[Lindsay]: Hi guys! I'm Lindsay.
[Rodah]:Hi guys, I'm Rodah.
[Lindsay]: We are just going to have a quick conversation about
academic stresses and concerns and how to deal with them as they come up during your time at LSE.
[Rodah]: This video is literally just going to be about our personal experiences so far.
[Lindsay]: We're both master's students, and then
we're also both international students. I'm from the U.S.
[Rodah] And I'm from Kenya.
[Lindsay]: So that's definitely been an interesting experience and kind of
adds to our...I don't know...it's a different school system that we're not used to.
[Both]: Different country.
[Lindsay]: Classes are structured differently.
[Rodah]: During my undergrad we would do, let's say, an assessment in the middle of the
semester which would account for, let's say, 40 percent of your final grade, and then later do
a final exam which accounted for 60 percent. This is different where you're sitting for
one exam that's determining your future, and it's like 100 percent of your grade.
[Lindsay]: And then obviously LSE is a very good school, so classes are not easy,
and that's good because we're learning a lot, but you have to be able to manage the stress.
[Rodah]: Exactly. Because on top of everything, I mean thinking about the exams in the future,
you also have... let's say, the formative essays in the middle of the semester,
you have a lot of readings, a lot of coursework, so it's crazy. It's a bit crazy.
[Lindsay]: Yeah, and if you're coming from abroad, you're kind of hit with all of that while you're
adjusting to living in a new country. Maybe it's the first time you're living on your own,
so there are a lot of different things that kind of come into play there. I think another thing
that I have definitely struggled with since I've been here has been imposter syndrome and kind of
letting that seep into my academic life. There are a lot of very, very smart people at LSE,
and it's an awesome opportunity to learn from your peers in addition to learning from your
professors, but it can be difficult. Yeah, it could be intimidating. Sometimes you kind of look
around, and you...or at least personally, I have compared myself to other classmates, and their
experiences, and it's not helpful at all. Let me just say that. There's no reason to compare.
[Rodah]: You applied and got in out of merit. You need to realize that you deserve your
place here. I think that's what I've been trying to tell myself as well. Lindsay and I
are dealing with the same problems because I also dealt with that. I'd hear someone
answering a question in class, and I think, "Oh my word how do they think of this? What am I doing?"
[Lindsay]: How do they know that? They're so smart.
[Rodah]: Exactly, they're so smart. What am I doing here? Why am I here?
[Lindsay]: But you have to remember that you also have knowledge that other people don't have,
so it's really more so about everyone bringing something different to the table
and recognizing that not everyone knows everything, but what you know is valuable.
[Rodah]: It's important. If you want you could also share it in the class by all means.
[Lindsay]: We're back and we have snacks.
We are just going to go over
our three main tips for dealing with academic stress and concerns. As we've kind of gone over,
there are a lot of reasons you might get stressed throughout the term. Some of them valid. I mean,
like it is a lot of work, and you need to be able to manage that. And some of them less so,
specifically imposter syndrome. Our first main piece of advice is to use your support.
[Rodah]: Oh yes. Yeah, you realize that LSE has a myriad of support channels. This is
from student counselors. This is from LSE Life, which has so many resources,
so you could always sign up for a million and one workshops. I know I did. When I got here,
that was amongst the first things I did on the first week. Actually after the welcome week. So
I went on and started thinking, "Okay I need tips on how to write an essay. I need tips on how to
read my coursework. I need tips on how to summarize. I need tips on public speaking."
Really, what I'm trying to say here is just use your LSE Life. Again, book an appointment with a
student counselor. There's different groups for even anxiety and just support groups to
discuss what you're feeling, so utilize that because you have all this at your fingertips.
[Lindsay]: Yeah, and then the last point there I would bring up is office hours. Definitely use
those in courses where you're struggling. I know I have one course in particular that has been a
little challenging, and the first few weeks I felt very lost. I was freaking out a little bit
because I was like "I'm not going to be able to do this." You know, you do the little spiral thing of
stress and worry, but then I met with my professor in office hours,
and I was completely fine. She gave me some extra recommendations to do, and then since then I've
been making sure to schedule appointments with my professors routinely and take advantage of that,
so that's very helpful. All of the professors are so nice, and they want to help you. That's
what they're there for, and it's so easy to, through the Student Hub app, book appointments.
[Rodah]. Oh yeah, use that. The other thing, with regards to using your support, is also reaching out
to friends and family, especially as international students. It's unfortunate that you don't really
have family nearby, so we're constantly on whether it's Facetime or video calls or Whatsapp.
I mean talk to your classmates. You'd be surprised that you're all dealing with the same things,
so share this with your classmates. If you're struggling with an essay,
if you're struggling with a particular reading, talk to your classmates about it.
[Lindsay]: You are not alone. Usually if you talk to other people,
they're experiencing the same thing. They're struggling with
the same question on an assignment. They're struggling with the same...
[Rodah]: I had an experience all struggling with the same question
rather than a particular assignment. Yeah, talk to them.
[Lindsay]: And knowing you're not alone is very helpful.
[Rodah]: Exactly.
[Lindsay]: I think that's important.
[Rodah]: Yeah, so reach out to your friends,
family, classmates. Use all the resources. Exhaust everything you can.
[Lindsay]: There are so many people who want to support you in your studies, so take advantage of that.
Our second main tip is to get organized. I think that's personally very important for
me to make sure I have a calendar going at all times and then to-do lists. I personally
like to start every day with a to-do list, and then I usually also have a weekly to-do list,
which maybe sounds really extra, but it helps to kind of break all of your tasks down
and then be able to cross stuff off as you get it done.
[Rodah]: I like that. I also love to-do lists. I tend to put up a
number of sticky notes or post-its on my table with things to do, tasks to do,
and it's always so refreshing to cross off something once it's done. I do that,
and I also use the notes app on my phone. I guess that could be similar to Google Calendar I think.
[Lindsay]: Yeah.
[Rodah]: So I do that. I try to schedule everything.
[Lindsay]: If you know what's coming when, you've broken it down, a big piece–I will
emphasize this–is breaking your tasks down. If you have a ton of reading to do,
which you're at LSE, you probably do. I hate to break it to you.
Then instead of just putting "reading" on your to-do list, break them down into–well today I'm
going to do this 20, 30, 40 pages of reading, and then tomorrow I'm going to do this set. Then
you're able to cross more items off, which is also just satisfying, but it doesn't feel overwhelming.
[Rodah]: Exactly, and I think once you see yourself moving and crossing, even if it's one
item, off, you feel relieved, and you feel like, "Okay maybe I can do this. I can get through the
day, or I can finish this reading. I can do more things." That's really, really good. It's a plus.
[Both]: And finally...
[Lindsay]: Our last, our third, last-but-not-least point is balance and boundaries.
I think this is probably one of the most important ones, personally. If you want to
manage your academic stress, you have to make sure that you are taking care of yourself
and your life isn't just school. Personally, for me, it's been very important to find coping mechanisms
for dealing with stress when it happens. Getting outside, going for walks in parks,
doing yoga, whatever it is for you. Everyone has different things.
[Rodah]: Exercise, Joining a society. Yeah, just involve yourself in different activities.
Don't make your school life primary. Yes, your academic excellence is your priority. It is our priority,
but at the same time you need to remember that you're a human being, and you're not an island,
so you need to do other things that can also equally add to you and not take away from
your time. Like Lindsay said, yoga, going to the park, look for a little coffee shop somewhere if
you enjoy coffee. Take coffee. Drink some tea. I don't know. Just do something that's outside
of you...If you like reading a book, read a book. I mean of you're at LSE, you must like to read.
[Lindsay]: I hope you like to read.
[Rodah]: But read fiction
or just something that can take your mind off of school–just to breathe. It's important,
and if there are activities in your student accommodation,
or if there's a hangout with your friends, you should go for it. Give yourself that. One hour, two hours to just
be away from your books. It even gives you a fresh perspective when you need to go back to reading.
[Lindsay]: That's where the boundaries piece comes in. I feel like it comes in both ways. If you have
a big assignment coming up, you might need to say no to going out with your friends one night,
but the opposite can be true sometimes. Sometimes you need to say no to school and do something to
take care of yourself, get your mind off of school, reset. I know personally, when I get
really, really stressed, even though I may spend eight hours in the library trying to do work,
if I'm stressed, I'm not efficient. If I take an hour to go for a walk, do some yoga, meditate,
what have you, and I go back, I'll get that same amount of work done
in two hours. You're more efficient in school if you're taking care of yourself and you're
giving yourself some kind of balance socially, doing some things like exercise, being active.
[Rodah]: Actually there is a system. I'm not going to quote it properly because i'm not him,
but one of my professors suggested a certain system even on reading. You read for 50 minutes,
take a 10-minute break, read for another 50 minutes, take another 10-minute break,
then you read for maybe another 50 minutes and then now you take an hour long break.
You take that time to maybe take a stroll, take a nap if that works for you. Take a
power nap. I know I wouldn't do that because I'll literally sleep, but take a power nap.
Take a stroll. Do something else for an hour, and then now go back to reading again and do
the same rotation–so another 50 minute, 10 minute, 50 minute, 10 minute. I think that's kind of nice.
[Lindsay]: Yeah, and whatever works for you. There's plenty of advice out there of people
giving different ideas for how to structure your studying and reading,
but it's really just what works for you. What feels good, what
helps you get the work done, and what keeps your stress level at a healthy amount.
[Rodah]: Manageable.
[Lindsay]: Yeah.
[Rodah]: I mean you can't probably–unfortunately might not be able to fully eliminate it, but
find a way of managing it.
[Lindsay]: Yeah, it's definitely doable. I feel like using supports,
balance and getting organized are the main three tips for [managing stress].
[Rodah]: Yes, to manage your academic stress and any concerns you have.
Thanks for watching and listening.
[Lindsay]: Thanks, guys.