Let me start by saying, I hate when people call it midterm “season”. At least in my experience, midterms are the bulk of the semester, if not present throughout the entire semester, with seemingly no end in sight. If you feel like Regina George after she got hit by the bus, I’m right in the trenches with you. As a woman in STEM who quite literally has a midterm the week before finals, I’m here to tell you how I haven’t lost my mind (yet), and how you can do the same!Â
Keep a POsitive Mindset
First and foremost, as much as it may pain you to do so, try to keep a positive mindset — “glass half full” instead of a “glass half empty” mindset, if you will. Constantly looking at the downside of things will drain you 10 times quicker, and leave you feeling more bitter and unwilling to do things. Trying to stay positive can be appreciating the little things about your day-to-day life, and can be as simple as the sky being sunny that afternoon, or helping yourself to a sweet treat in between studying. You deserve it, stop being so hard on yourself!Â
Don’t Procrastinate!
Speaking of being hard on yourself, stop procrastinating! Procrastination is leaving all the stress on your back at once and placing a lot of (unnecessary) stress on yourself. It wouldn’t be present without procrastination by worrying that you won’t finish your assignment or study enough material by the impending deadline. I understand that some of you may work better under pressure, but I’m willing to bet that isn’t the case for everyone. So, for whoever needs to hear this, don’t procrastinate! Don’t add extra stress unless you need to.
Work Life balance
Lastly, LIVE YOUR LIFE! Believe me, as someone who wants to go to medical school in the future, I fully understand feeling like grades define you, and feeling like you aren’t good enough with every grade that isn’t as high as you were hoping. However, you only live once! Do you wanna look back and remember your college experience as just stressing and studying 24/7? I didn’t think so, and I fully agree that it can be hard to find the work/life balance. However, it doesn’t always have to be some grand thing. It can be as simple as watching a TV show with your friends while eating lunch, and then treating yourself after a big load of stress has passed. I took three exams in a week and then went to the Eras Tour the day after my last exam (Toronto night 2 for those who were wondering). All I’m saying is grades and studying are super important and shouldn’t be neglected! But at the same time, you’re just a girl, and you deserve to have fun too!Â
As we approach the end of November, times are rough, and I’m not going to tell you that your stress will vanish. However, remember that even if midterms are the bulk of your semester, it will come to an end eventually. Just stay positive, stay on top of your work, and don’t forget to have fun!Â
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