The time has finally come in the semester where we can finally say that we are halfway through the semester. However, this benchmark could not come at any more of a stressful cost. This is a point of where our performance is graded so far and tells you how great you have been doing so far. Or, if you are at the other end of that stick then the result of the midterms could turn out to be an added level of stress to your already stressful semester! Starting to enter into midterms myself this week, I started to enter into these stages myself and ...
1. Stage One: The Weekend Before
The weekend before midterms is the sudden realization that midterms are only in a few days. If you are a part of those who just started studying for your midterms at this stage, well, you start panicking because you have absolutely NOTHING ready to go.
So, you start going into the absolute PANIC mode and completely regretting not doing anything the week before. However, if you are someone who started studying the week before, well, you are better prepared than those who have not done anything but there is no question in mind that you still wonder if you have studied enough.
2. Stage Two: The First Day
The first day of midterms varies for everyone. Some people might have a midterm on Monday and others might not have their first one until Wednesday. However, the concept of the first midterm of the week does not change. You wake up from (hopefully a stress-free sleep) feeling refreshed, but then it hits you that you have your first midterm today. The stress floods back, and you can barely even think straight to get yourself ready to even get to the classroom to take the exam.
Now, some people may be super focused and just have their heads set on getting to their exam and just getting it done. You get dressed in the clothes you best believe that you will feel the perform in, and you grab that Venti coffee to get your brain up and ready to go.
If you are like me, then you like to arrive at the classroom about 20 minutes early to get a last look at notes to make sure that every last bit of information that you either procrastinated or not gets shoved into your brain. Once the teacher arrives, you take one last deep breath and say one last prayer with the pencil in hand . . . You walk out of your exam feeling either great or absolutely horrible, but you realize one important detail about this dreaded midterms week.... THE MIDTERM PAPER
3. Stage Three: The Midterm Paper
Ah, the papers... They can either be a super easy one-page essay or they can be a monstrous paper that amounts to be way over 10 pages long. Now, if you remember that all you have is one of those one-page essays well you are not too worried about it at all. However, if it is your Biology lab report that will amount to 10+ pages, well, you are in for a very long night.
Personally, I like to get any type of paper done way ahead of time to make sure I correct for grammar, spelling, etc. We are humans, and it can be easy to forget things at times. I'm not sure how easy it is to forget about a 10+ page biology lab report, but things happen.
So, if you do forget just take a deep breath and realize that it is going to be a long night with lots of coffee and writing about cellular biology. Just make sure to save the paper to a flash drive so your computer doesn't mysterious blackout on you! (Trust me this is a horrible feeling)
4. Stage Four: The Meltdown
This stage of midterms can be very rough because the week can be both physically and mentally draining. Either you still have so much to do for the week and your friends are already done with their midterms, or you are just completely stressed and absolutely just DONE with these midterms. I mean when did midterms become as stressful as finals week?
5. Stage Five: The Weekend After
Walking out of that last midterm and realizing that it is the weekend is such a great and relieving feeling. This huge weight of midterms is finally gone, and you can go about having some much needed time off. Only to realize that with midterms over with, that only leaves finals week. Which I will start studying for, well, the weekend before (or not).
