Final sign off...

Just a short one today to say Goodbye! 

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing the PE and Sport Student Blog this year. I have learned a lot about my University having explored corners of it I otherwise would not have and hopefully I have drawn people's attention to the fact that it exists!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading/watching it and that at least some of the information was useful!

My future plans are to Graduate with a First Class (Hons) degree in Sport and Physical Education (BSc) and to go on to further study, for which I am on track! I plan to set up my own blog to record my experiences of further education and professional study.

If you would like to stay in contact please follow me on twitter @stephwhite121 and I shall follow you back! I am always happy to answer questions people may have about University life at Beds so drop me a line.


Thanks again,

Steph

GO Global!

Go Global! is a programme run by the University that allows students to spend a minimum of 2 weeks abroad at one of their partnering Universities. This was launched in 2013 and so far the students have explored parts of China. In 2015 there will be the option to choose from China or India. All trips and accommodation are included, all you have to worry about is getting a visa, travel insurance and getting yourself to and from the airport in the UK. 

This is something I am considering doing in the summer after I Graduate as I know a few people who have done it and said it was amazing! All you have to do it submit an application form that says why you should be chosen to go. 

The exact experience depends on the destination chosen but it tends to include visits to famous historical sites, tasting authentic local food, experiencing local life, various talks on things about the country and even basic language classes. 

The Go Global! Leadership award is something that will look great on your CV, can provide you access to work-ready programmes and will give you experiences that you will remember for the rest of your life. It's a great way to 'go travelling' with an organised tour, for not too much expense and all the hard work of booking accommodation is done for you!

Check out more here: Go Global!

What can I be doing be doing in the Summer before Uni?

Firstly RELAX and ENJOY YOURSELF! Most people will come from school/college and this will be their first proper break from education in a long time! But there are a few things that those who are keen to get started can be either thinking about or doing.


Earn some money - University is an expensive time before you even think about living costs and a social life! Having a resource of cash in the bank available to you before you come to Uni is really helpful - Especially during freshers week! I worked and built up a pot of 'spending money' and 'rainy day money' for Uni, meaning that during term time I don't have to spend as much of my free time working. I have a reserve fund if something comes up out of the blue, but more importantly I have money that I can spend on what ever I like! This just makes things less stressful when you get to Uni and everything is changing.


Get Experience - If you are planning to get a degree to do a particular job then get some experience of working in that environment if you can. For example, if you want to become a PE teacher then get experience in some schools volunteering. If you want to go into personal training then ask the local gym if you can shadow someone for the day.



Find the reading list - If you want to get a head start on your course then find the reading list and maybe even buy a few books. I would recommend that you don't go on a crazy spending spree because there will be some textbooks on the list that you will only need once and others that become essential for modules. Maybe visit the University Library as a Visitor to have a look at the books first? You won't be able to take them home but it could help you decide which to buy.

Buy Stationary - Think about how you are going to organise yourself whilst at Uni. Are you going to need pens/pencils/folders/highlighters/paper or are you going to go down the iPad/tablet route? Put a plan in action, it doesn't matter if it changes! Look out for back to school deals at the end of August and beginning of September.


Accumulate Living Items (if living away from home) - Yes I mean ACCUMULATE! Many friends/family members will have a surplus of kitchen utensils, bathroom stuff and washing things so ask around if anyone has anything going for free before you spend out on brand new things. I ended up with a microwave, plates, knives/forks/spoons, a few saucepans, a washing basket, a clothes horse, chopping boards, ironing board - and that's just the stuff I took! (I could have had a fridge, washing machine etc. but I didn't need it). This meant that there were only a few things I needed to buy new, and some of those I bought in charity shops! No-one at Uni has matching stuff, it's at risk of being broken/lost anyway so why waste money on it!

I drew the line at towels and bedding - I bought those new/took my own from home!

Add your University on Social Media - There will be loads of groups to join/follow surrounding your University, from official events to freshers events to clubs and societies. These are a great way to interact with people before you get there or even just keep an eye on what is happening so that when you arrive, you feel like you know what's going on. 


I'm sure there are plenty of other things to do during your summer but those are a few. I would highly recommend RELAXING because as soon as you get to Uni, you won't stop until you Graduate - and even then you might have a job to walk straight into!

Support at University

Beds is a great University in terms of supporting its students, whether it's financially, academically or with personal problems. I'm going to introduce you to a few services that Beds offer to support its students but you can find out more here: Support at Beds.

A few of the services include mental health support, disability support, community and faith support, counselling, student money advice, academic support, careers and employability support, to name some. I am going to speak mostly about finding out who to go to, academic support and support for international students.


Who do I go to?

The Student Information Desk (SiD for short) is a great place to start if you don't know who to go to. They are available on campus, online and provide e-guides to common problems students face. If they are not able to find a solution to your query themselves, they have a vast network of specialist services to direct you towards. They are also able to print various letters for you (e.g. council tax exemption letter), can help with forms to fill out (e.g. access to learning forms) and much more. 
Check out their full range of services here: SiD


Academic Support?

The Study Hub offers help with academic study, computer skills and personal development.

You can go to their drop in sessions, book an appointment for a 1-to-1, attend workshops or use their extensive range of self-help guides that take you step by step through common problems students come across. A few of their previous workshops have included note taking for assignments, assignment planning, giving a presentation, referencing and help with reading academic material. 
Check out their website for more information: Study Hub


Support for International Students

This service can help with problems from Visas and immigration to study support and communication skills. I personally have not used this service but if you require more information, please see their website here: International Student Support



It is very clear to me that all the support offered at Beds is designed with the students at the centre. I personally feel that if ever I have a problem, I am well supported by my University to help deal with it in the best way for me. 

Facilities at Bedford

Here at Bedford there has been a lot of money invested into new facilities over the last few years. We have relatively new accommodation, a fairly new sports hall and most recently a brand new Gateway Building and brand new Gym. 

I'm going to focus this blog on the Library, the new Gateway Building and the Gym but there are other facilities to check out too --> see http://www.beds.ac.uk/ for more info.

The Library
At Bedford there are a vast amount of books, journals and resources available to students,

but also an incredible wealth of online jounals and ebooks. There are plenty of computers, printers/scanners/photocopiers, group study areas and a silent floor (Level 2) for independent study. There are large TV screens that you can plug in to laptops/tablets, which are great for group work (and also watching Wimbledon! Shhh!). Our library is open 24/7 and manned by specialist staff during the day, who are always happy to help. The library offer a wide range of services to help students with academic study 
(http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/libraryservices) and each faculty has a Specialist Librarian assigned to them, who are available to help with more subject specific queries.

I have spent a lot of time in the library and it's a good atmosphere, even when you're pulling your hair out over an assignment! During term time I can guarantee I will see at least 10 people I know and will say 'Hi' to every time I go in.




The Gateway Building
This was finished earlier this year and provides LOTS more teaching and learning spaces.

On the ground floor there is the ESSENTIAL Costa Coffee, many social seating areas, areas to study (inc. TVs to plug laptops/tablets into), computers available for people to use and the main reception desk. Level 1&2 have social areas, isolated working areas of various sizes for private group work or individual study and many lecture/seminar rooms, most of which have multiple whiteboards which are good for group working!

See more photos here: Gateway




The Aspire Gym
This was finished just over a month ago and looks pretty swish! There are lots of weights

machines, cardiovascular machines, lots of free weights specialised strength and conditioning equipment including three lifting platforms and two squat racks. The gym has changing rooms with showers, hair-dryers and lockers for members to use. When you sign up, you are able to use the gym at both the Luton and Bedford campus.


Hopefully that gives you a small insight into some of the facilities at Bedford, but I would highly reccommend you having a look at the Website AND coming to an Open Day to see them for yourself!

How to pick the right University for you

Firstly, congratulations on deciding that you want to attend University - It's not an easy choice to make for everyone but you've already taken the first step! I have put together a step by step guide to help you find the right University and right course for you:

1. Select a subject area (e.g. Sport)
2. Decide whether it is important to you if you stay near home or can move away. (If you are staying near home your choices can become narrow very quickly).
3. Try looking at some league tables, for example The Guardian or The Complete University Guide. Note that different University's will rank better for different subjects and under different headings (e.g. student satisfaction, graduate prospects, entry standards etc.)
4. Use the UCAS Website to Find a Course - look at lots of different courses and different Universities (even if you are planning to stay near home).
5. Print off some courses and highlight things you like/dislike in different colours. You will start to notice a pattern, for example course content (more science/sociology) or method of examination (essays/exams/practicals).
6. Find a course that has the most of what you like - it is unlikely that you will love everything about one course but you can like most of it.
7. Research that particular course and the Universities that offer it.
   
8. Narrow down the Universities by checking out their websites, googling news stories, going to open days and chatting to people who have done that course or have studied something else there.
9. Sometimes courses appear more or less the same, so think about their geographical location - would you like to live by the sea, or in a big city, or in a rural area?
10. Make your choices on your UCAS application.

This can be quite an emotional time and the process can be quite stressful - be prepared for that. I try to deal with any emotional decision by looking at it logically at first, so following the process above can help with that. Here is another guide from The Complete University Guide.

Most importantly though is that you talk to people about it all - your friends and family can provide a support network and can be great to bounce ideas off of. Don't set your heart on one course at one institution - be aware that things may not develop in the way you intended them to, for example budgets can be cut and thus less places offered. 

Once you have an idea of the course and Universities that you are interested in, BOOK AN OPEN DAY! These are great opportunities to work out whether you like the University, the course and the local area - remember you will live there for at least 3 years!

Any questions please leave a comment below - otherwise, happy searching!

Get into Sport

Get into Sport is a programme set up by the University of Bedfordshire to encourage more students and staff to be physically active. All you have to do is sign up for FREE and you can attend any and as many as the sessions on the timetable as you want. 

Wheelchair Basketball

The sessions are mostly non-competitive and fun, and can be a great introduction into sports you haven't tried before. There are qualified coaches at the sessions to provide hints, tips and coaching. Some of the more traditional sports offered at the Bedford campus include cricket, badminton, tennis, football, dodgeball, table tennis and futsal. However there are sessions for sports that you may not have had an opportunity to try out - ultimate frisbee, canoeing/kayaking, rowing, handball and wheelchair basketball. 


Another good thing about Get into Sport is that if you have a coaching qualification, you can apply to be a Coach, or an Activator if you don't have coaching qualifications, meaning you can be paid to run the sessions! 

I have attended a few sessions and they are great fun! After a while you tend to get the same people turning up each week, meaning you get to know them. Being on a sports course means I meet lots of other people from sports courses, but through Get into Sport I have met and made friends with people from other courses too.

Human Table Football

FitBit Fan!

I have fairly recently bought a FitBit - and I love it so much that I bought one for my Mum and one for my Partner! There are other brands available such as the Garmin VivoFit, the Jawbone UP, Nike Fuel Band, Polar Loop etc. but I chose to invest in the FitBit. 

FitBits are activity trackers that monitor various things throughout the day. There have been adverts on the TV recently that you may have seen. Now, when I heard that this technology was going to be commercially available, the Sport Scientist in me couldn't wait to get my hands on one! They can track your steps, heart rate, sleep, floors climbed, exercise and more! Our family are now in competition with each other to be top of the leader board at the end of the week for most number of steps taken. You can input what you eat and drink and it can aid with weight loss/stability/gain and is a great motivation tool whether you appreciate the science behind it or not! (Note: I know they are not 100% accurate or reliable, this isn't a blog arguing for or against them - it's just my experiences).

I like the fact that I can set it up to record my stats (and map my activity) when I'm training. I play a lot of badminton, cycle and have recently started running again and it's been fascinating to analyse the stats once the workout is done, and over time. Being on a sports course means that I am often pulled into the labs to do some sort of exercise training test, which is great fun, but being able to access that sort of information outside of a lab really excites me! (I know...)



It excites me so much that my dissertation is looking into the potential for the use of activity tracking technology in PE. I thought I would write a blog on here in the hope that people could share their experiences and thoughts on using this type of technology in the classroom. Please leave feedback in the comments section below - I'd love to read your thoughts! The thought of bringing Sports Science into Schools with such a simple device could really enhance the pedagogies employed by teachers and could bring PE into the 21st Century!

PAL

Peer Assisted Learning is a peer mentoring scheme at Beds. I was a PAL leader this year and we had PAL leaders in first Year, so I am going to give you an insight from both perspectives. You can find out more about PAL by clicking this link: http://www.beds.ac.uk/pal 

As a first year student, induction week can be quite overwhelming in terms of meeting lots of new people and being bombarded with information, most of which you won't remember! PAL leaders are with you in induction week to answer questions you may have, give you an insight into University life and to 'show you the ropes'. You will then have weekly group PAL meetings until Easter. 

As a first year it was great to speak to people who had been there and done that the year before, so they were great at answering questions - especially when it came to assignments and studying. We had sessions on assignments, the best places to go for a good night out, thinking about careers - all sorts! After the first few weeks we were asked to suggest things to talk about in PAL so the sessions were tailored towards us. Plus when you are wandering around campus for the first few weeks not knowing many people it's great to recognise a face and say 'Hi' as you walk past each other - it makes you feel more at home.

As a PAL leader it's good to make contact with the new first years. I have spent a lot of time this year developing sessions to help my first years and I made sure it was all tailored towards them and what they wanted. For example, my group were particularly struggling with a Physiology module so we spent some time working together to understand concepts, finding helpful resources to use if they got stuck again and getting to know how each person learns best. This was a really memorable session for me as I felt like I had really made an impact on their learning - they left the session understanding things they previously hadn't and had the knowledge of where to look if they got stuck again.

Being a PAL leader is not only great for your CV but it helps you develop you confidence, planning and time management skills but also the ability to think on your feet. Some weeks I had planned a session and all the group could talk about was something else, so thinking on my feet I ran a session on that so the group felt more comfortable and at ease by the time they left. 

Coaching Qualifications...

Coaching Qualifications are a great thing to have when you're interested in a career in Sport! They can help advance your own knowledge of a sport, help you develop as a performer and as a coach. I originally got mine because I needed them to work as a sports coach but since coming to Uni they have found me countless jobs and opportunities!

Lots of people at Uni say to me that they are interested in doing them but they cost a lot of money and/or they can't find a course... Well, yes they will cost some money but see it as an investment, and there are plenty of schemes about to help with the cost. For example a few years ago the FA ran women only coaching courses for FREE to train more women to become football coaches as part of their 'getting women/girls playing football' campaign. The 'This Girl Can' Campaign by Sport England may also have funding to help some into coaching. Consider less traditional sports too - archery, canoeing, fencing, goalball are just the beginning!

Finding a course, on the other hand is something I can help with!

Sports Coach UK and 1st 4 Sport are a great place to start, as well as your governing body for your own sport. There are plenty of courses running for a wide variety of sports so have a look, even at sports you've never tried, and see what you think. Each sport will have their own ranking system of qualifications for coaches but a general rule is that a Level 1 course is for those who are looking to be an assistant coach, are just getting into a sport or are still Juniors; Level 2 courses are for coaches who want to run their own sessions. Most sports require that you complete a Level 1 before a Level 2 so consider that when you are thinking about booking courses - don't book on to a Level 2 before completing your Level 1! National Governing Bodies of sports are also a good place to look - for example the FA, British Gymnastics, England Athletics, Badminton England etc...

Once you are qualified, advertise that you are! Contact your local council, they might have some work for you, and if not they can point you in the direction of places to advertise your services. With a coaching qualification usually comes a DBS Check (CRB), a first aid qualification and a safeguarding certificate (you have to get these in order to pass the coaching qualification - you will be advised as to how to obtain these) which are all useful in helping you to get placements or work in a variety of settings. They also look great on Uni applications!

Please leave a comment if you have any specific questions about coaching or specific sports and I will do my best to answer them!

One Trick Pony...

This weeks blog is about not being a one trick pony when it comes to applying for Uni. If all you can talk about in your personal statement and at interview is how much you love sport, you'll be at the bottom of the pile! Now if you're applying for a sports course that may seem strange, but Universities want people who are willing to try different things, who have a breadth of experiences not just within sport but outside of it too!

One of my lectures this year actually told us in an employability lecture that if she is reading personal statements/job applications/conducting interviews and all the person can talk about is football then they 'get filed under rubbish'. So from the horses mouth you need to be getting different experiences within sport and outside it. 

This weekend I'm in Wales with my Choir for a weekend of performances and 'socialising'. When I was applying for Uni I made sure that I spoke about my choir, my voluntary work and a range of sports that I was involved in. These TRANSFERABLE SKILLS are what make you stand out from the crowd!

This Summer is a great opportunity to get some experiences! You can do things voluntarily (people are always looking for volunteers!) or even get paid to do it! Coaching companies such as Sports Xtra or Premier Sport (others are available) often run holiday clubs/camps for kids and are looking for people to work for them during the summer holidays. I found it really good fun to work with the kids, I went rock climbing, swimming, canoeing and loads of other things with them - and I got paid to do it! Have a look for jobs like these to broaden your horizons within sport - especially if you want to become a teacher!


Outside of sport is more tricky for some - I've always been a musician too so for me it wasn't difficult. If you don't know where to start try googling hobbies and seeing what comes up. Wood work? Drama? Art? Photography? Gardening? Music? Vintage Cars? Bird Watching? You don't know until you try it!

Make the most of your summer and get lots of experiences - you need to start applying for jobs now ready for the summer, especially for the coaching/kids camp ones!

Exams...

This time of year sucks! It's really sunny... but you have to revise for exam season! I have written previously about revision, but now I'm going to focus on the exam! This is from my previous experiences and this seems to work for me.

Revision stops for me at dinner time on the night before - I just chill out after dinner and take my mind away from the exam. I get an early-ish night and make sure that I have packed everything I need for my exam in the morning.

In the morning I wake up with plenty of time to shower, wash and dry my hair and have breakfast at a leisurely pace. It takes me a while to fully wake up and so I want to make sure I am awake by exam time! Then I leave the house allowing plenty of travel time.

Once I get to school/uni for my exam I have a quick last look over anything I'm particularly worried about or want to get into my head. I make sure that on the outside I'm looking fairly chilled and relaxed because it seems to convince my mind that it feels the same!

When it comes to opening the paper I always get that little heart flutter of 'this is it'. My mum gave me a piece of advice when I was doing my GCSEs that has helped with exams ever since - take three long and deep breaths and then remind yourself that you are going to do your best because that's all anyone can ask for!

Here are a few things that I do to help calm my nerves under exam conditions:

1. Set out my table how I want it - Pens at the top right, pencils top left with a rubber and pencil sharpener in the corner, ruler underneath, everything in line with the table edges. I adjust my chair so that I am comfortable. This is my way of owning the space and making my self feel less like it's a big scary exam hall.
2. Deep, slow breathing - always a good one! If you tend to work yourself up try a quick breathing exercise whilst waiting for everyone to be seated. Its called the 4-7-8 breathing technique (4 seconds breathing in, hold for 7 seconds, 8 seconds breathing out). Some people say it makes them feel sleepy but if you are feeling anxious or stress, doing this a couple of times really helps focus you - plus the physiological benefits.
3. When you leave the exam don't talk about it! It's in the past there is nothing you can do! Dissecting it question by question is not going to help your stress levels so move on and do something different. If you have other exams take a bit of time to chill before getting back into revision, even an hour or two will help!

             Good luck to everyone taking exams! Just remember it's a small part of you life and who you are!

Halls...

This week it's all about Halls! I personally have never lived in halls (you can read my commuter blog from earlier in the year if you are thinking about Commuting) but many of my friends have - so I thought I would give you an insiders view of living in halls...

You can find lots more information about Living at Beds or specifically about Liberty living by clicking the hyper links. I would recommend attending an open day and taking a tour of the different accommodation that is available, plus you can then ask any questions you may have. 

Stress!

This time of year for most students can be pretty stressful, what with exams, assignments, finding summer jobs and wanting to be outside in the sunshine instead! I thought I would write this weeks blog from my own struggles with stress and what I have learned to do to deal with it.

So here goes:

1. It's ok to feel stressed! Sometimes stress is a good thing (for example if you were being chased by dinosaurs and didn't bat an eyelid, you would probably get eaten very quickly!) but more often than not - it's normal! You are not weak if you are stressed or show signs of being stressed - it's just part of life.
2. Know the signs of your stress. I personally get very physical signs, like heart palpitations, fidgety or restlessness, but others don't. I know some people get very insular and don't really fancy doing anything, even going down the pub for a catch up and I know others who will do anything and everything apart from face what's stressing them out. It's different for everyone but knowing your own symptoms will help you cope with it.
   
   
3. Talk to someone about it. I know people say this a lot but it really does help. I would never speak to someone I knew about things like that but I could speak to a stranger about it - so I did. Having had that experience I now feel more comfortable talking to my friends and family. The people you have around you will support you, so don't be afraid to talk. If you genuinely feel you can't then write it down. Just getting thoughts out of your head will help you make sense of it all.
4. Work out how to alleviate your stress. For some people walking away from what is stressing them out and coming back to it works. For others they need to face it head on, deal with it and power forward. I found that I was different in different situations, which makes things more tricky to work out in the first instance, but once you get to grips with it you'll know what to do quite quickly. 
5. Some ways I reduce stress my levels are to make sure I get enough sleep, exercise and being outdoors if it's nice weather, listening to music, watching films and drinking a cup of hot, sweet tea. Never underestimate the healing powers of a cuppa!

This is just from my own experiences and everyone is different. Hopefully by writing about it people will feel able to deal with stress in a positive way.

There are counselling services available all over the country, through schools, universities and charities, so if you want to talk to someone but feel you have no where to go, have a look for these services. 

Lab Sessions!

On Sport and PE (and other Sports courses) we study subjects that require time in the laboratories to conduct testing and help develop our knowledge and understanding of concepts.

This was my last Lab session as a Second Year student - I've put together a short video for you to get an insight into what we get up to in Labs.

This particular lab was looking at nutrition and the use of fats and carbohydrates in different types of exercise. I have done sessions in the enviornmental chamber, which is really good fun!  

The lab sessions are a part of my course that I really enjoy! UoB has even been awarded funds by FIFA to conduct research for them, with regards to the upcoming World Cups! See more here: UoB FIFA. The facilities here are incredible and really help with learning the theory. 

Revision

So it's that time of year again... Exams! I thought I would give you an insight into my revision 'tactics' and you are more than welcome to use them! At school, when you come to an age that you need to be revising, teachers bang on about different ways to remember things. That's great but I know that I personally didn't find it that useful. Here are some things that I have used in the past, I not saying that this is the only way to revise, it's just what I found best for me.

1. I don't make a revision schedule - I could never stick to it because life is too changeable and it just made me feel bad when I didn't. I take it day by day, plan times that could be used for revision and then revise what ever subject I feel like doing (sometimes because it's the easiest, sometimes because I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing) at the time. 
2. I can't do the 30mins revision and 10min break - so I don't! I always felt like I was just getting into the flow of things and then the alarm would go off for a break, and then I found it harder to get going again after. I tend to revise for as long as I can, whether that's because I stop for dinner, training or because I've had enough. Some stints can be an hour, others have been 4 hours - but the 4 hour one didn't feel like it because I had found my rhythm.
3. I start my revision by learning the keywords (I study mostly science type subjects) - this way I know i have a basic knowledge and can then build everything else around it. Plus if there is an obscure question on the exam I will know the keywords and can make an intelligent guess if I don't know the answer.

Here are some techniques I have found particularly useful - you can do them the old fashioned way with coloured pens and paper but I want to introduce revision to the 21st Century! I have found some apps that have really helped with my revision, and because you still have to input the information yourself, it's just like writing it out.


Mind Maps:

There are plenty of mind mapping programmes out there that you can try, either free downloads or ones that you pay for. I personally use SimpleMind FREE which I downloaded from the app store (or here http://www.simpleapps.eu/simplemind/). It syncs with my iPhone and iPad so I always have my revision with me on the go. This is quite good if you are waiting around and instead of checking Facebook/Twitter (which we all do) I open the mind map and have another look.

I like this because you can use colours, make connections and link things together and you can print it so there is always the option of sticking it to the wall or back of the bathroom door!





Flash cards:

Again there are lots of programmes out there but I use Flashcards by NKO which was FREE in the app store. I like this because it syncs with my iPad and iPhone, it's on my dropbox and you can create lots of different decks for different subjects. You can also invite friends to join the decks, so you can create them together and compete against each other!

It has the option to use it like regular flashcards or play games, such as true/false, match the pairs up, memory tasks, word searches, spellings, quizzes but you can also have it read the cards to you - which is great if you drive because you can plug in and do revision on the go!


Quizlet:


This is similar to Flashcards above and has all the games type features and sharing capabilities. I originally found it online at: https://quizlet.com and I created an account. You can also access decks created by others so for example, if you wanted to revise the bones of the body, you could search for this and use someone else's cards. Teachers can also set up accounts and use it as a starting base for their students revision and everyone could access the same decks and add to them - which is a great class revision homework type task!

Those are the main three things I tend to use but I also like to revise in a small group or pairs, where someone asks me questions or I describe the word on the card and they have to guess what it is. I also don't mind helping other people out by going over things they don't understand as if I can teach it to someone then I know that I know it!

1. Start early - the earlier you start the better prepared you will be. Even if you just make up your cards and haven't looked at them, you'll know the bits you will struggle with and so can spend more time of them.
2. Have a positive attitude - revision is not the most fun, especially as the weather gets nicer, but we all have to do it at some point in our lives so just get on with it. Taking a positive attitude towards it will just make it that little bit easier to start.
3. Be honest with yourself - if you're not doing enough it's ok to admit, but then you have to do something about it! If you are so stressed that you can't stop revising then maybe a tick list would be good for you - you could check off 3/5 topics a day and then stop.
4. Have an overview of the subject - I write a list of topic areas and the subheadings within those. This way I know what I need to revise, where I am and I know I won't have missed anything.
5. Talk - Revision and exams are stressful times! Talking to friends, family and teachers about how it is going, and being HONEST about it, will really help! If you are struggling that's ok to admit. Use the support network around you to help get you back on track. Keeping quiet won't help your revision and will increase your stress levels, and that won't help either!