I am being a very stupid person...

[Caribou]

I have a very very very important exam in only 2 weeks time. I need to learn 350 pages of European history before then, and instead of using my days off from work to do some studying, I'm just sitting here with my book next to me and not doing anything. It's 4:30 AM and I've just had my 3rd cup of coffee, my 2nd cigarette and am on the verge of a minor depression.
Just the thought of me failing this exam makes me freeze up and not able to do anything. I'm also moving out of the house in 3 weeks and that makes everything even scarier. What if I'm living there in a new town and I won't be able to go to University... I'll be stuck there on my own. *sigh*
I'm feeling like one of those tortured artists you see in the movies. All I need now is a bottle of red wine or something.

[TAL]

Good luck (y)

[insertnamehere]

I feel ya. When I have too much to do, I kinda freeze up and just don't to anything cause I don't know where to start.

I recommend going someplace else to study. For me the library doesn't work. Go to a coffee shop or quiet restaurant, get a snack, and sit down with your book. Something about the atmosphere helps me. My room is for sitting around in, the library is too boring... someplace else has just the right balance of being uninteresting enough to distract you from reading, yet with enough background noise to not make you crazy. Plus, hey look a snack! And it will get you away from your computer.

[Caribou]

I think I could try that. My room isn't good for studying at all. It's far too messy, my desk is too low and my chair's broken.

Only problem is that I have to travel quite a long way before I'm anywhere that has coffeeshops or restaurants and that tends to put me off. I have thought about going and then I'll keep postponing it and then the shops are closed...
I need to get out of bed earlier, but that also means having to go to bed earlier and I like the nights. Meh@ lifestyle changes. (n):(

[Bob]

350 pages in 2 weeks? that's 25 pages a day. i'm usually assigned ~60 a day (it's actually something like 90 one day, 30 the next, but i spread it out) and sometimes i sort of burn out and skim it and i do ok

you'll do ok

how much else do you have to do?

i remember this one time, i had a european history class, we had this great big project, where we were assigned 6 books to read throughout the semester, and then we had to write a paper at the end discussing a common theme that they all shared, citing examples from each book. i put the whole thing off (including the part where i had to read the books) until 2 days before the paper was due and i somehow managed to get a B- on the thing. i'm still not sure how i did that. fuck you and your biographer emille vanderville or whatever your name was

of course this was at an american university, i hear they're easier or something, your mileage may vary

[Caribou]

350 pages in 2 weeks? that's 25 pages a day. i'm usually assigned ~60 a day (it's actually something like 90 one day, 30 the next, but i spread it out) and sometimes i sort of burn out and skim it and i do ok

you'll do ok

how much else do you have to do?


It would be 25 pages a day if I didn't have work in between. I think I have only about 7 days off untill the exam. I could do some learning after work, but I have to stand on my feet for 8,5 hours and am usually knackered.
And the problem is also that it takes me a long time to just read the stuff, let alone remember it all. It has like really long sentences, crammed full with information and at the end of a sentence I can't remember what it said at the beginning.
This book is also in English, which normally wouldn't be a problem, but it uses many words I've never even seen before, so I also have to look stuff up in the dictionary.
Luckily I've already done the exam before and know what kind of questions they'll ask, but it's still gonna be very difficult.
I haven't been to school in 4 years and haven't done any proper learning for about 6.

Yeah I know, they all sound like stupid excused and I s'pose they are, but it just freaks me out that I might not make it. I've been working on these exams for almost a year (Not just this one. I had 3 others that I luckily did pass) and I don't want my hard work to be for nothing. I really want this so much. :(

[Bob]

i find that in the end, necessity is the ultimate motivator; you'll pass the test because you have to...works for me, anyway

hey, you've got a whole 2 weeks to worry about it, that's loads of time

[P of R]

Just keep reading the book and try to make the best out of the situation. Because just sitting doing nothing will make it all worse. Both your angst and the result of the exam.

Good luck to you. :)