When I applied to Cambridge, everyone warned me to brace myself for how intense the eight-week terms are. It’s something you can’t properly understand until you experience it for yourself. Easter term is especially brutal, and I doubt I was alone in considering dropping out mid-term due to chronic exhaustion, deadlines, and stress.
As a first-year Engling, my exams were the absolute last to finish (on the first day of May Week) so the grimness of Easter term was really stretched to its limit, and by the time May Week got into full swing, I was too burnt out and exhausted to actually enjoy it. Nor could I properly rest, as my last week was even more full on, albeit not academically, than any other week of my first year. Like a lot of people, I needed a full reset when I came home, so that I could recover and manage the transition from chaos to normality.
Though, naturally, everyone’s needs are different, here are some things I found helpful when coping with this transition. “Rotting is sometimes the best antidote to Cambridge burnout” The first thing goes for anybody: prioritise sleep. I can’t stress enough the impact continual poor sleep has on my mental and physical health.
Now exams, deadlines, essay crises, long lab nights and 9 ams are a thing of the past (well, if you’re returning, until October), now’s your time to catch up on missed sleep. By all means party all night, especially if you’ve graduated — congratulations! But allow yourself the luxury o.