How To Beat Exam Stress in Glasgow

Whenever exam season rolls around, there seems one of two paths to follow: resign yourself to living 24 hours a day in the library, or else become a creature of the night. Whether your day starts at 8am or 4pm, squeezing a semester’s worth of lectures into a matter of days is no mean feat.

If you’re a student, you already know the daily struggle of balancing study, sleep and staying alive by whatever means necessary. You know the importance of finding coffee on campus at all hours of the night, and when you ask how long a person can survive on ramen noodles, you’re looking for validation – not life advice. So for seasoned students and hopeless crammers alike, here follows a quick and dirty guide to surviving exams in Glasgow.

By Laurie Cole, 3rd year English Literature at Glasgow University

Know the campus

If you can’t face the morning rabble to hunt for a seat in the library, it’s worth knowing where else you can go. Next time you can’t find a spot, check out the Reading Room on University Avenue, or the Bridie and Elliot libraries at the Glasgow University Union.

Don’t study in your bedroom

When deadlines are looming, it’s not uncommon to go two, three days without seeing sunlight. So why not introduce a tried and tested student favourite to your study routine.

Open from 7am-10pm (depending on the branch) iCafe can be found on Saucchiehall Street, Woodlands Road, Great Western Road and in Merchant City. Outfitted with plenty of power outlets, tables and a computer suite complete with printers, iCafe is the perfect place to get stuck in. With student discount offered on food from all-day breakfasts to burritos and a range of specialist drinks, you won’t even need to leave. Ever.

Take time to de-stress

Sometimes you need to take a break from campus – even if you don’t venture far. Boasting hangover-busting green teas and an expansive range of specialities, Tchai-Ovna on Otago Lane is the perfect environment for a mini cleanse.

Know where to go

At the other end of the spectrum, there will be times when all you need to know is where you can get coffee that doesn’t come from a vending machine. On such occasions, Tinderbox on Byres Road will see you through to 11pm, hopefully giving you a much needed kickstart for that ill-advised all-nighter.

Know what’s on offer

For when things get really tough, the University has drop-in counselling sessions on offer every day. Slots are available from 9am, bookable on the day on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to get in quick.

For more long-term support, register with the University’s Counselling & Psychological services online for access to up to five sessions of counselling.