Final exams start this week. Exciting times, therefore, for students who are in their last year. But how do you get through those weeks in a relaxed way? The makers of the successful podcast Het Tussenuurtje took their final exams last year. They do have some tips for today’s students: “Take a break every now and then and relax. Stress only works against you.”
Luuk Zijlmans, Jonas Brock, Lucas Verstappen and Jesse Miltenburg started a podcast after all four had been kicked out of class. That became a hit: they have thousands of followers. Last year they took their final exams at the Odulphuslyceum in Tilburg. At our request, they are making a special podcast with tips for today’s graduate students.
“A dark haze”, says Jesse with a laugh, when he thinks back to that time. Because actually he really liked it. Lucas agrees: “You get this feeling of ‘We’re all in this together’† You get a stronger bond with your classmates.” And Luuk has reassuring news for today’s graduate students: “It was less difficult than we thought”.
But that doesn’t apply to Jonas: “I didn’t enjoy it,” he says firmly. “It took way too long. Blocks, blocks, blocks for a month.” What a contrast with Luuk: “I learned well for one test, which was mathematics. And for the rest maybe an hour.”
“I had failed by one tenth of a point.”
Luke succeeded brilliantly. Lucas initially dropped to one tenth point: “I had a 5.2 for History and I had to get a 5.3.” He went through his exam to see if there had been a mistake somewhere. And yes: “The coordinator and director worked on it and the next morning I received a phone call that I had passed.”
The four still have some tips for today’s final exam candidates. “Write down as much as you can, there is always something good,” says Jonas. “Unless you know it’s really nonsense. And you shouldn’t give two answers either,” Lucas adds.
“Go and eat for ten minutes.”
Luuk: “The exams are long. Well, three hours. If you’re halfway through and you’re just going through it, take a break. Go eat for ten minutes. You just have that time.”
Lucas: “Take your time. Don’t stress too much, but a little.” Jesse: “It’s going to be okay anyway. Only one year is at stake.”
If you pass, life will only get more fun, the four of them agree on that. “Have a nice holiday, to the sun!” Jonas shouts. The boys are all studying now. Lucas organizational sciences, Jesse and Luuk sociology and Jonas business innovation entrepreneurship† Luuk will be doing economics and business economics next year.
“It sucks in high school that you don’t have that much freedom. You really have that much more at university,” Jesse explains. Luuk: “You have to get through these weeks. That’s when it starts!”
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