Midterms are pretty much one of the worst things in the college student’s world … well, besides final exams …
These stressful things tend to pop up out of the middle of nowhere, likely just when you were getting into the grove of the new semester. Now, suddenly, the semester is halfway over, and it’s time to get your study on!
The most frustrating thing about midterms at most colleges, though, is that there is no standardized way to conduct them. Some professors could make it cumulative, while others could base your midterm grade on an assigned essay. Some of your professors could even decide to bypass the whole thing altogether (lucky you).
Hopefully, you’ve already looked at your syllabi and figured out when your midterms are (or when your midterm assignments are due). That’s half of the battle right there!
Once you have the dates figured out, look at your personal schedule and see how those midterms fit in. Is one midterm after Spring Break while all of the others are beforehand? Or do you have all of your midterms before or after Spring Break? Make sure each midterm/assignment gets written down in your planner (or however else you keep track of your schoolwork).
Once you figure out what is going on in your personal life, you’ve got to figure out how you will get it all done. If Spring Break cuts into the middle of midterms, will you be able to get all of your studying done before your break or will you have to bring some books along to the beach with you? Spoiler alert: Any work that you bring with you on Spring Break is 99 percent likely to remain unfinished by the time you get back. Of course, you deserve a break, but those midterms aren’t going anywhere! If you’ve got a big midterm coming up after your break, you may even want to consider leaving later for your trip or leaving the trip earlier so you can get some additional studying time in.
You know yourself best, so don’t set unreasonable expectations. If you plan on studying two hours every day of Spring Break but you doubt it will happen, then don’t try setting that goal! Instead, plan on getting half of your work done before break and the other half done after break.
Obviously, you’re going to have zero motivation when you’re either A) packing to leave for the beach or B) battling a hangover after a full week of drinking, but you’re going to have to fight through it. Fight the peer pressure from your friends and get yourself to the library if you have to!
Most of all, don’t take midterms lightly. In most classes, midterms count for a large chunk of your grade, so it’s important that you do well. If you flunk your midterm, it’s going to be extremely hard (or even near impossible) to get a decent grade in that course.
Good luck with studying!
