I've finished the Michaelmas term at Cambridge, and after the winter holidays, I am back in town for Lent term. I had an extremely stressful first term at Cambridge, and I made tonnes of mistakes that made the journey more difficult than it needed to be. I cried and worried, but this is what I've learnt so far:
- Planning is everything - Do not sit down and start working on anything without a plan.
- Scope is even more important than a plan - It is important to efficiently scope anything you start, regardless of how big or small. You need to have an idea of what the end goal is, and you need to know when to stop. This ensures that you spend your time focusing on the right things. You might also finish all the work, and end up realising that there was a better / easier way to do it.
- Take lots of walks - Very often, I've found the weather hit me hard, and when combined with all the pressure and tension that comes with being a student, it can get very depressing quite fast. During winters, it gets dark by late afternoon, and it's pitch darkness by the time you go back home. Take lots of walks during the day, as a break between work.
- Choose modules wisely - I ended up with 3 submissions over the break.