Post-exam limbo

For the past few weeks, the daunting fact that I had an exam coming up was making my nights long and my days more stressful than was needed. Whilst still being taught most of what the exam was meant to be about (with about 95% of it not even coming up), we were expected to revise for the exam... on topics we didn't know about. To say the run-up to the exam wasn't stressful is an understatement, with coursemates in their dozens constantly barking questions to one another with little sufficient answers.

That said, since most of the topics I revised for didn't even come up, I'm hopeful that the grade I got is good enough. When the exam finished - which, unusually, was held in a lecture theatre meaning it suddenly felt far too secondary-school-esque to be an actual university exam - I left the room feeling simply content. I didn't feel relieved as much as I thought I would that the exam was over, I didn't feel like I wanted to celebrate that much since the exam felt like a bit of a con. A quarter of it was analysis of a news story, which didn't exactly need revision but more general journalistic skill, and half of the exam was multiple choice. With one hour of the exam set aside for multiple choice answering, most of the class finished this section within 20 minutes - the people around me in less than 10. With so much free time during the exam, it didn't feel as pressured as a usual exam, and with friends left and right of me within breathing distance (including one behind me constantly sniffling as constantly as a woodpecker) it didn't at all feel as demanding as I thought.

As I said, when I left the room I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do for that matter. I have two more exams tomorrow - one of which we can't revise for and the other, shorthand, which no-one expects to pass since we've got another 8 or so chances until the end of the year where we can devote our whole summer practising for.

As for now, time seems to be very much available. A catch-up session with the gym yesterday, one today, and one tomorrow will help burn some hours, as will another two 10-20 mile cycles down by the coast, but other than that time just seems to... stand still.

I'm not sure whether to savour the free time, or wonder where my ~£3,500 of university fees is going... but for now, all that's left to do is twiddle thumbs and wait until work recommences...