Finland trip is no stress for college students

The visit to the Jyvaskyla Educational Consortium Gradia saw eight students discovering more about how to build resilience and avoid stress during their studies.

The local students joined peers from Germany and Finland in workshops and presentations relating to exam and study stress.

Students were set the challenge of creating online resources which would support students in managing their exam stress and sharing it in order to get the most interactions.

Student Abbey Standring received more than 900 interactions in two days on social media for her ‘Hierarchy of Urgency’ resource.

Staff and students also enjoyed a period of shadowing in the classrooms and took part in a range of lessons.

Matt Ridgill, academic studies curriculum manager, said: “The visit provided many new experiences which meant students were often quite anxious before many of the planned activities.

“However, using the benefit of hindsight they recognised that they were well-equipped to manage their performance and they need not be so anxious. The visit meant students were more confident and prepared for future situations which is exactly what we hope to achieve in relation to their final exams.

“Students learned about how education was delivered in different countries, which was a particularly helpful insight for student Harry Rushworth who intends to study linguistics at Cambridge University before teaching abroad.”