We're a couple weeks into the spring semester. Now you actually have to do work for classes, and midterms are within the next two weeks. Every time I have midterms, I tell myself, "I'll start studying early, I won't cram the night before." But I most likely will still be cramming the night before. So here are some ways to survive midterms!
1. Start studying at least a week before the exam
Imagine it's the day before the exam. You realize you know nothing. You instantly freak out, hoping that you'll get food poisoning and have to call the emergency dean to reschedule the exam. 99 percent of the time, that probably is not the case, so you'll have to stick to the old-fashioned way of actually studying. So start studying at least a week before the exam, it will make a huge difference.2. Try not to stress out
Yes, exams are so stressful. Feeling stressed is natural, but try to calm yourself down. If you're calm, you'll probably retain information better. Stress is also bad for your health, so you're more susceptible to get sick when you're stressed.
3. When your friends ask you to go out, but you know you have an exam coming up, there is only one answer:
4. Make study groups
You're not the only one that has to study, so why not make some friends and make the experience enjoyable? I can guarantee you that you won't understand all of the material that you are expected to know, but someone in your study group might, and they can explain it to you. Maybe you can all split a box of Insomnia at 1 a.m. after a long night of studying, too.
5. Stay healthy
Being sick while studying for exams is the worst. All you want to do is sleep, but you have to study. Let's be real, no one likes getting sick, but we are college students and getting sick is inevitable. So take some vitamins, eat an orange for vitamin C and wash your hands. Doing those things could possibly prevent you from getting sick.
6. No social media
We're addicted to our phones. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. In a perfect situation, I'd advise you to not go on social media at all during the week before an exam, but that's not realistic. You tell yourself, "I'll only go look for a second," but that second turns into an hour. Learn to limit yourself, it will make a huge difference.
7. Plan your study routine
Organization is key. We all have other classes and extracurricular activities, and you can't just ignore all the other activities that you do in order to pass an exam. Use the calendar on your iPhone, google calendar or even a paper planner to write down your daily schedule and make time to study.
8. Take study breaks
Find that one activity that you love to do, that will get your mind off of your exams. Go for a run. Grab a coffee with some friends. Go for a walk, doesn't matter! Or Netflix. (I love how Netflix can be used as a verb now). Whatever floats your boat.
9. Go to office hours
This one should be obvious. If you don't know something, who is better to ask than the teacher? You might think Google, the answer key in the back of your book or Chegg can answer all of your questions, but sometimes they can't. Professors teach for a living, so you might as well go to office hours and use the best resource you have.
10. Sleep
This one is the most important. Binge drinking coffee and staying up until 4 a.m. every night is the worst thing you could possibly do. Your brain and body need sleep to work properly. When people are overly exhausted, they're not very pleasant to be around, so do yourself and everyone around you a favor and sleep. I promise you're nicer when you're well rested.
11. Remember it's just an exam
This exam is most likely going to take you two hours, maybe less. It's just two hours, then it's over. It's not the end of the world! You've prepared for it, all the information you have been studying isn't going to magically disappear from your brain. So go ace that exam!
