UCD five years ago because I somehow expected myself to do essays and exams whilst being depressed, doing drugs, never showing up to lectures, going to sleep at 6 or 7 a.m. most nights and seeking no professional help all the while, I can confirm that not taking care of your mental health is your most certain way to fail. Reach out to student counselling here in College, your tutor or your GP. Nothing is worth adding extra stress onto an already troubled mind. If you are indeed struggling, a solution can be found to get you through it with extra time to write that essay or study for that exam.
