Written by: Alyssa Sterkel & Alek Culpepper
Eek, it’s midterm week! Can you hear the sounds of panicked students frantically trying to shove knowledge into their brains while gulping down coffee to keep them up, or the students freaking out over a 20–page midterm that’s worth 35 percent of their grade (which they had almost a month to do)? Well, if you fall into one of these two categories, or are just one of the many students cramming for five midterms, here’s how to survive midterm week without losing your mind.
Just relax and breathe. Take that chill pill you always tell your parents about. It’s easier said than done, but you do need to take a minute to come up for air every once in a while. Constantly worrying about your test won’t change your grade, or how difficult your professor is. It will only add to your stress level and the amount of pimples on your face. If you procrastinated on something due tomorrow, the only thing you can do is your best — or take a chill pill in the form of a triple tall pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.
Plan ahead. Planning, planning and more planning is the best way to start midterm week, but, oh wait, it’s already Tuesday. You should have already grabbed your calendars, scheduled your midterms and planned for your papers. It’s a terrible idea to cram all the chapters “you read” the night before your test into your brain until it overloads.
However, if that’s how you got through midterms one and two, there’s still hope for your remaining ones. The next three days are yours to devote specific amounts of time to study for each test. And give yourself extra time (don’t schedule in that midterms-are-almost-over party just yet) to study in case the notes take you longer to memorize than predicted.
Ask for help. If you’re not into calmly studying in advance or cramming the night before, and you believe there is absolutely no way to pass your midterm, there’s only one thing left to do. Knock on your professor’s office door and beg and plead. If you can shed a few tears, you’re golden. Well, maybe your professor won’t give you an “A” for the amount of sobbing you were able to muster, but he or she may help you with your last ditch effort to study. If something isn’t “clicking,” use his or her office hours and ask the professor to clarify. Bring your notes and questions and they will gladly help (I hope).
Rest up for the test. Staying up till 3 a.m. cramming (I mean studying) for your midterm will only leave you drooling like a dog all over your tests the next morning. You don’t want your professor to know you spent one night studying for his or her midterm, nor do you want to fail that midterm because you’re catching up on sleep — during the test. Some people can function on three hours of sleep, but most cannot. You’ll do much better on your exams if your mental state is intact, and sleep can give you that state of normalcy.
Take study breaks. Your brain cannot handle too much information at once. Don’t lock yourself in your room and study non–stop for the next three days. You will go insane. Plus, your brain will be fried like an egg, and you won’t remember anything you studied. Create study breaks to help you recharge. This doesn’t mean you should walk to Starbucks every time you take a break. That much caffeine will make you go crazy before your midterms do. Instead, take a walk, watch some mindless TV, or hang out with a friend. Sometimes you just need time to relax and forget about your impending test before you study more.
Eat right. College is all about eating fast food because it’s nice on the wallet, but truth be told, it’s ruthless on the mind and body. This grueling week is the worst time to be stuffing your face with junk. You need all the energy you can get for those cram sessions. Eating healthy food, like fruits and vegetables, will give you more energy and help you ace that midterm.
Also, drink more water than the liquid diuretic, caffeine. Otherwise, you’ll be as dehydrated as if you went to the beach on a hot day. And if you’re low on money, just call your parents. Tell them that in order for them to not have wasted their money on tuition, they need to give you more money so you can buy healthy food to ace the midterms that will help you stay in school. That should work, right?
Use common sense. Now, the most important advice I can give is don’t be a fool. Get off Facebook, stop thinking about how you can phrase something in 140 characters or less and stop looking up Halloween costumes. It’s no surprise that midterms week was created by a bunch of sadistic professors hoping to spoil their students’ academic records, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
So follow these suggestions. This week will be over in no time, whether you’ve passed your tests or not, and remember, in eight weeks, you’ll be studying for finals.
