By Kelly Kim
Staff Writer
When it comes to the education system of any institution, I would say that taking tests and publicly speaking are at the top of my list of things I hate to do in school. If it were up to me, I would immediately redact the implementation of such nerve-wracking activities. Unfortunately, test taking and public speaking are things that many college students need to face and quickly get accustomed to.
Many students, especially freshmen, fear the idea of taking midterms and finals. There are also those select freshmen who have never had or known what it is like to take such big cumulative sets of exams in their life. Being a recently graduated high school student, my high school never administered midterms or finals and instead compensated this by having teachers give quizzes about every two weeks so as to test whether or not you retained the knowledge and material.
For many students, there are fearful and tense undertones surrounding test taking and the numerous “right” ways to go about it. Questions float around, constantly reminding the student of their imminent future and proceeding struggles.
Will there even be enough time to construct a new studying method when the one you have is the one you have grown accustomed to?
What is the formatting of a midterm and final?
What should I expect the test-taking environment to be like?
As a freshman myself, the notion of having to take midterms and finals at any point throughout college is a reality that I need to come to terms with at some point. I need to prepare myself to get through one hellish week of torture until we reach the heavenly days that come right after it.
I do not think that I am alone in my worry about surviving those coming weeks, but as someone who came from a town where the high school did not implement any form of midterms or finals, the pressure and the unknown can only make the environment feel unnerving.
The closest experience I have had that is similar to the midterm and finals experience, was studying for Advanced Placement tests, which I feel is only a small chunk of what it is truly like to prepare for tests in college.
So how exactly does someone prepare themselves mentally and academically for the midterms and finals season? Is there even a blueprint effective enough for first-years or those who have never taken such tests to follow so they don’t feel so utterly lost?
Luckily, the College does have multiple resources to aid in that predicament. Some include the student help center and office hours.
Another tactic, that could be done on a more personal level, is gathering in large study groups so that you have other people motivating and keeping you accountable to study or get your papers done.
If you prefer the opposite, and study better on your own, then the key would be utilizing music to your advantage and creating either one central or multiple playlists filled with bangers that motivate you to keep going.
Having the same monotonous songs play for a week or two of intense studying and working could feel dull and boring at some points, so try swapping songs here and there. For intense focus, I like to listen to classical music — especially piano and cello music — or jazz if I am feeling for something a little more upbeat but not as energetic as pop music.
Coming from someone who is a first-year student who does not know what they are doing and is incredibly unfamiliar to this type of environment, I want to be optimistic and believe that everything is going to be okay.
I recently heard from someone that no matter what the results are at the end of midterms and finals, the week will eventually have to come to an end, forcing you to face a new day with new challenges.
It is all to bring comfort and say that both the good and bad moments will pass, so no matter what happens, it all has to be OK eventually.
