How to pass exams

You are a student of university!!! Congratulations*!!! You are not an ordinary student. You are a distant student. Is it good or bad? Is it a plus or a minus?

No doubt, there are advantages* and disadvantages* of being a distant student. The main advantage is that you don’t have classes every day. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to study. Actually* distant students have to study hard and a lot on their own. And they take a number of exams every semester. Here is a list of tips* how get ready for exams and to pass them with flying colors.

Don’t count on good luck!!! rely upon your knowledge!!!

Before you start

• Be organized. Draw up a timetable of topics to study. Let friends and family know that you are serious, so they don’t interrupt your studies.

• If you find it difficult to concentrate, don’t study at home. Go to the library instead. There is a good library in BNTU. There are several modern well-equipped reading halls.

• If motivation is a problem, meet a friend and study together.

• Remember what you are studying for. In future you are planning to have an interesting, well-paid entry-level job*. Being a qualified specialist without grounded knowledge is impossible. Keep in mind: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!

Studying tactics

• Go with your body clock: if you are slow in the morning, use that time to do some background reading. Do weightier* work in the afternoon.

• Don’t study for more than 30 or 40 minutes at a time. Take regular breaks.

• Don’t study too late, especially the night before the exam.

• Eat well.

On the day

• Arrive to the exam beforehand*. But don’t come too early or you’ll sit around getting nervous.

• Be concentrated and attentive at the exam.

Topic 2. “Introducing yourself”

Texts 1. Read the texts.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Shevzova Olga. I am a distant student. I study in BNTU. I am a second year student of International Institute of Distant Education.

I was born in Grodno on March 25^th 1991. Now I live and work in Grodno but study in Minsk. I am married but I don’t have children. I work as a secretary for a small company. I work in the modern well-equipped office. I’m very busy during my working day. I work at the computer a lot. I write emails to our customers, type documents, answer phone calls, meet our clients and help my boss with documents.

I hope to become a manager in 3 years. I study a lot because I want to be a qualified specialist. I read a lot. As I am a distant student I also send emails to my teachers if I have questions. It’s very convenient. I have classes four times a year. Twice a year at the end of the semester I take exams and get credits. It is quite difficult but very interesting to study in university.

I’d like to introduce myself. My full name is Toronzev Dmitry Sergeevich. I am a full time student. I study in BNTU. I’m a first-year student of I was born in Minsk on January 18^th 1994. I live with my parents in Minsk. I don’t work because I’m very busy. I have lectures and seminars every day. After classes I go to the reading hall. After graduating from university I hope to become an economist. I’d like to work for a large company in Minsk.

Ex. 1. Write your profile. Underline the words and fill in the gaps to make sentences true for you. If necessary make some sentences negative.

Let me introduce myself. My full name is … . I am a distant student. I study in BNTU. I am a first/second year student of International Institute of Distant Education.

I was born in … in 19.. . Now I live and work in … but study in Minsk. I am married/single but/and I don’t have/have children. I work as a … for a small/big … . I work in the modern well-equipped office. I’m/am not very busy during my working day. I work/don’t work at the computer a lot. I write emails to our customers, type documents, answer phone calls, meet our clients and help my boss with documents.

I hope to become a manager/an economist in 3 years. I study a lot because I want to be a qualified specialist. I read a lot. As I am a distant student I also send emails to my teachers if I have questions. It’s very convenient. I have/has classes four times a year. Twice a year at the end of the semester I take exams and get credits. It is quite difficult but very interesting to study at university.

Ex. 2 Read the dialogue in pairs. Role-play your own dialogue.

- Hello. Can you introduce yourself?

- Yes, sure. My name’s Alexander.

- Would you tell me your full name, please?

- Alexander is my first name and my surname is Kravtsov.

- And what’s your middle name?

- It’s Ivanovich. So my full name is Kravtsov Alexander Ivanovich.

- Are you single or married?

- I’m married and I have two children.

- So, you have a family. But as far as I know you are a student.

- Yes, I am.

- Are you a full-time student or a correspondence student?

- I’m a distant student. And I study in Minsk.

- What’s your job?

- I work as a manager. I’m a sales manager.

- What company do you work for?

- I work for a large trade company in Grodno.

- Is it possible to work and study simultaneously?

- Yes. You know it’s a great advantage to be a distant student.

Text 2. Read the e-mail. Write a similar e-mail about you.

From: Alessandra [alessandra@andes.com.ar]

To: Daniel [dani2199@yahoo.com Subject: Hi from Argentina

Hi Daniel! My name’s Alessandra. It’s an Italian name because my grandma was from Italy, but I’m Argentinian and I live in Mendoza. I live with my parents and my two brothers. I am 19 years old. I study at University. I study computer science. I’m a first year student. I am not a full-time student. I’m a distant student. I work part-time as a secretary for a large computer company. There are 20 students in my class and some of them aren’t from Argentina. They are from Italy and two students are from England. I speak English to them. The teachers are excellent. They are very friendly and patient. The university is very big. There are a lot of buildings. All the classrooms are well-equipped. I’m going to tell you about myself. As you can see from the photo, I have long hair and green eyes. I wear glasses. I think I’m a positive person. I’m quite extrovert and friendly. I spend a lot of time with my friends. In the evening I usually surf the Internet. I write emails to my friends and look for information I need for my studies.