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We are very excited to announce our May Pen Pal Ambassadors! Our ambassadors are active conversation starters on the Facebook group who aim to build and promote connections between students. We would like to share a little bit about the ambassadors and their experiences so far.

Jessie Oszlovits

I joined the Pen Pal Project back in 2020 when it was first announced. I was super excited to get involved, because pen-palling has always been a hobby of mine on and off, and I was thrilled at the prospect of being involved in a Uni based Pen Pal Project. 

I have made a couple of great pen pals out of the project so far, including one that I consider to be a good friend now. I absolutely love getting mail from her, it brightens my day! We try to outdo each other with decoration and creative flair each time we write! We also swap fun stationery items and playlist suggestions. 

I would recommend the Pen Pal Project to anyone currently studying, honestly! It is a fantastic way to make connections, especially if you are an online student or maybe relocated to study and don’t know anyone. It really helped me to feel like a “real” Uni student and part of CQU. No matter your age or walk of life, everybody needs and craves connection. Who knows, you might make a lifelong friendship! 

Khalid Hasan Seum

Hello fellow students! My name is Khalid, and I am currently studying cyber security on the Sydney campus. When I joined CQUniversity, I had hardly any friends and I didn’t know anyone on campus either. I was looking to see if CQUniversity had any programs that could help me connect with other students and turning those connections into new friendships.

Through the MyCQU support page, I found out about the pen pal project. I joined about 7 months ago. My experience with the pen pal project so far has been one I will never forget. One of my close friends I have made through the project is studying their Masters in Public Health and we chat regularly. Personally, I encourage you to join the Pen Pal project so you can have a similar experience as me.

My favourite thing about connecting with other students is how you learn about their culture, find out about their hobbies and have someone to share your thoughts with. I know how stressful university studies can be and we all need that support from a friend to help through when times are tough. Come and give it a go, you never know who might meet.

The end of the term can inevitably cause stress for many students. Although preparing for exams and assignments is extremely important, it is also important to take a step back and know who you can turn to when feeling overwhelmed.

We asked our 30 Minutes a Month alumni participants to share the go-to people they used to reach out to when feeling stressed about their studies. More than anyone, they know how important it is to surround yourself with the right people and ask for help if you need it.

Jessica Small (Bachelor of Business, 2021) used to turn to anyone who would listen:

“I turned to many people for help when I was stressed about an upcoming assessment. I turned to my lecturers for guidance if I did not understand the assessment or had questions. I turned to my university friends to see how they were coping with the assessment and if they had any tips they could pass on. I turned to my boss to ask for time off or a study day in the lead up to an assessment. I also turned to my partner to ask him to take on some of the extra responsibilities around the house if I had a time-consuming assessment due soon. Basically, I relied on many people in the University and outside of the University to assist me with managing my time, which helped me with managing my stress levels.“

Karen Howard (Bachelor of Accounting, 2021) was never afraid to ask questions from her lecturers:

“I would always ask my lecturers if I had any questions, felt like I didn’t understand something or was getting lost in an assignment. Studiosity was also a great help as I had no idea about referencing and assignment layout when I started my studies. Never shy away from asking questions; if you don’t want to do it in front of the class, send your lecturer an email, explain your issues and ask your questions. I found that most are happy to complete a Zoom call or stay after class for a short time to help you. They want you to do well and succeed as well!”

Michael Lane (Graduate Diploma of Management, 2015) would turn to friends to had been in his shoes before:  

“I turned to my friends who were or had been in similar situations. They can always shed light or point you in the right direction. The hardest step is always the first; after that, it’s just a matter of taking comfort from your previous achievements and keeping it going.”

Sharon Dekkers (Doctor of Philosophy, 2001) relied on herself to deal with stressful situations:

“If stressed about an upcoming assessment, I would first turn to myself and plant my ideas in my subconscious. After a good night’s sleep, many of the perceived stresses are rationalised, and then I am able to prioritise and deal with the issues in a more logical and manageable way. Stress can be a positive invigorating force or one which can debilitate you. You need to use stress to motivate you and push you forward. Once it no longer does this, it is time to reassess your goals, values and work life.”

Theresa Grinstead (Graduate Certificate in Maintenance Management, 2007) approached her partner or other students for support:

“Get online; there is an endless supply of information, techniques, and other stuff to help out with stress. But if all else fails, just talk to someone. My partner was my rock at all stages of my study, but I also had contact with other students studying the same course. These are valuable contacts to make and really do help.”

Best of luck to all students with upcoming exams and assignments! A well-deserved break is on the horizon; you just have to push through the last couple of weeks! Remember to look after yourself and ask for support if you need it. Whether approaching a lecturer, University support staff, other students, your friends, partner or parents – they all want you to succeed.

If you are a graduate, you can join our 30 Minutes a Month micro-volunteering program to earn rewards while sharing your study experiences and advice with current students.

Assignment and exam periods can be one of the most stressful times for university students. Some prepare for these for the whole term, while others cram the entire term’s content the week before. Regardless of the method, most students are familiar with feeling overwhelmed and could use any help they can get.

Our 30 Minutes a Month alumni participants have been in those shoes and know the struggle all too well. We asked them to share their best tips and tricks to prepare for the end of term exam and assignment period.

Stay organised

Staying organised is extremely important during exam and assignment periods. Whether using a planner, collating to-do lists or colour coding, every little bit will help – you just have to take the first step.

“Write to-do lists and schedule time in your calendar to complete different tasks. Try to be realistic with allocating a suitable amount of time to tasks, and don’t get too concerned if it takes longer than the time you set aside. It’s also helpful to track the due dates for all your tasks so that you can prioritise your time and have a good idea of how much work is involved in each task. For example, compared to writing a long essay, preparing for a quiz will only need a short amount of time.”
– Luke Giles (Bachelor of Health Promotion, 2010)

“Make lists, colour code tasks or themes. I also have lists of lists. Create a plan from your tasks and themes, use a diary, notebook, or both. Make sure to create your plan at the beginning of the semester and factor in known family events, appointments, and social activities. Break your tasks into smaller chunks and use a diary, coloured post-it notes and flags in your diary so tasks and themes can be easily rearranged.”
– Janey Kyle-Scott (Graduate Certificate in Tertiary and Adult Education, 2021)

“Write a list, even if you’ve already completed some tasks, add them in and cross them off for some quick wins and to remind you how far you’ve come. Set goals, break assignments into smaller pieces and give yourself targets to reach in small, achievable chunks. Just suck it up and get it done.”
– Tenille Dittman (Bachelor of Business, 2018)

Plan ahead

Use the resources available to you, and plan ahead where you can. Managing your tasks ahead of time can save you from feeling overwhelmed towards the end of the term.

“It was my first time studying in a distance format. To get things organised, I found I needed to do a lot more planning than I had in the past in face-to-face formats. I think the three most important things in my planning were:

1. When planning a particular activity, dedicating a specific time I wanted to spend on that activity really helped with prioritising.
2. I also set some specific time in my weekly schedule dedicated to planning. This allowed me to plan generally in the long term and more detailed in the short term. It also allowed me to re-plan any activities I had not finished, and it allowed me to plan for specific items like assignments. This was very useful when trying to fit in my placements as I could not study as much for several weeks.
3. Plan in my social time like exercise, time with friends, and recovery time from catching up with friends the night before!”

– James Brown (Bachelor of Paramedic Science, 2019)

“Start revision for your exams early and start researching for your assessments early, take notes. Keep a wall planner and a diary to help prioritise your work, for example, assessments, exam due dates, lectures etc.”
– Yashna Lal (Bachelor of Nursing, 2021)

“I actively plan ahead so that I have time to complete planned activities and a few pockets available each week to deal with the inevitable unplanned ones. I set a few hours each week of focus time to focus on any high priority tasks or regular tasks that would otherwise be pushed back.”
– Clifford Horwood (Master of Business Administration, 1996)

Manage your time effectively

Developing the correct time management techniques during your university studies can set you up to complete your tasks on time for the rest of your life.

“Starting prep for exams as soon as all content is known, breaking small chunks off for study periods, for example, weekly content. For assignments, I set tasks for myself, starting with an overall plan for the assignment, maybe the outline or structure of how I plan to write it, and set myself only one topic/paragraph/small section to research and write about per day or a set period of time. I am less likely to get overwhelmed and give up this way than staring at a WHOLE assignment and trying to background research every area at once. Also, get someone to read over your assignments to check for grammar and whether things actually make sense! If that’s not possible, give yourself time to go back a day or so after finishing to read over it with a clear mind.”
– Naomi Robinson (Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), 2018)

“Make sure to have good time management. Record when things are due using colour coding on a calendar or post-it notes. Use reminders on your phone and computer and post-it notes on colour coded packs.”
– Kellie Wellard (Bachelor of Learning Management (Secondary and Vocational Education and Training), 2011)

“I like breaking up my study with sessions of computer games. So, I simply factor in game time with my study plan. This way, I know how much time it will realistically take to complete my study goals, e.g., assignments and preparing for exams while having a few game sessions in between. Who says I have to choose one or another, provided I plan ahead!”
– Emma Craige (Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), 2021)

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself

Although your studies are important, there is nothing more important than staying kind to yourself. Keep reminding yourself of the end goal and why you are studying. Sometimes a change of perspective is all you need.

“The day I had a light-bulb moment about exam stress was pretty memorable! I was always stressed to the eyeballs, to the point that I performed really poorly because my brain was too soaked in stress hormones to remember a thing. But one day, a friend pointed out how pointless stress was at that point. I had already learned everything I would learn; I had either put in the work, or I hadn’t. Either way, stress would only turn my brain to mush, so I just had to have faith that the work I’d done was enough. I also reminded myself that no exam was ever written to try and trick me. The university, my lecturers, and everybody preferred that I passed, and the only way I wasn’t going to pass was if I didn’t have a satisfactory level of knowledge or understanding, in which case, I didn’t really want to pass anyway because I would be unsafe in my practice. Although this is all very obvious, the way it occurred to me that day was an instant weight lifted from my shoulders.”
– Michelle Goldenberg (Bachelor of Nursing, 2021)

“Always back yourself.  Never forget why you began studying. Always be kind to yourself.”
– Edmond D’Albret (Diploma of Human Resources Management, 2022)

“Try not to compare yourself to your peers. While it can be great to encourage yourself to study just that bit more, you may find yourself thinking, “oh my god, I’m only 250 words into my assessment, and this person is almost finished!” or “my assignment isn’t nearly as good as theirs, am I even going to pass this one?”. When you realise that other people’s progress or success is not a reasonable measure of where you should be in your studies, it can help tone down those stress levels.”
– Kodi Warner-Magnussen (Bachelor of Environmental Science, 2021)

Even though the end of term can creep up within a blink of an eye, remember, it will also be over just as fast, so keep going. Exam and assignment periods are only temporary, but your health and well-being are not. Above anything, it is important to look after yourself and ask for help if you need it.

Stay tuned for next week, as our alumni will share who they used to ask for help when they were feeling overwhelmed about their studies. If you’re an alumnus and are interested in sharing your experience with current students, join the 30 Minutes a Month micro-volunteering program.

Everyone knows that in some cases, stress is unavoidable. Although many stressful situations may not seem that significant looking back, it is often not the case when you are in the moment, stressing over upcoming assignments, exams, and deadlines.

Our 30 Minutes a Month alumni participants know first-hand what it’s like to face stressful situations. We asked them to share some of the techniques they use now or have worked for them in the past.

Take a break

Taking a short break – either going for a walk, cooking something tasty or grabbing a coffee with a friend – can be precisely what you need to return to your commitments with a fresh mindset.

“My biggest stress reduction is exercise. Doesn’t really matter if it is going out for a walk in nature or going to the gym. The important thing about it for me was to make sure that I had dedicated time for it where I could focus on myself and not think about how much I had to catch up or what I was worried about. It was important to exercise the body and give the mind a break!”
– James Brown (Bachelor of Paramedic Science, 2019)

“Having a daily exercise regime. I swim each morning before work. I also do sit-ups and stretches, which help me mentally prepare for the day ahead. If I’ve had a stressful day, I also take a walk and swim at night.”
– Sharon Dekkers (Doctor of Philosophy, 2001)

“Yoga and deep breathing. I find that doing even 10 minutes of “surya namaskar” in intervals, or when you just roll out of bed, greatly helps with the physical stress of constantly sitting down, cramping muscles and backaches that in turn lead to emotional stress. I recommend doing stretches every 10 minutes, such as rolling the shoulders or neck to help increase blood flow, improve concentration, and alleviate accumulating stress.”
– Maria Cabral Fernandes (Certificate III in Business Administration, 2022)

Breathe

When people are under stress, their breathing pattern changes. This can lead to many complications that can take your situation from bad to worse. Sometimes all you need to reduce stress levels is to take a big, deep breath.