Student to student: 13 thoughts you might have during midterm season – and some tips!
It’s in the midst of midterm season at UW–Madison, and you can almost feel the stress in the air.
Professors are trying to squeeze in as much as they can before spring break, TAs are trying to do everything they can to motivate us, and the number one thing on a lot of Badger’s minds is when we can take our next nap.
While it might seem that some students are able to manage their classes, jobs, friends, student orgs and sleep schedules without batting an eye, for a lot of Badgers this can be a time of high stress. Luckily spring break is coming up quickly, but in the meantime all of us still have a week and a half of work left to do.
Here are some thoughts that might go through your head before the sweet bliss of break arrives.
1. When do midterms actually end? I think it started in February, but it’s still happening… Is there a time before finals when my midterms are actually going to stop? Or do they just kind of bleed into the end of the semester right up until finals week?
2. Is it normal to have four exams and three papers due in one week? Is someone manipulating my schedule to maximize my misery? Maybe there’s someone who has a vendetta against me and they conspired with my professors to put all of my major exams and papers this week. That’s clearly the most logical explanation.
3. Only NINE MORE DAYS until spring break!!! WOOoooo… I just really need a break.
4. Would anyone notice if I just stopped right here and took a nap? Where’s somewhere on campus that I can nap inconspicuously?
5. Where is the closest place to here that has coffee? Maybe it would be cheaper if I drank an energy drink. Or Mountain Dew. Or one of those chocolate bars that has caffeine in it. Either way I need some form of caffeine immediately.
6. Do I have time to shower? How many days in a row is it socially acceptable to not shower? Maybe I’ll just take a two minute shower and use dry shampoo… again.
7. Studying for this exam would be a lot easier if I had been doing all of my readings all semester… Why did I skip so many readings???
8. Well, if I do horribly on this exam at least I’ll be helping my fellow Badgers by setting the curve super low. That’s a positive, right? Right?
9. Maybe if I lay down on my textbook I’ll be able to absorb the material that way. Through osmosis or whatever.
10. Why is the page that I’m reading getting blurry? Oh… that’s just my tears.
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11. I should get ice cream. Or cake. Or cookies. Or chocolate. Or tacos. Just something that tastes wonderful.
12. Maybe it’s worth $40 to get a professional massage at UHS…
13. When is spring break, again?
While this article is meant to be a cynical look at the stress of midterm season, if you feel overwhelmed by stress there are a lot of different options on campus to help you through it!
UHS has a variety of resources, including stress management sessions, relaxation exercises, massage therapy, yoga, meditation classes, recipes for eating healthy, Let’s Talk sessions (where you can talk about any problems or stressors you’ve been facing), an online mental health program, group counseling, individual counseling, and other mental health resources.
The Greater University Tutoring Service also has workshops for improving your study skills.
In addition, here are some study tips from a student and from DoIT.
Good luck Badgers!