I don't know if it's just me, but midterms and I have a love/hate relationship. I love the idea of being halfway through the semester, but hate the fact that I'm going to stress until the midterm is over. With midterms coming up (or already being here), here are some tips to get through it.
1. Don't wait until last minute to study.
Procrastination is a dangerous game, and I'm guilty of it myself sometimes. My professors have always given me a decent heads up as to when our midterm is going to be. I don't usually know what's going to be on it until a class or two before. However, when they mention the midterm, just start studying what you've gone over so far this semester.
2. Sleep.
I know how tempting it is to stay up all night to study as much as possible. While it's important to study, staying up late is doing more harm than good. When you're tired, you aren't going to retain as much information as you would if you were more awake and alert. This is really important for the night before the exam. At that point, you know what you know and staying up late won't help you.
3. Eat a good breakfast.
They tell you this in elementary school and high school before taking a standardized test. They tell you this because it's a solid piece of information to have. Make sure to get some rest, but wake up with enough time in the morning to eat a hearty breakfast.
4. Study groups.
Personally, I like to study with other people. I like knowing what other people wrote down to study, because they usually think of something that I didn't. It can be really helpful to bounce thoughts off of other people. Make friends with people in your classes and put a study group together for when midterms roll around.
5. Breathe.
Finally, just breathe and relax. People (including myself) get so worked up over midterms and there's really no need for it. Yes, they are important, but have some confidence in yourself.
One day everything will be okay. You'll get your degree, you'll get a job, and you'll wonder why you ever stressed out about midterms in the first place. Now, take a deep breath, and go crush midterms.
