You’ve finally mastered your daily routine, you’re back in the groove of studying and doing homework, and next thing you know, it’s midterm week. Those two words instantly instill fear and create stress, but they don’t have to. Midterms definitely take a lot of time and effort, but if you keep these few recommendations for conquering midterm week in mind while preparing, you’ll be happy with the results.
1. Get Organized
Having an organized space with all the necessities readily available makes your study time more productive. Without the distractions of wasting time by trying to find your history review sheet or your calculator under the pile of take out containers and coffee cups, you’ll be able to focus on the task at hand and make the most out of your time.
Don’t know where to begin? Try cleaning your room, filling in your calendar, making a study schedule, and organizing your notes, handouts, quizzes, tests, etc. Once you start doing one thing, you’ll know exactly what else needs to be done.
2. Communicate With Your Professor Believe it or not, your professor is there to help. Just because a study guide that outlines what is going to be on the exam isn’t handed out during class doesn’t mean a professor isn’t willing to give out a few hints.
Two weeks or so before the exam, you should ask your professor if they can narrow down what you should be preparing for. Even if they’re not willing to provide a written study guide, be sure to ask if they’re offering review classes or extra office hours where you can check if what you’re studying is on the right track.
3. Study in a Group You may think locking yourself in your room or hiding in a cubicle at the library is the most effective way to study, but you may actually get more out of participating in a study group.
Whether you’re an expert on the subject or need a little hand holding, ask a few classmates if they would like to get together to review the material. Hearing someone else explain a concept or walk you through the steps to solving a difficult problem is sometimes all you need for that light bulb to go off in your head.
Tried working with a group and didn’t find it beneficial? Want reassurance from a qualified student employee? Check out the Center for Student Learning located on the first floor of Addlestone Library. They offer walk-in labs, as well as individual and private tutoring for wide range of subjects.
4. Disconnect As a member of Generation Y, disengaging from social media is definitely easier said than done, but it is a necessity during midterm week.
You may think you’ve mastered the art of multi-tasking, but truth is your grades are most likely suffering from your distracted studying. Try using Internet blocking apps like SelfControl to limit your online access for a certain period of time. If that seems too overwhelming, you can always just have your roommate change the passwords to your accounts until all of your exams are over.
When you’re having trouble staying logged out of your social media accounts, just remember that every tweet is going to be about how much midterms stink and every new Instagram photo is going to be an artsy library shot of a coffee mug, messy notes, a textbook, and an open neon highlighter.
5. Stay Healthy Just because your schedule is re-arranged for a few weeks to include more studying time, doesn’t mean your whole lifestyle needs to be knocked off course. Contrary to popular belief, your caffeine intake does not need to drastically increase during midterm week. Stick to your normal coffee consumption and replace those extra cravings with ice water to keep hydrated and alert. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day (walking counts!) to prevent yourself from falling into the mindset of a couch potato.
Avoid ordering in greasy take out food just to save time. Instead, think of the time used to prepare and cook a homemade meal as a break between studying for different subjects. If you feel tempted to munch while you read, prepare yourself a healthy snack. Rachel Brandeis, MS, RD suggests 10 easy healthy afternoon snacks to boost your energy and keep you going.
If you remember these five simple suggestions while getting ready for that dreaded week of exams, you’ll be able to walk into each test confidently knowing that you’re well prepared.