Midterms are something all college students have experienced, yet could live without. The middle of the semester is peak stress, feeling overwhelmed, and unmotivated. Being able to balance your social life, school life, and work life may sound like no big deal. The pressure to be able to balance work and play, eat three meals a day, and act like you have your life together is challenging and it may seem silly, but we have all been there as college students whether we admit to it or not! Midterm season does fortunately have an end, but here are some tips and tricks to make your life easier and get a handle on your stress before it becomes overwhelming!
Getting Organized
Cleaning your room is always a great way to refresh and restart! After a busy weekend and half of your closet is on the ground and you just want to avoid your responsibilities it is best to clean your room. Why? Because you are able to focus on creating a clean space that puts you in the mood to be successful and willingly do your work!
It may sound simple but taking the time out of your day to create a to-do list or planning out your week ahead with deadlines for the class and budgeting time to study creates a sense of necessity and formality to when you are able to focus time to studying. Like writing in stone, the actual act of planning out your week makes you remember it! Also, it lets you know when you are free and hang with your friends!
Study Spots
Having a good study spot is always important. You want to be comfortable and productive. To achieve the maximum productivity of your time it is key to not be too comfortable. For example, I am unable to do work in bed because I always drift into the realm of sleepiness and spend more time taking a nap when that wasn’t my intention. Picking your favorite spot on campus is always good to get comfortable and create a routine without the distractions you face with your friends in your living situation or the temptation to crawl into your bed and watch a movie instead.
All About Balance
One of the most important things to realize while in the heat of stress and midterms is to advocate for yourself! Teachers are people too and they understand that you may be feeling overwhelmed. By speaking up and creating an individual relationship with your teacher or teaching assistant gives you a personalized advantage. Being communicative with your teacher and asking them for help at office hours, via email, or after class allows you to speak how you feel and get an explanation straight from the source.
Overall addressing what you need to accomplish early on will lead you to success! Balance and being able to enjoy your time will come naturally once you face your tasks head on. The biggest aspect is to remember that this one task, one assignment, one grade does not define you. Putting in your best work where you can is important, but letting that work consume you is another thing. Enjoy your time at college and live a little! Don’t sweat the small stuff, being proactive where you can, and love UMass!