Work On It Wednesday: Preparing for Midterm Season

By Emily Young MA ‘16

 It’s hard to stay calm and focused when one test is worth 35% of your grade.  It’s even worse when you have four tests and a paper due all in the next two weeks.  

Welcome to Midterm Season. It’s survival of the fittest….. (and wittiest)

Entering upon my 9^th midterm season, I consider myself a veteran.  Even if you just follow one piece of my advice, I assure you, it will lead to a much calmer midterm season.

1. Create a Game Plan

Print out a calendar of the month of October.  Write in when all your big tests and assignments are due along with any big events on your schedule (Parents Weekend Oct. 24^th, Weekender Oct. 30^th-1^st,, Halloween, Friend Visit etc.)  Now that you have a layout of the month, make self-imposed study time deadlines.  Say you have a paper and test due in a week, October 7^th.  Your goals could be to have your rough draft done by Saturday, review chapters 1-4 Sunday, chapters 4-8 Monday, Tuesday revise and finish paper, and Wednesday before your test review your lecture notes.  Be realistic with your planning, but also plan time for fun.  Go out Saturday night, but be home by 1:00am and ready and able to study by 10:00 on Sunday.  Here’s a fun calendar for you!

2. Find Your Study Zone

Everyone likes a different study environment.  For me, I like absolute silence and a big table to spread all of my work out on.  Therefore, Doheny Library is my zone.  Experiment with different places on campus until you find one what works for you.  If you’re dedicating a full day to studying, try a rotation: Starbucks, Doheny, Campus Center, Leavey, dorm.

3. Positive Attitude

Attitude is everything. You should always going into a test feeling confident.  There will always more things you could have done, but at the time of the test you need to feel prepared, ready, calm, and focused.  Use positive self-talk to get yourself amped up for the test.  Don’t let one question (or 10) affect your confidence.  The tests are designed to be hard and there is no reason to freak out until you see the curve.  

4. Focus on You

Midterm season sucks, but it’s a universal struggle for everyone.  It’s okay to go to class in pajamas or go to bed at 10pm when everyone else is going out.  Your job is to focus on taking care of you, survival of the fittest.  Eat well, get plenty of sleep, take vitamins, and use hand sanitizer 24-7.  Midterm season is the worst time to get sick.  If you feel a cold coming on, go to the health center and get the drugs to fight it.  Remember step 3, positive attitude. Just keep telling yourself you aren’t sick.

5.  Reward Yourself.

My Macro professor who gave our class four midterms said, “I am a huge believer in rewards.  So make sure you get yourself a treat after the test.” Make sure you reward yourself for hard work done:  Cream, Ground Zero Coldstone, online purchase, night out, etc.—you deserve it.

Stay strong!