11 things wise students do at half-term to boost their grades
Half-term is here! You've been longing for the relentless cycle of school, weekend, school, weekend to be broken for, oh, at least four weeks. Now is the time when you can make the most of a bit of breathing space, take a bit of time for yourself and catch-up on the things you know you ought to have been doing, but have been way too busy to do.
Let's dive in.
11 things wise students do at half-term to boost their grades
1. Take time to yourself
You've been wondering for weeks when you'd have the chance to take off the nail-varnish that you put on for new year and now is hopelessly chipped and tatty. Or, maybe there's a magazine lying by your bed getting more and more dog-earred although you haven't read it yet.
Half-term is the perfect opportunity to set some time aside for you. You shouldn't feel guilty about this. You should make the most of it and use the time to relax and reboot. Self-care is good for you!
2. Take a day off
Yes, take a whole day off! Luxuriate in a whole day with no study, no revision and no homework. Give yourself permission to do this.
If it makes you feel too guilty you could spend the day visiting a place connected with your studies. So, if you're studying World War 2 go to Bletchley Park or the Cabinet War Rooms. If you're studying physics go to the National Space Centre. This will give you a different perspective and added background to what you're studying.
3. Get some exercise
There's nothing better for the brain than a bit of exercise. Whether you decide to go for a run or do a yoga video from YouTube everyday then go for it! Get your blood circulating and your body moving. (Top tip – I'm loving the videos from Yoga With Adriene at the moment – they're relatively short and tend to your mind as well as your body).
Half-term tip: There's nothing better for the brain than a bit of exercise. Take this chance to move your body. Share on X4. Get some fresh air
Fresh air is good for the body and the soul. Get outside and breathe some real air into your lungs. Bonus points if you can do this somewhere beautiful or attractive.
When I was studying for my exams I was lucky enough to have my dad's farm on my door-step. There was nothing better than a 20 minute walk around the back field to refresh me for another study session.
5. Catch-up
You may have been feeling like you're on a hamster-wheel since Christmas. With mocks, coursework, ISAs, teachers telling you to start revising and other stuff going on too you constantly feel like you're running to catch-up.
Now is the time you can catch-up on all those things you know you should have been doing but you've seen slipping out of your grasp. Set some time aside specifically to catch-up.
6. Get organised
As you've been trying to keep all those balls in the air for the past six weeks you've probably let some of the ‘house-keeping' tasks slip. Things like filing your notes at the end of the week and making sure you've completed all your notes and homework tasks.
Half-term is the perfect time to get started. You may even feel it's the time to kickstart your revision.
Half-term is the perfect time to get organised and kick-start your revision. Share on X7. Make some revision materials
With the time and space that comes with half-term it's a great idea to start making some revision materials. Whether this is revision notes, flash cards, posters or something else this is a great time to start getting ahead with these tasks.
8. Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Everyone has strong points and weak points when it comes to their subjects. For me, I found the equations in A-Level Chemistry really tough as well as the concepts in electrolysis. I faced up to these weaknesses and made sure I spent more time on them so they wouldn't pull my overall grade down.
Take some time to identify which things you find more difficult (or score lower marks for) and make a plan to put in some extra work on these.
9. Get ahead
Along with catching-up half-term is a great time to get ahead of yourself. So, this could be making revision materials or planning out your revision for the next term. Or, it could be re-reading a text from English that you read right at the beginning of the course or printing off all the past-papers from the exam board website ready for you to use.
10. Have some fun!
It's very easy to lose sight of who you are amongst the text books, coursework, revision notes and past papers. Try to make time to just have some pure and simple fun, and laugh! Once you've had this outlet you'll be more ready to get back to the books and crack-on with your studies.
11. Further Reading
Further reading is crucial to help you get the top grades. It's also vitally important to write about the reading that you've done in your personal statement when you're applying to university. If you struggle to squeeze in time for further reading during normal term-time then half-term is a great time to catch-up.
If you need to brush up on your study skills you might also consider reading one of my books.
- The Ten Step Guide to Acing Every Exam You Ever Take gives you a clear road-map to exam success. It lays out the steps I took to get 5 As at A-Level. In just a few minutes reading you'll feel more in control because you've got a strategy to follow to get the grades you want and deserve. Get your copy here.
- Alternatively, Revision Quickstart Guide gives you everything thing need to know to start revising and can be read in less than 30 minutes! Get your copy here.
Question: what are you going to do over half-term to boost your grades? Leave a comment below.
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