STUVAC

SWOTVAC, STUVAC, SWOTTING. A non-teaching period for students to use for study. Yeah, that’s what happens. How do we go from leisurely procrastination to wound-up caffeine fiends?

“Oh yeah I will get to that in a few days”

It’s day one of SWOTVAC and a full seven days of ‘study time’ stretches out ahead of you.  You have notes to do but that’s what tomorrow is for, right? The first few days are for recovering and ‘organising’ your time.  Allocating work over a period of other days feels like work.

“I am studying because I have a word document open”

Your notes are open in a window on your computer. Problem is, Facebook, YouTube and Survive Law are too. This is like the warm up lap. The lap were you realise just how long the pool is and how much work you have ahead of you. SWOTVAC looks a whole lot shorter right now, doesn’t it?

“LEAVE ME ALONE”

Around day four the gravity of a semester of procrastination hits you.  Let the frenzied fun begin! Loved ones tread into your space with trepidation.  Food gets cautiously left for you on the corner of your desk, eating with everyone else would mean spending precious minutes doing anything that is not law related. But somehow Facebook still finds its way onto your computer.

Coffee or Red Bull-induced psychosis

70% of your notes are in order and the preparation finish line is in sight. Too bad you have hooked yourself up on an unbelievable amount of energy drinks – sleep will be a long time coming.  Chances are you’ll complete your notes at 4am after about 36 hours without sleep. Then you’re lying in bed staring at the ceiling and getting frustrated about not being able to sleep.

Aren’t exams fun?

(Law School Survival Guide)