Midterm Survival Guide

Midterms got you down this week? Don’t worry; it probably won’t be as bad as you think.  At a place like Northwestern with “midterms” taking place what seems like every other week, it’s important to get your routine down and know which study methods work best for you.  So take a deep breath, get off Facebook…. and check out our midterm survival guide.  

Study Sites

• NU offers an abundance of places to study. While sometimes you can pull off studying in your dorm, often it’s not the best option because it can be very distracting and loud.  Not to mention you can be tempted to take a nap break every five minutes.
• For those of you who like to work in quiet, Deering Library Reading Room is the ideal place. The Eloise W. Martin Reading Room that houses the library’s art collection is so quiet that all you can hear is the gentle hum of the ventilation system.  
• Tech library is also a great option, especially if you live up north.  With its new renovations it’s the perfect place to study with plenty of white boards and even cool soundproof study rooms to reserve if you want to get a study session going with a group of friends.
• For some, all of the quiet is itself a distraction for some people—all they can hear is the tip-tap of keyboards or scratch of pencils. To get some healthy distraction, and maybe unleash the social butterfly in you, study at the food court in Norris or upstairs in Norbucks. It offers comfortable seating that is ergonomic for studying and a wide variety of food to nurture your smart cells.  
• For an in-between spot that’s not quite as quiet as the library or quite as noisy as Norbucks, check out The Great Room.  They’ve got tons of table room plus comfy couches and chairs in the back…not to mention the delicious food.  Plus they’re open until 2 am.

Study Tips

• Begin by organizing your notes in a way that makes them easily accessible—perhaps by topic or difficulty.
• Don’t spend time on material that you already feel comfortable with. Focus on the information with which you are uncomfortable.
• Don’t just reread your book or notes. Read them out loud, rewrite them, or have a friend quiz you.
• Listen to music that does not distract you while you study. The beat of the music keeps you in the rhythm of studying. 
• If you’re a visual learner, use bright colored pens or markers to write down important information you need to know.
• Make up and sing a song about what you’re learning. It really helps, but don’t sing too loudly at Deering or at your dorm during quiet hours.
• Take a break from memorizing and write down everything you know. This is also an effective way to end your study session.
• If you’re writing a paper, organize all of your thoughts onto one document—include quotations, background information, and your own ideas for analysis.
• Turn off the Internet. It is a midterm paper’s worst enemy (unless research is required).
• Write everything down that you can think of for the paper. Then go back and put it all together in a logical way.
• Overwriting is better than underwriting. Delete and condense later. There is always material that you should cut from your paper.