Hi, I'm really nervous about prelims, but perhaps even more nervous about results - i.e. being compared to my other course mates within college. Any advice on dealing with this (especially if you think they're cleverer than you, and are feeling very unprepared)? From other subjects, everyone seems to know what everyone else got but I don't feel so comfortable with this.
So as far as I know, you won’t actually know what other people get in prelims. You get told your results, but no one else can find them out because they aren’t published on the class lists. Hopefully by the time you take exams where results are published, the opt-out system will have changed so you don’t have to deal with the stress of other people knowing what you got but until then:
People don’t actually care as much as you think they do. Yes, people will have a sneaky look at the class lists to see what everyone got. Everyone’s nosy, it’s a human thing. But no one will actually judge you based on your grades, particularly in first year. Grades fluctuate so much - people who get 2.ii’s in first year often end up with 1sts in second and third year.
Prelims aren’t meant to determine how well you’re doing in comparison to everyone else, they’re meant to gauge your personal progress. No one will compare you to your coursemates - your DoS will look at your grades as an indication of where you are at the moment, and where you need to improve to get to where you need to be. These exams are honestly just a learning curve, they are not prescriptive of your ability/worth. Go in, and do the best you can given what you’ve done, and know that no matter what happens, you’ll be able to build on it by maintaining the good and improving upon the less than fab for next year!