My first all-fountain pen uni exam

[Flounder]

Okay, today was my first uni resit of the summer. A 3 hour, 3 questions from 6, all essays exam on Integrated Marketing Communications. As a radical departure to the norm, I decided to make this one an all-fountain pen affair.

 

The kit:

1 bottle of water

1 packet of strawberry mentos

1 packet of fruit polos

A Hero 849

A Parker 45 flighter

A Sheaffer Targa 1001

All medium nibs, all using Diamine royal blue (a summery, non threatening blue I hope will inspire the marker towards clemency).

 

My findings are as follows.

1. Paranoia about ink sac capacity results in bringing too many pens

 

2. Too many pens are fun to swap using when you're stressed

 

3. The cheapo exam paper made the 45 feel weird to use (this is normally my most comfortable, smoothest pen)

 

4. The Hero, despite being too short to be my favourite pen ever used, made my handwriting much neater than in every other exam since I learned to write and was a pleasure to use! I think in part because you can see very easily the exact angle the nib approaches the page, it was very impressive. And there's still lots of ink left in it, despite writing the lions share (about 12 A4 pages)

 

5. The Parker lays the broadest line, then the Sheaffer, then the Hero

 

6. The Targa's inlaid nib is leaking far more seriously than I thought, all over my fingers. I'm going to try fixing it after the exams.

 

7. Sweets are far better than gum in an exam, the sugar lifts your mood till you're over the hump

 

8. Drinking a big bottle of water means having to do the walk of shame (the invigilator comes with you to the loo) twice.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Flounder

[I am not a number]

Hope the results work out for you!

[penspouse]

snip

 

8. Drinking a big bottle of water means having to do the walk of shame (the invigilator comes with you to the loo) twice.

 

:roflmho: Best wishes for great results.

[amh210]

Be sure to update the thread with your grade!

[Flounder]

The next exam is on Monday. Thanks for the encouraging comments!

Edited August 13, 2009 by Flounder

[Flounder]

I had another exam today, a real stinker. None of the stuff I've painstakingly studied came up for it. That's the way it goes, n'est pa?

 

The same fountain pens were again employed, strangely the same pens + exam script paper setup resulted in an odd, crabbed sort of handwriting. Maybe it was more to do with my mood and lack of sleep than the pens this time round.

 

I've also noticed, both on the way to the exam and coming back, the Hero somehow uncaps itself, inside a pencil case, inside a shoulder bag, how strange!

 

I've decided I will post my results in this thread, if this subforum isn't too inappropriate! If I fail any of this lot I'm afraid its curtains for me uni-wise

[I am not a number]

Every good luck!

[Ryan Stewart]

Good luck to you, Flounder! Where are you studying? I myself spent a year of uni in Glasgow.

[Flounder]

Thanks you fellows!Ryan, I'm studying at Glasgow Caledonian. If you haven't heard of it, the loos at Strathclyde's Union often have "Glasgow Caledonian Degrees: Please Take One" graffitid above the toilet roll dispenser.

[froldt]

You went into your exams much more prepared than I did! After reading this post (and with 6 exams upcoming) I decided to follow your lead. My Pilot Plumix (plus spare cartridge) charged duly into battle with me. 5 exams and 16 pages later, I'm still going strong. Had to switch cartridges, but I expect make it through the final exam without another needed change.

Writing with the FP made quite a difference. My hand has not cramped up yet (as would have happened about page 1.5 using anything else), the handwriting seems darn-near legible and... well, we'll see what the outcome is.

 

Good luck on your exams, I hope the results are everything that you hope for!

[oldstoat]

Good luck! Speaking as an examiner, I really appreciate the rare papers written with a FP, just for the legibility.

[coldman]

When I started university ten years ago some exams would be on single-sheet paper, which meant I could use a fountain pen, which made me happy. But it only took a couple of years before they standardized everything to triple-sheet carbonless paper, forcing me to use a ballpoint and have a hand that hurt for the rest of the day. Lucky you.

[OtterNZ]

Our exams in NZ are still on single sheet paper, I brought a single Pilot 78G into mine, and wrote for longer at a time than I could with a ballpoint.

 

This time I'm going to be using a Hero 329, EF nib suits my writting better, and it has a great ink capacity.

[Flounder]

That's very interesting about the triplicate paper, I've never come across that.

 

Froldt - Good God sir, that is a lot of exams. I hope it all works out!

[enricof]

May I suggest a bit of bitter (high cocoa content, I love Lindt Excellence 99% or 85%) chocolate?

 

I had the same problem with my 850's cap, it seem to spring out by itself. Weird.

 

Wish you well!

[Ryan Stewart]

Thanks you fellows!Ryan, I'm studying at Glasgow Caledonian. If you haven't heard of it, the loos at Strathclyde's Union often have "Glasgow Caledonian Degrees: Please Take One" graffitid above the toilet roll dispenser.

 

I think I may have picked up one of those "degrees" on a night out! I was at Strathclyde, and knew a few people at Caledonian. Glasgow's a great city - I miss it.

[bluenotegrl]

How interesting...the differences in American exams versus exams in other countries. We had standardized (read: fill in the bubbles) exams in high school and some essays in English courses...but nothing like we'd see in university. Then, in university, there were the dreaded blue book exams. Oddly, even though I have always used FPs, I never used one for a blue book.

 

Good luck to you Flounder, and to Froldt.

[froldt]

Froldt - Good God sir, that is a lot of exams. I hope it all works out!

I get this a bunch... but it's what I'm used to! I keep signing up for an "extra" class, in case I need to drop something during the semester, and keeping them all... Think my planning is backfiring on me!

 

 

-quote Bluenotegrl-

How interesting...the differences in American exams versus exams in other countries. We had standardized (read: fill in the bubbles) exams in high school and some essays in English courses...but nothing like we'd see in university. Then, in university, there were the dreaded blue book exams. Oddly, even though I have always used FPs, I never used one for a blue book.-end -quote

I agree completely. As an American student, studying in Ireland last semester, it was a bit of a culture shock to experience the differences in the school system. Getting back to my accustomed university next week will be a relief (though I am not looking forward to it), just because I am used to having homework instead of reading lists, and do not prefer all-essay examinations.

 

Thanks for the well wishes!

[ZeissIkon]

When I started university ten years ago some exams would be on single-sheet paper, which meant I could use a fountain pen, which made me happy. But it only took a couple of years before they standardized everything to triple-sheet carbonless paper, forcing me to use a ballpoint and have a hand that hurt for the rest of the day. Lucky you.

 

There are fountain pens that will happily print through three-layer carbonless forms, but the pressure you have to exert to make the copies legible pretty much negates the comfort advantage fountain pens normally have, which comes from not having to clench the pen or press hard to write...

[mackthepen]

I'm studying at Glasgow Caledonian.

 

I've done two stretches there now - and it's changed almost beyond recognition in the intervening twenty years. Nevertheless, exams are exams, so good luck.

 

Andrew