Last year, I would have been embarrassed by the fact that this is only my second post for this month. But that was before I enrolled at Cornell; before I sold my soul to this university in exchange for a note-taking induced arthritic right hand. At the root of all of my issues? Prelims. I blame them for any and all of my problems.
Honestly? My prelims have all gone relatively well, and studying for them felt like studying for every other exam and midterm of my college career. And yet- there was something entirely different about this experience than any of the others. I can sum up that feeling in one word. Hype. It’s everywhere. Everyone is stressing and putting way too much pressure on themselves. And it’s contagious. You may not have a prelim for two weeks, but surely the minute you finish the last one, you begin to think about the next. All your friends are studying and preparing, and no one wants to look or feel like the slacker. Plus you feel the guilt and the death stares for Facebook stalking at the library, or watching a movie while your roommate pulls at their hair. You put in headphones and casually tilt the screen away from everyone- but the guilt doesn’t subside. YOU SHOULD BE STUDYING!
But I think that it’s all way more hyped up than it actually should be. Call it what you want, but an exam is an exam. At the school I transferred from there were just midterms. Sometime you had two a semester. Sometimes you had three. They were horrible, but you got over it- eventually. By calling it any name other than what it is, it pumps up the experience to this numbing, all-consuming death march towards failure. But is it? Not really. I understand the thought process behind the freak out; I’ve been living it for the past month. “A prelim! It’s a quarter of my grade! I’m gonna fail. My life is over!” The first set has come and gone for most of us. For some a second round is coming, like a freight train bearing down on us paralyzed students. But don’t let it railroad you. Remember- it’s just a test with a fancy name. And there’ll be plenty more of them in the semesters to come.
Easier said than done though, right? I’m just gonna go reread my textbook for the third time now.