All of us face the roller coaster of midterms and it’s quite common to hear stories of mindless procrastination by binge-watching television shows, playing sports or just taking a nap to distract ourselves. In an atmosphere where procrastination is unavoidable, midterms are deadly hailstorms that require students to be armed with survival kits. Get ready to relate to people talking about experiencing college midterms, from being haunted by grades, to sleepless nights spent writing papers and studying for exams.
Studying together: Aanchal Setia and Viraj Malani
“When it’s over, I begin to like my subjects again.”
Naman Bhatnagar, 17, Fresher
I am usually calm and focused when it comes to midterms and exams since I love my subjects. However, since I had fallen sick and missed two weeks of classes, I started to panic about the topics I had missed out on, and was sure that they would be the ones in the exam. After the exams, I realized that the questions were different from the typical school examination ones that I had anticipated.
While I was panicking for my exam, I was surprisingly calm about the essays I had to write. I can’t deny that I don’t procrastinate, but I do so very rarely. I find it easy to concentrate, and if I have to take a break, I talk to my friends, which acts as a stress-buster for me.
Survival secret: “Get your first month right if you are not used to freedom.”
Advice for finals: “When a professor shares an example, note it down!”
Naman Bhatnagar, UG’20
“Get your sense of peace”
Simran Saini, 18, Fresher
For me, midterms have always been related to misery and gloominess. I expected my first college midterms to be a deadly week going without sleep or food.
Unfortunately, I was right! During midterms, I even began reevaluating my decision to come to college! Still, the midterms, though harrowing, were not as tough as I had expected them to be. In fact, in between drowsy nights and coffee breaks, I learned something about my own self.
I procrastinate a lot by watching any and all videos on YouTube, or even by telling myself that I’m ‘researching’ for a paper when I’m clearly not!
Survival secret: “Friends! The motivation and confidence I get from their encouraging words and head pats are irreplaceable.”
Advice for finals: “Enjoy the process of academics. Grades should only be at the back of your mind.”
Simran Saini, UG’20
“Eat, Sleep, Procrastinate, Study, Repeat”
Harsh Karamchandani, 19, Sophomore
This is a story about the night before an exam. I had been solving a single question for over two hours and wanted to study in a classroom. As it was past 2 a.m., all the classrooms were locked. I thought to myself, that a locked classroom can’t keep me out, so I climbed in through the open window. That is how crazy people get during midterms.
I procrastinate…a LOT. Once, I had to drop a course and had been thinking about doing so for three weeks. My reluctance to drop it was only because I was too lazy to write an email to the professor. Finally, I ended up not dropping it. Binge watching television shows is one of my tried and tested ways of procrastinating. But the good part is that in my second year of college, midterms have become less intimidating. This is one of the main reasons I get to sleep; I know how to manage my time better. In my freshmen year I slept only for 2-3 hours but now I get to sleep for 6-7 hours.
Survival secret: “Please sleep. It’s beautiful.”
Advice for finals: “The earlier you complete an assignment, the worse you feel about it.”
Harsh Karamchandani, UG’19
So, here are a few of the horror-survival stories of Ashokans who fought the midterms and emerged as battle weary heroes (with a few scars though, but hey, scars are beautiful). Exams and papers are all part and parcel of a college experience, embrace it! And if your midterms seem endless, just remember that “this too shall pass.” All of us will survive, at least until the finals!
Behind the camera: Sanjna Mishra and Viraj Malani
Edited by Vasudha Malani