Eight ways to cope with midterm season


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Spring break…so close, yet so far. All you have to do is get through the last stretch of midterm season. Instead of stressing about all the tests you have next week, use one (or all) of the methods below to ace those midterms and feel confident going into spring break.

1. Get to Leavey earlier in the evening. With more tables open, in addition to the fact that you’ll be more awake, you’ll have more freedom and time to study. An added bonus: the feeling you get when you leave Leavey BEFORE midnight.

2. Make a study schedule that sets aside time every day to study. Not only will this help prevent you from procrastinating, but also in retaining information way more than cramming the night before the test. At least, that’s what Professor Lavond, who teaches a psychology class on learning and memory, says.

3. Study for 20 minutes at a time and ask yourself, “What did I just read?” before taking a break. This method takes advantage of our short attention span but also ensures better recall.

4. Think about what it’ll feel like when you’re done with all your midterms and on spring break. For me, this method is weirdly motivating. A potential future feeling of satisfaction and confidence motivates me to study harder.

5. Sleep! This goes in hand in hand with a spaced study schedule. By studying a little every day, you can get those wonderful eight to ten hours of sleep and can take your test feeling refreshed.

6. Make a study guide with friends in your classes, but ultimately study alone. Let’s be real: no studying actually gets done when you’re with your friends. Instead, use your friends to come up with a comprehensive study guide; this form of cooperation speeds up the studying process and makes studying alone more bearable.

7. Stay healthy! Make sure to eat three meals a day and avoid contact with people who are sick. Be super careful; the flu tends to go around during midterm season.

8. Lastly, don’t procrastinate! Arguably the most obvious method but also the most difficult one to follow through, being on top of everything seriously makes the difference. Use the above methods in combination to prevent procrastinating.