It’s that time again – the time to get your books, sit down, and cry. In other words, it’s midterm season. The first midterm season after the long summer break is the most difficult. After a month of avoiding your readings, spending too much money on Richmond Row, and spending Sundays in bed with Tylenol and Netflix, it’s hard to force yourself to be productive and to function like an adult. The most important thing, however, is to not let yourself dig the hole of procrastination and despair. It’s a hole that comes with no ladder and is extremely hard to pull yourself out of. Here are some tips to study without burning yourself out.
Seek Help!
If you have a vague idea of what you are supposed to study, but are not really sure, you can end up studying the completely wrong part of the chapter and only spend an hour on the majority of the exam (curse you first year psychology!). A way to gain a little more clarity is to attend any review session that your prof may provide – these can help you assess the more important parts of the textbook and lecture material and the prof can answer any question you may have. If discover you need help when you are studying, email your prof or TA and set up an office hours appointment. They will be more than happy to help – they want nothing more than for you to succeed in your studies, I promise!
Those Who Study Together, Stay Together
If you have a few friends who take the same course as you, why not set up a study group? It’s a great way to discuss and share ideas whilst not being bored while you study! Rent out a study room in Weldon Library or one of the study rooms in rez and go over the important topics before the exam. Plus, the shared trauma of that biz four hour exam will surely bring you all closer together…
Don’t Get Bored!
It’s easy to be writing dozens and dozens of pages of notes for a particularly dry class and realize that for the past hour, you’ve been thinking about the toppings of the pizza you are going to order that night (bacon, mushrooms, pepperoni – if anyone wants to know). To combat said boredom, use flashcards to memorize key concepts! They can form an association in your memory that will be super helpful when your brain is calling blank in the exam. If you don’t want to leave the comforts of your home, a great website is Cram, where you can test yourself using pre-made flashcards or create your own! They also have an app on the Android and Apple app stores, so you can study on the bus on the way to your exam.
Procrastination Is Not Your Friend
There are many things that we think are a good idea until we actually do them. Procrastination is one of these ideas. Leaving studying to the last minute will not only give you less study time, but it will cause stress, which can lead to depression, anxiety, and even illness. Make a plan for the day and stick to it. However, make sure that the goals that you set for yourself are reasonable, since an overload of self-expectations can be detrimental to your objectives. Getting a little bit done, a day at a time, will give you a sense of achievement without stressing yourself out, and without procrastinating and setting yourself a huge workload!
Take Care of Yourself
The most important thing is self-care. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, make sure that you get a decent amount of sleep each night. Students function best on 8-10 hours each night, but if that is not feasible, the minimum should be six hours. Any less, and lack of sleep will negatively impact academic performance, including recalling facts and information, which is the opposite of what you want when writing an exam! Instead of reaching for another coffee, make time for yourself to sleep. Make sure you also get adequate nutrition and hydration, as these will also impact you mentally. There is no point studying to the point of extreme fatigue if you are extremely fatigued when you write your exam. Take care of yourself, and the academic performance will be much improved.
A final good luck to all Mustangs on all of your midterms! Remember: your grades do not define who you are as a person.