Matthew Silberstein, a student of the Class of 2018 and a superb supervisor, suggested that I write about this topic since Holy Cross does indeed give exams. Here’s the truth: we often don’t reflect on stressful times, because of the whole out of sight, out of mind thing and I guess I’d been doing that a lot on this blog when it comes to midterms.
Senior year, though, calls for a revisit to midterm seasons and the such, as this might be the last time I endure these trying times. That being said, everyone deals with assignments and exams in different ways. What seems like a chill week for me might be a hectic week for someone else. However, I’ve written this with experiences of friends and myself in mind, so it is authentic and hopefully beneficial to all:
- Get ahead. Cliche, maybe, but oh so true. If I took the time to get ahead in terms of studying or starting a paper and didn’t wait until the last possible second to begin studying or submit the aforementioned paper, I would be much happier. Also, I could watch that Netflix Original without all the surrounding guilt.
- Talk to your professors. Office Hours can seem daunting, even discouraging, but they are especially helpful. Who better to go to with your questions about the course than the person who created it? It seems obvious, but I’ve definitely forgotten this time and time again (I’m looking at you, Bio Midterm).
- Don’t forget to eat. To echo the sentiment from #2, this probably seems obvious, but it needs to be said. I’m the kind of person who gets a migraine if I don’t eat for a long period of time and then once I have a migraine, my desire to do any work diminishes for some unclear reason. Moral of the story, always have a snack packed.
- Be a human. Maybe you’re thinking, “Okay, so this list has gotten increasingly odd” and perhaps it has, but hear me out. Finals are stressful, stress can cause unhappiness, and unhappy people sometimes get cranky. Be human during these times, because we are probably all overwhelmed. So buy your friend a coffee, don’t leave your stuff overnight on a desk in the library (or at least don’t do this every night), smile encouragingly at someone on the way to Kimball, and if your friend does get cranky, don’t hold it against them. Maybe give them that snack you packed.
