Natalia Tapia Moreno, Grade 12
UWC Maastricht
At UWC Maastricht, the dreaded season has arrived: Two weeks of mock exams, a period for second-years (or DP2s, as we call our year group here) to practice and prepare for the end of the year examinations.
I remember myself at this time around, but last year, looking at my DP2s and already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of studying that they had to do. Everyone was stressed out, meticulously revising at late night, absorbing all the information they could before the next test. And I wondered, “What have I gotten myself into?”
To be absolutely honest, I was so scared of not being able to manage it all. As a first-year, I already had enough struggles trying to learn English and adapting to the demands of the IB, and my hope was that as time passed, everything would get better. Yet when I saw my DP2s having such a bad time, I panicked inside.
I tried my best to offer my —at least moral, support to my DP2s. I went to buy a package of the so-famous stroopwafels of the Netherlands and a bag with oils and moisturizing to offer some “self-care rest” to my DP2 roommates. I was quiet every time I was around a DP2 completing another past paper, and I tried to cheer them before they went into another exam. Everyone had different challenges to overcome, and you could see the spectrum of ways to cope with the stress until mocks came to an end. The weekend after mocks were over, things on campus literally changed overnight. People were chill and happy again, celebrating that they got through even the toughest of their exams.
This year, now as a DP2, things kicked in differently. I remember feeling a bit of pressure over the winter break, thinking I should probably start revising for my mocks. I read over a few notes and I watched some videos to reinforce topics that were foggy in my mind. Nonetheless, I tried to take it with calm and truly enjoy my winter break. And days passed, and then January came, and we only had two weeks before mock exams started.
All of our teachers handed us a lot of information and resources to study. During most of my classes, we revised topics through commenting on past papers, making shared documents with notes, and going through “must-cover” topics. When I planned my revision during those two weeks, I wrote a “To-do list” with the most challenging topics for me, and I started studying according to the mock that I had first. I guess that being organized is my way to reassure myself that things will be alright, even if I don’t feel fully prepared. And if there is something that has incredibly contributed to my peace of mind, it is knowing that this is just a training period. A time to self-reflect on what I have learned over the past two years, and to pick up on what I have to improve.
Mocks never looked good on anyone. They impact a lot of people’s sleep schedules, they keep them away from doing other things than studying (or make them feel like they’re procrastinating), and they certainly stress everyone out. However, during this practice time, people should also be aware that mocks almost seem like a reminder that the culmination of all our efforts is approaching. Mocks are an announcement of the impending fact that we will eventually leave UWC and go into university. Thus, mocks should not be something feared (take this with a grain of salt), but carefully approached and handled. Every person should find the best way to cope with the stress involved and make use of the tools provided in order to perform to the best of their abilities.
I remember myself at this time around, but last year, looking at my DP2s and already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of studying that they had to do. Everyone was stressed out, meticulously revising at late night, absorbing all the information they could before the next test. And I wondered, “What have I gotten myself into?”
To be absolutely honest, I was so scared of not being able to manage it all. As a first-year, I already had enough struggles trying to learn English and adapting to the demands of the IB, and my hope was that as time passed, everything would get better. Yet when I saw my DP2s having such a bad time, I panicked inside.
I tried my best to offer my —at least moral, support to my DP2s. I went to buy a package of the so-famous stroopwafels of the Netherlands and a bag with oils and moisturizing to offer some “self-care rest” to my DP2 roommates. I was quiet every time I was around a DP2 completing another past paper, and I tried to cheer them before they went into another exam. Everyone had different challenges to overcome, and you could see the spectrum of ways to cope with the stress until mocks came to an end. The weekend after mocks were over, things on campus literally changed overnight. People were chill and happy again, celebrating that they got through even the toughest of their exams.
This year, now as a DP2, things kicked in differently. I remember feeling a bit of pressure over the winter break, thinking I should probably start revising for my mocks. I read over a few notes and I watched some videos to reinforce topics that were foggy in my mind. Nonetheless, I tried to take it with calm and truly enjoy my winter break. And days passed, and then January came, and we only had two weeks before mock exams started.
All of our teachers handed us a lot of information and resources to study. During most of my classes, we revised topics through commenting on past papers, making shared documents with notes, and going through “must-cover” topics. When I planned my revision during those two weeks, I wrote a “To-do list” with the most challenging topics for me, and I started studying according to the mock that I had first. I guess that being organized is my way to reassure myself that things will be alright, even if I don’t feel fully prepared. And if there is something that has incredibly contributed to my peace of mind, it is knowing that this is just a training period. A time to self-reflect on what I have learned over the past two years, and to pick up on what I have to improve.
Mocks never looked good on anyone. They impact a lot of people’s sleep schedules, they keep them away from doing other things than studying (or make them feel like they’re procrastinating), and they certainly stress everyone out. However, during this practice time, people should also be aware that mocks almost seem like a reminder that the culmination of all our efforts is approaching. Mocks are an announcement of the impending fact that we will eventually leave UWC and go into university. Thus, mocks should not be something feared (take this with a grain of salt), but carefully approached and handled. Every person should find the best way to cope with the stress involved and make use of the tools provided in order to perform to the best of their abilities.
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