The quarter system sucks.
There, I said it. We students who attend colleges that operate on the quarter system spend 10 weeks flying through material and practically killing ourselves with keeping up. For many (myself included), maintaining a 4.0 GPA is seemingly impossible with the amount of work we are assigned. There are readings and essays and problem sets and labs and every other task in between, on top of extracurricular activities and having a social life and getting enough sleep.
If that isn’t enough however, come halfway through the quarter, students find themselves face-to-face with the most dreaded of all points in those ten weeks: midterms. Midterms can manifest themselves in the form of papers, which keep you in the library until the wee hours of the night as you pore over every word you put on paper and submit with terror. They can be presentations, which require you to put aside your crippling anxiety as you stand in front of a room of people who barely care what you even look like and give a speech on a topic only the professor cares about. And of course, last but certainly not least in prevalence, are the abhorred sit-in exams. These are the exams that require you to make flashcard after flashcard and detailed study guides and sacrifice your sleep for good grades.
In the time you have midterms, you will not see your friends, your girlfriends, your boyfriends, or even yourself, as time is too precious to waste by looking in a mirror. To many, midterms matter even more than finals, because unlike finals, you often have no idea what to expect on the exam, nor do you know your final grade in the class and therefore have the ability to gauge how well you have to do on the exam to maintain your grade.
In recent days, however, I have noticed that the stress of midterms seems to affect people even more greatly than finals. People become increasingly frazzled as they work to balance the load of other courses and prepare for exams that are practically the equivalent of a final, but aren’t awarded the same daunting title. I am an anxious person and the only thing that makes me more nervous than talking to boys is midterms. I cannot physically sit through exams and I have terrible test anxiety that will manifest itself in the form of public panic attacks. I do not understand how one effectively studies for an exam, as I have never, ever gone into a midterm feeling adequately prepared. I simply do not like exams. I’ve decided, despite my aversion to exams, to compile a list of what I have found to be the most constructive ways to tackle the most self-destructive time of the quarter:
Sleep.
Yes, it might seem somewhat practical to spend the eight hours you would “waste” sleeping on preparing for the big day, but I promise you, spending that time getting some shut-eye will mean you are more alert and conscious and ready to take the exam.
Budget your time.
Cramming, to many, seems like a reasonable way in which to handle your study. After all, shouldn’t you spend the entire day before studying? By creating a study schedule, you will find yourself less overwhelmed by all of the material and your brain will feel less muddled by a large influx of information if you parcel your studies out over time.
Eat.
The library, at least at my university, doesn’t exactly offer a full buffet of delicious, healthy foods from which hardworking students can choose. Be sure to give your brain the fuel it needs by taking the occasional break and grabbing a healthy snack.
Live a little.
After 800 hours of studying or writing or whatever the hell else you are doing to prepare, you aren’t really going to be able to sit down and focus any longer. Be sure to be realistic about the amount of time you spend marathon studying and realize that spending an hour getting coffee with a friend or foregoing the library for the fourth night in a row to watch a movie with a boo may be helpful in the long run.
Believe in yourself.
As corny as it is, the most powerful way to power through midterms is by having a little faith. Look, there is a reason you are where you are. You are enough. All it takes to truly succeed (aside from proper studying, of course) is the assurance that you are doing your best. And you are.
