The weather is getting colder and Thanksgiving break seems to be nowhere in sight. It seems like everything is falling apart with professors ramping up the difficulty of classes, the never-ending projects, and midterms. But for some reason, the only thing we all can seem to do is curl up in bed with our go-to coffee order and watch Gilmore Girls for the third time. I like to call this phase of every year the dreaded “Mid-Semester Slump”. After years of going through this, here are my tips and tricks to getting out of this slump as best as you can.
- Get out of your dorm/apartment!
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Stay away from your bed or before you know it that small little nap will end up taking over your entire afternoon. After my last class of the day I like heading over to the library, finding a quiet corner and setting up my work there or grabbing a drink from Starbucks and studying at any café.
- Get some exercise in!
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It doesn’t matter for how long, but getting your body moving and out of the sluggish state will help clear your mind too! While I love going to Purdue’s Co-Rec center every night, sometimes I just don’t have enough time so I text one of my friends to go on a walk with me. I come back feeling energized, and ready to take on my assignments.
- Remember to eat!
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I know we’ve all had those days where we don’t know where the time has gone and end up not having eaten all day. If you’re at Purdue Harrison Grill is open till 1:00AM and is my favorite go to late night spot.
- Make Study Groups!
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If you commit to meeting people at a location to study together, you’ll definitely get up to get your work done. I like setting up study dates with my friends in small cafés or even in the lounge in my residence hall.
- Reach out to your TA’s!
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Classes are starting to get harder and it can be hard to keep up. Whenever I feel myself getting confused I head to office hours or a supplemental instruction session (SI). It’s really reassuring to get individual or group help to feel less behind. I’ve also found that I make great study groups there!
College can be challenging but just know that you can handle this and these tips will help you along the way! That being said, don’t forget to treat yourself to that nap and Netflix session every now and then. You got this!