It is now not long until the end of the Lent term, which means only one thing: it will soon be Easter and a frenzy of exam revision will shortly ensue. This week I thought I would write a short blog on revision tips. Of course many of you looking to attend Lancaster University next year will be no stranger to exams and revision. However, University exams are a far cry from A-level exams and new tactics often have to be employed in order to successfully revise.

The first piece of advice I would give is to always start revision well in advance of the exam. There is no way that you will be able to clinch a 1:1 by pulling an all night revision session the evening before the exam. It simply does not matter how bright you are, this just will not happen. University modules are often densely packed with difficult and challenging material that cannot easily be grasped in one sitting. Instead, the optimal technique is to try and revise as you learn the course. Don’t leave the difficult material to later; tackle it as soon as you are faced with it.

Lecturer’s office hours are much less busy towards the start of term as opposed to the couple of weeks preceding the exams. At this time, they’re usually inundated with stressed out students all trying to squeeze in last minute questions, so lecturer’s may not have as much time to spend answering your queries. Therefore, my second piece of advice would be to take advantage of lecturer’s office hours at the start of the term.

Thirdly, I would seriously recommend group revision sessions. The newly refurbished library has bookable group work spaces which are ideal for revision purposes. Although it may not seem quite as appealing, I have found that revising with those who are not necessarily close friends, but who just happen to be on your course is a far more effective method of consolidating your learning. You are less likely to be side tracked and lose focus on the task at hand if you have fewer things of a social nature to discuss. Group study is invaluable when it comes to bouncing ideas of each other, confirming you have grasped concepts correctly and identifying areas of a module that are difficult and in need of practice. Going over past exam papers with a group is also very helpful as answers to the online past papers are not available online.

My last tip would be to devise a revision timetable and more importantly to stick to it! There are very many websites from which one can create such timetables which accommodate time slots for working interspersed with slots for relaxing, eating and other activities. As long as you create a balanced and realistic timetable there is no reason at all why this shouldn’t be a useful revision tool.

Now that we are over half way through the Lent term, deadlines again begin to loom and the pressure of multiple assignments due in for the last week of term begins to take hold. With this in mind, most students commence the job of multitasking; keeping up to date with lecture and seminar material is essential so as not to fall behind with course content that is examinable in the Summer term, but assignments must also be completed alongside this.

I thought I would take the opportunity to blog about assignments and exams at Lancaster this week, as it presents itself as a topical theme. In the first year, undergraduates are required to submit a written assignment (usually ranging from 1500 words to 2000 words) for every subject module they undertake. For Philosophy, the compulsory PHIL100 course is split up into many sub modules, such as Berkeley’s idealism, critical thinking, free will, ethics based modules and the philosophy of capitalism (although these modules often vary from year to year). Mostly, students find these assignments doable as they are evenly spaced out throughout the Michaelmas and Lent terms, with deadlines falling in the week when one module finishes and another starts.

The organisational structure of exams at Lancaster University is often praised by PPR students due to its lack of January exams (this is the case in the PPR department, although not necessarily in other departments). This allows students the opportunity to really relax and enjoy the Christmas holidays without the constant niggling worry of revision. Of course, this leeway granted to the students is not without a price- the Summer exams hold a lot more weight as a consequence.

In the first year, there is only one Philosophy Summer exam, wherein students have to answer questions from three different philosophy modules. This has the major advantage of enabling effective selective revision practices: if there is a particular module that you struggled with and found particularly hard to grasp, then exam disaster can be mitigated by instead focussing on your areas of strength. Thoroughly revising 4 out of 6 modules should set you up to receive a high mark.

In the following year, students have to take a minimum of 8 modules per year. Each module requires a submitted assignment as coursework (usually 2500 words per module) as well as its own Summer exam. In the third year, the same setup applies, but assignments usually have higher word limits of 3000 words and the Summer exams are longer and require greater depth of understanding. In addition to this, a dissertation unit (and half dissertation `special subject` units) can be taken which requires the student to submit a 10000 word dissertation (5000 words for the special subject dissertations) and does not include an exam. Many students opt for this choice as it relieves some of the stress of the final exams, knowing that you have less to be examined on and may already have a 2:1 or 1:1 in a whole unit before you commence exam season.

This week I wanted to blog about different food options in and around Lancaster University, covering food shops, fast food outlets and different food discounts available to students.

The largest and most local supermarket is the Sainsbury’s located in the centre of town only a short bus ride away from Lancaster University campus. The University operates a free bus service to Sainsbury’s and back, departing from the University underpass every Wednesday. As long as you show your receipt to the bus driver and show that you have spent £10 minimum you can travel for free. This is a really useful and helpful service for those students who live on campus and haven’t bought a termly bus pass.

In addition to Sainsbury’s, Lancaster has a Booths (a Northern upmarket supermarket chain, for those who haven’t come across one before) which is perfect if you are wanting to put on a nice dinner for friends and if you aren’t so concerned about budgeting. If, however, you are worried about the expense of food bills cutting into your student maintenance loan, there is an Aldi and an Asda located slightly further away (in the direction of Morecambe). These are great if you’re looking to save some cash- particularly as the end of term approaches and you realise your funds are dwindling!

Lancaster also has a market on a Wednesday and a Saturday in the centre of town, which is a good opportunity to bag yourself some food bargains; cheap fruit and veg stalls, a fresh fish stall and an American sweets stall all feature. There are many little bakery shops dotted around town which offer reasonably priced freshly baked bread too. Bowerham butchers is particularly good at offering bulk discounts. If you are willing to splurge £9.99 or £14.99 on a collective deal, it can work out relatively inexpensive per item and is guaranteed to last a long time, especially if you freeze meat once you return home from your shopping trip!

On campus, Spar is indispensable as a place to pick up last minute items. If you don’t fancy journeying into town you can buy most necessities here. Campus also has an ice cream shop, juice bar, Costa, and Greggs as well as a few fast food outlets, such as a kebab shop and Subway. In addition to this, there are cafes and college bars which often serve food, some at discounted prices.

The best advice concerning food is to shop around! I would definitely recommend signing up for a nectar card and using points coupons whenever possible- all the little savings can really add up over the course of a few years.

This week I thought I would take the opportunity to write a blog post about the Sports Centre and other sporting facilities available to the students of Lancaster University. For most students it is important to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle alongside academic life and at Lancaster the University is well equipped to cater to the needs of all fitness enthusiasts.

Lancaster University boasts a state of the art Sports Centre which opened in 2011 and was the result of twenty million pounds of investment. As would be expected, the centre has very many facilities and houses a swimming pool, squash courts, climbing wall, bouldering cave, sauna, steam room, badminton courts and 100 station gym. The centre also runs a series of classes, including aerobics, fitness classes and personal training sessions which all students are allowed to attend (with an additional fee).

The University offers four membership types which vary according to the requirements of students. The bronze student membership, costing £99 for 12 months allows the membership holder full access to the gym, swimming pool and cardio and weights room during off peak hours (Monday to Friday 7:00am to 12:00pm and 2:00pm until 4:00pm on weekends). The silver student membership, costing £199 per annum, entitles the user unlimited access to the gym, swimming pool and cardio and weights room, during both peak and off peak hours. The gold student membership, at a yearly rate of £242, pays for all the services of a silver membership plus the use of the sauna and steam room, climbing wall, badminton courts, squash, tennis, short tennis, table tennis and racquets. The platinum student membership, for the real keen beans in the exercising world entitles the user to all benefits of the gold membership as well as free classes. All memberships are accompanied with a free, and in fact compulsory, induction of the main gym rooms and equipment.

The use of lockers is also free and the centre is easily accessible to both on campus and off campus students. Whilst the Sports Centre is located a five minute walk from the main Alexandra Square, it is also on the main bus route from the town centre towards the University (approximately twenty minute bus ride away). For a further and visual insight into the centre, the following link will take you to a 360˚ tour of the inner building. (http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sport/sports-centre/360-tour/).

The Sports Centre is open between the hours of 7:00am and 10:00pm during the week, from 8:30am until 6:00 on Saturdays and 9:30am until 6:00pm on Sundays. However, outside of these hours, other exercising opportunities are available.

In addition to the Sports Centre, Lancaster University is located amidst acres of countryside which is ideal for the more frugal jogger. There are also numerous trails and routes for those wanting to go for lengthy walks in the scenic surrounds of the University.

This week I thought I’d write a quick blog about Lancaster University’s collegiate system. For those applying to Lancaster, you may be unaware that Lancaster University has colleges and may be uncertain as to what implications this holds. The purpose of this blog shall be to provide a brief overview of the function and mechanics of the college system at Lancaster.

Lancaster University is among a very small handful of Universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, to have a collegiate system. Lancaster has nine colleges consisting of; Bowland; Cartmel; County; Furness; Fylde; Grizedale; Lonsdale; Pendle and Graduate college. The first eight colleges are for undergraduates and the last college, `Graduate college` is for postgraduate students who have chosen to continue their studies after graduating with their undergraduate degree. Upon receiving a place on a degree course at Lancaster University, you will also be assigned a college.

College assignment is not based on your nationality or subject- it is not the case, for instance that all English Politics students are assigned to Cartmel college. Instead, students of all disciplines are present in all colleges which makes for an extremely diverse body of people within each college. Each college at Lancaster University has its own accommodation, so you will be living in halls of residence alongside your college members. This makes for an interesting environment in which you could be living in a room with a geographer to the room on your right, an engineer to the room on your left and a mathematician in the room opposite you. In my first year, although I was taking PPE, there was a German economist, a Polish law student, a Hungarian biomedical student and a Greek business and management student also living on my corridor. This kind of diversity is really good in that it can spark interesting and varied conversations which do not have to be confined to your subject specific course or your home culture.

Further to this many social events are held within each college. Each college has its own bar, nights out, annual extravaganzas and Fresher’s events. When I was in first year I remember my college, Furness, hosting Casino nights (only gambling with plastic chips, not real money, I’m afraid!), foam party clubbing events and dress up nights. Moreover, those in your college are most likely to become your closest friends. These are the people you will be graduating with when you finish your course.

Sporting activities are often organised within colleges, with different colleges having different sports teams which are often pitted against one another. To add to the fun, academic staff members are also college members which provides a great opportunity for college students versus staff matches.

As Lent term is the term Freshers are usually beginning to think about next year’s accommodation, I thought I’d write a quick blog with some information, tips and advice on moving out of halls and into a student house. In the first term, those who have just arrived at Lancaster University, fresh out of sixth form, usually only know a couple of people. By term two, however, you have to make a decision about who to live with in the following year. This is not a decision to rush into! It is best to take your time reviewing all of the housing possibilities and carefully deciding who you want your next year’s housemates to be.

There are many different accommodation types for second years and many students choose to move out of their first year University halls on campus and into a rented student house. LUSU Living, is the estate agent firm which is partnered with Lancaster University and has branches both on campus and in the Lancaster town centre. If you are worried about being ripped off by private landlords or unscrupulous estate agents, then LUSU Living is a good first port of call to check out what sort of rents you should be being charged and what kind of properties are out there.

It is often best to rent with an estate agent that has an `all bills included` contract so that you do not have to worry about racking up costly gas and electricity bills. Particularly in the winter time, it is a relief to know that you can stick the heating on whenever you want, instead of huddling under a blanket with about a billion jumpers on because you are worried about your gas bill at the end of the month!

Another top tip, is to ensure that you thoroughly read your rent contract before you sign it. You may have viewed a property that you instantly fell in love with- double bed in a nicely decorated bedroom, large television in the lounge, spacious kitchen and charming garden, but always make sure you give the papers a read before you sign. On the whole, most landlords offer reasonable terms to their tenants, but it is always good to be wary just in case. Make sure you check for clauses in the contract which stipulate the amount of notice that you have to give before you are allowed to leave- if it is three months notice then you want to be clued up on this so that you can notify your landlord three months before the end of Summer term, otherwise you might be looped into staying the whole Summer!

Further to this, make sure that you find out if payments are monthly or termly. Termly payments are quite nice as they generally tie in with student finance payments. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with paying your rent in monthly instalments- it just means that you have to be good at budgeting! You don’t want to have blown your student loan if you still have rent payments to make!

In the lead up to Christmas there is always a plethora of events going on in Lancaster. Christmas themed clubbing nights out, society end of term socials and general celebrations of completed exams and coursework. Last week I attended an art exhibition in the centre of Lancaster town with one of my housemates. All the artists involved were PhD Fine Art students, who had come together to put on an exhibition of what they had been working on that term. The event was based in The Storey near the railway station, so after a quick bus ride, it only took five minutes to walk the rest of the way. Upon entering the exhibition hall, we were plied with free glasses of wine and a programme of the work on display. Truly, the talent of the artists was phenomenal. My housemate and I happily spent an hour gazing upon watercolours, canvases thick with paint, apocalyptic screens of mushroom clouds that were represented as chicken drumsticks, photographs full of white silhouettes where the people in them had been removed and heavily graffitied books that had been published many decades ago, judging by the state of their spines and the discolouration of their pages. All the artists were in attendance and available for answering questions concerning their work, so we took full advantage by asking what the inspirational origins, and the underlying meaning, behind their creative accomplishments were. With many abstract pieces on show, this was frequently necessary!

Such cultural events serve to break up the stresses of exams and the inevitable and much dreaded end of term deadlines. Brief periods of respite are incredibly helpful in allowing you to re-approach work with a refreshed and alert mind and can help no end in increasing motivation.