Let’s face it: at Brandeis, midterms never end. Since they always seem to be taking place, there is never any shortage of stress that stems from the endless papers, exams, projects, and more that you probably have had to complete it within the past month or two. In order to avoid pulling all nighters and getting sick, here are some suggestions on ways to avoid falling under the inevitable spell of stress:
1) Be prepared – if you know you have a paper due in two weeks start outlining your paper in advance and try at least writing a rough draft. If you have a test, then work on a study guide and set up a study group.
2) Go to office hours – your professors and ta’s are more than happy to help… that is why they hold office hours! If you can’t make their office hours however, then set up a separate time to meet with them. Sometimes that is even more helpful because then it’s one-on-one with no interruptions. Office hours lets you ask as many questions as you need so it is a great resource before midterms.
3) Use the writing center – if you have any papers due for a class the writing center is a fantastic resource. The writing center can help you edit any paper you have and will give you comments and helpful feedback. Make sure to make appointments early though-they fill up fast! They also have drop-in hours but be sure to get there early because those too can also fill up quickly.
4) Get organized – the key to staying calm during midterms is staying organized. My go-to method is to make to-do lists based on priorities. I write down everything that needs to get done and by what day, put them in numerical order to prioritize them and go down the list.
5) Find a quiet place and settle in! find the best place for you to study and start writing your paper or working on your project. If you like quiet, the dungeon is a great place to study. If you prefer working with around other people then you might like studying in your dorm lounge. Some people like working in their rooms with music on, it is totally a matter of preference but it’s important that you find the best place for YOU!
6) Use a study group – sometimes more brains are better than one! Study groups are a great way to work through challenging problem sets or to work out concepts on your exam. They can even be used if you have an in-class essay midterm to work on outlines as a group if you can bring in outlines or notes!
Take these different pieces of advice as you want, but these are surefire ways to help you stay stress-free and organized before midterms, which as we know as students at Brandeis, start the month after school starts and ends when finals begin.