We’ve all heard the whispers of midterms in our classes, in the halls of residence buildings or from passing students on campus. Suddenly hearts start racing, and nails are bitten raw. This list includes some of the best ways to avoid the panic, last minute cramming and high stress levels.
1. The Million Page Readings
For many first-year students, the amount of reading in university is eye-widening and terrifying. How do you manage to read everything for each class before your first midterms? One of the best ways to stay prepared for your first set of midterms is to make sure that you’ve gone through all your readings. This might mean cutting back on how many episodes of Netflix you’re watching a night, to make sure you stay up to date with the readings you have to complete for all your classes. The best thing to do is to read the assigned pages before your class, and then reread them after the lecture to make sure you understand what is being talked about. This also give you an opportunity to ask questions during the lecture about the readings, for clarification. By staying ahead in readings, you’ll be more prepared for midterms.
2. The Full Eight Hours
Doctors recommend that young adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Many Canadian family physicians recommend that young adults from the age of eighteen to twenty-five get eight hours of sleep. One of the many benefits of having a good sleep is increase in cognition and memory. Which means during the stressful midterm times, your brain will be rested and able to help you recall things taught in class from memory. When you have to know lots of different theories or dates for your classes it is good to be able to remember off the top of your head what you learned in class. As well, this way when you’re in the exam room you’ll be able to remember everything you studied. Getting enough sleep also makes you feel more energized, which is good during midterm season. Having energy and a rested brain during exam season results in smooth sailing all the way until the end.
3. Morning Or Night?
How do you make time for all your studying when you have classes every day and a social life all weekend? Between the two, the amount of time you leave for studying and homework gets pretty small. What’s the best way to have a healthy amount of school and friend time? One of the many things you can do is figure out if you prefer staying up late at night or waking up early in the morning. If you find yourself watching Netflix until two in the morning, why not substitute that for a couple of hours of studying? That way you can get some studying done earlier on, instead of trying to cram everything you learned the night before your midterm. If you find yourself waking up early in the morning with nothing to do before your first class; you can also substitute that for some study time. If you study this way, you have time to maintain both school and personal lives, along with not having to worry about cramming the night before.
4. Make Friends, Study In A Group
Sometimes studying alone is good, and sometimes studying in a group is also beneficial. Finding a study group for your courses is helpful because you can ask questions you might not want to ask in class. People in your study groups might understand ideas you don’t and you might understand concepts that they don’t. Bouncing ideas and concepts off one another is one of the best ways to study. This way, you’re getting the help you need and so are the other people in your study group. Along with having a different strategy to studying, your study group will be the people that support you during midterm season. Whether they’re people from your classes or friends you’ve made in residence, your study group will be there to support you through both the good or bad.
5. Three Meals A Day
Sometimes during midterm season the stress overwhelms you, and you start forgetting about eating during the day. It happens to all of us. We forget to have breakfast, or lunch, or even dinner. During this stressful season it’s important not to forget that having at least three meals a day will be beneficial for you in the long run. It’s also important to look for the healthier alternatives for each one of those meals. Perhaps substituting the fries for the vegetables might be an option for you. Making a conscious decision to eat healthy is not only good for you in the short term, but also in the long term. Eating healthy in general makes you feel good, and during the stressful exam period – feeling good is a must.
6. The Eight Glass Rule
Along with forgetting to eat meals during the day, people often forget to stay hydrated during midterm season. You might feel groggy due to not drinking enough water during these exam weeks. Having at least eight glasses of water a day will help you stay focused during classes, during study time and while you’re writing your midterm. Along with all the other benefits of drinking water, like clear skin and clearing the toxins from your body, water also helps you focus (which is what everyone wants sitting in long lectures and long exams). Taking a bottle of water with you everywhere you go will be a good reminder to drink during the day. This way you know you will be hydrated and you’ll be able to concentrate all day.
No one is immune to feeling the stress of midterms, some people just learn how to avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed sooner than others. And that’s okay. Maybe you do all these things and you still feel stressed for your exams. That’s okay too. These suggestions are ways to keep your stress levels down during your first set of midterms. Just take a deep breath in, let it out and clear your head. You’ve got this.
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