Midterm Stress (and how to cope)

It's that time of year again when everyone is collectively stressed out about midterms. But next week is spring break so after a long week this week we'll get to have some time off. In the meantime though, we have to figure out how to survive midterm season, and more importantly, do well in classes. Here is a list of my tips to dealing with mid terms, and a discussion of what tests and assignments I have coming up so that you can get an idea of what a typical schedule might be like.

List of upcoming midterms and assignments: 

  • Spanish 301: I just took my second test for the class last week and I think it went well, and not I have an essay about one of the works we've read due Wednesday. 
  • Intro to American Politics: For this class I have a second midterm test upcoming for this Friday. 
  • Exploration and Discovery: every freshman has to write a research paper in the second semester of E&D, and the first draft of mt E&D paper is due Friday. 
  • Middle Eastern Politics: For this class I have a second mid term coming up for Wednesday, and this is probably the test I need to do the most studying for. 
  • History (Constructing American Landscapes): As a final for this class we have to write a paper about the history and design of a specific physical space like a building or a park or  neighborhood, and the topic proposal for that is due Wednesday so I have to brainstorm for that. 
Strategies for Being Successful 
  • Stay Organized 
    • I have a running to do list that is always open on my computer and I have due dates and a list of things written out roughly in the order of what I should prioritize. 
    • I also keep a calendar of due dates, and all of the activities that I have going on that way I can keep track of when I have time to work on things 
  • Use Your Weekends 
    • I'm the worst about this but, I think it's important to use your weekends to catch up on homework and get organized for the week ahead. And weekends are a good time to sit down and work on a longer project like an essay. 
    • Weekends are also a good time to hang out with friends and take some time for yourself if you need it, but I'm always working on finding the right about of time to spend on free time for myself and homework 
  • Get some sleep 
    • Some nights you might be up super early doing homework, or up super late. I definitley stay up late getting things done all the time, but some nights I know that it's also really important to get a good nights sleep so that I can function well the next day, and not be a zombie when trying to write an essay 
  • Find somewhere fun to study 
    • Lately it's been super warm ans sunny on campus so I might take advantage of that and find a nice place outside to study, but at night or or rainier days I like to do work in Maggie's because it feels more serious than in my dorm room and it's a nice place to be for a few hours. 
    • It's important to be a in a place that will motivate you to be productive 
  • Talk to Professors 
    • And lastly, if you need help with anything your professors will be amazingly helpful and understanding! 

If you have any question about LC or just want to chat email me at quentingaul@lclark,edu