Midterms have arrived, but have no fear because our staff is here to give you their secrets to midterm success. If you are stressed about your ever-expanding to-do list, check out our best tips to crush those midterm exams.
Michaela Greer, co-editor-in-chief, said:
“I’m a pretty visual learner so one thing that I find helpful when studying for an especially difficult class is posting the information on Post-it notes above my bed. Since the Post-it notes can only hold a few lines of information at a time, it forces me to condense what I need to learn into its simplest form, in turn making it easier to remember. My wall looks pretty littered for about a week, but since I see the information so frequently, I retain it better.”
Jenna Kopec, co-editor-in-chief, said:
“Get some sleep. It sounds contradictory to what everyone tells you, but you’ll really kick yourself if you’re getting answers wrong on an exam that you would have known with a clear, rested mind. Do your best to get a couple hours of shut-eye.”
Gabrielle Thompson, features editor, said:
“Basically, I mindlessly read the textbook, cry and hope for the best. Most of the time it turns out alright.”
Christina McLaughlin, opinions editor, said:
“My best tip for midterm success is not to get overly stressed. Use the square breathing technique: imagine a square in your head and a ball rolling on each line of the square. As the ball rolls along vertically breathe in and as the ball rolls horizontally, breathe out. Take a step back if you’re getting too overwhelmed. You can always go back to it.”
Jeweliana Register, arts and entertainment editor, said:
“Don’t neglect your mental and physical health. As someone who does not function well on less than eight hours of sleep each night, staying up to cram for my exams does not benefit me if I am not well rested for the test. I have also learned that no matter how much studying I need to get done, taking short breaks to go outside or eat a real meal makes the biggest difference when it comes to staying focused and staying motivated. Grades are important, but so is your health.”
Nicole Chavannes, copy editor, said:
“Plan ahead. Midterm week schedules are usually a bit wonky, since we don’t have classes and test times vary. My best advice is to familiarize yourself with what your schedule will be ahead of time so you can use the extra time to your advantage. Fit in a couple extra study sessions or catch up on some much-needed sleep so that when test-time rolls around you are well-rested and focused.”
Carli Lutz, chief of visual design, said:
“My tip is to plan something to look forward to doing after your midterms. It’s always great to have something to motivate you to get through your exams. Whether it’s stuffing your face full of comfort food after a difficult exam or watching a movie, it’s definitely helpful.”
