Written by Mikaela Gantz
Midterm season is here, and I personally am not having it. Life has ramped up at an exponential speed and all of a sudden we’re somehow halfway through the semester. I’ve been through a few rounds of midterms during my time here and I have some thoughts. Fall semester midterms SUCK, they fall right
before fall break and it is always so hectic. Especially because some professors will make midterm stuff due
after fall break, so you forget everything by the time you get back to campus.
Some people like midterms post fall break, I personally do not. Midterms also fall around the time it’s starting to get cooler. The fall breeze is picking up, it’s gorgeous outside, and it’s finally sweater weather. All I want to do is go on a nice little hike. Instead I’m stuck with exams in 6 classes, three papers, and 4 research project deadlines. Look, it’s my own fault I have 6 classes. I get that. I chose my schedule. Midterms are crazy for everyone though. No matter how many classes you have there’s a very high likelihood you have at least a few tests or essays or some other way to determine a grade for the class. This is actually the biggest positive and negative about midterms for me. If you have a professor who doesn’t show any grades on inquire this is the first (and perhaps only) time you get to know your grade in the class before it’s finalized.
It’s great to know where you stand, obviously that’s not an inherently bad thing. What is bad is when you see you don’t have a great grade and you have no clue why. This hasn’t happened to me yet thankfully, but I have friends who found out they were failing courses at midterms that literally had no idea. All of this is to say, midterms are scary, especially if you’re a freshman. There’s a lot of stress in the air right now (and viruses!) and we all want to stay healthy and happy. So, if you’re struggling, reach out to your peers, talk to your advisor, talk to a professor, talk to Chaplain Chris, just talk to someone. It’s a hard couple of weeks and no decent person is going to blame you for that. This time last year was really hard for me. But flash forward a year and I’m doing really well now. That’s because I realized I needed more than myself to rely on, and I reached out. Get good sleep, get vaccinated, and good luck on midterms Maroons!
