This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Colby chapter.

Eleven days. Eleven days and you are officially free from school (well, for a week at least). Just eleven days, and then you can embark on a probably fantastic and amazing Spring Break trip. But if your college experience is anything like mine, then these 11 days will probably be horrifyingly full of all-nighters, flash-cards, caffeine, and
books. That’s right, midterms are right around the corner. And sadly, they are the only things separating both of us from our probably fantastic and amazing Spring Break trips. To make these next nine days easier, here are a few of my favorite strategies for tackling midterms!
For help with memorization:

Make flash cards: I find flash cards to be one of the, hands down, most helpful ways of preparing for exams. First off, the act of making flash cards seems to aid in the memorization process. I suppose my sociology teacher was correct when he said that writing things down engages your brain and in the end, makes it easier for these little facts to become part of your long-term memory. Also, if you have a ton of terms or concepts to memorize, try focusing on ten concepts at a time. Memorize one group of terms, and then move onto another group of ten. For me at least, smaller chunks make the memorization process a lot more manageable.
Color Code things: Some people like to write out or type up a review sheet. If you are dealing with particularly abstract concepts, it may be helpful to highlight interrelated concepts. Especially in the humanities and social sciences, professors will expect you to be able to understand the connections between various topics. Color coding not only forces you to make these connections while studying, but it puts a visual marker on interrelated topics. For those lucky enough to have a photographic memory, who knows; maybe on test day you’ll be able to visualize your review sheet and the colors that comprise it.
Make up mnemonics: It sounds silly, but sometimes a silly sentence is all you need to remember the order of the Roman Emperors or the sequence of the elements on the Periodic Table.

For help with essays: Sometimes, teachers will assign a research paper or an in-class essay as their midterm. If you find yourself in this situation, the tips below will probably interest you.

Sign off of Facebook and find a space where you can really work: Seriously! There’s nothing worse than
having to spend twice the amount of time than you would have spent writing your essay simply because you decided your time was better spent Facebook stalking your long-lost friend from middle school.
Familiarize yourself with the text: Often, you will be asked to write about a book or work that you read awhile back, or maybe didn’t get around to reading at all. In the case of the former, skim the text to remind yourself of the characters and plot, and in the case of the latter, if time permits, you should probably read it.
Write down your thesis: Think of your thesis and a couple key points, write them down, and you’re good to go. If you are more of the pre-writing/outline type, make an informal, but detailed outline for yourself. Don’t be afraid to work off of literary criticism, but be sure to balance critics’ ideas with your own!
Seek out an Extra Pair of Eyes: I am a big fan of peer editing. If time permits, Colby’s Writing Center is a great place. Plus, they host a Midterm Tutoring Marathon during exam weeks, making it totally acceptable to bring your paper over to Miller for editing at midnight. If you aren’t able to get an appointment, ask a friend to look it over. A second pair of eyes never hurts. I know that when I’m tired, I sometimes write sentences that just don’t make sense.
For in-class essays: Make sure you really understand key concepts and themes. Most likely, you’ll be given a prompt and you’ll have the freedom to choose whichever examples from readings and lectures you think best support your argument. So make sure you know the basic ideas presented in the readings, and be sure you can cite a few details from each.

Good news though, 11 days isn’t all that long. After all, your reward is lovely—an amazing and fantastic Spring Break trip. Yes, I think that definitely makes the horror of midterms worth it!

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