With Midterms Season upon us, I’ve been considering how I want to prepare. I’ve only been through one round of college-level midterms and finals thus far, but I feel like I learned enough information in those two weeks (and last semester as a whole) to last a lifetime.
If you’re anything like me, you deserve an A just for how good you are at procrastinating. Last semester at least, I amazed myself with how I could so easily push working on an assignment further and further back and leave it until the very last minute. Let’s just say this lifestyle left me sleep-deprived at least six days of the week (shoutout to Sundays), malnourished and in a constant state of anxiety. Particularly during midterms week, adrenaline was the only thing I had going for me. I existed on Easy Mac and Starbursts which I’d eat while staring at my computer screen, attempting to cram chunks of information into my brain. After spending at least a week recuperating from both Finals Week and Midterms Week, I’m saying “never again!” Here’s what I’m doing this semester to turn things around:
- Actually listen to my professors’ study suggestions
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We’ve heard it from all of our professors: that we should expect to spend X amount of hours outside of class dedicated to work and studying. We’ve also all ignored these suggestions. What I’m finding this semester, though, is that devoting another 5-7 hours to one of my hardest classes each week is saving me from kicking myself when it’s time for the exam. I’ve actually begun reviewing concepts we learned in a class at the end of each week, which means the notes I’ve taken won’t look like a foreign language when I’m studying the night before a big test.
- Put sleep before everything
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I had a lot of 8 AM classes last semester, as well as a lot of late nights, which turned out to be a terrible combination. I knew that getting eight hours of sleep would mean that I felt my best—that it would allow me to pay better attention in class and that it would improve my memory…but it just didn’t feel like a feasible goal. I felt like I had way too much to do and that I could be okay with five hours a night (on average). I was able to survive, yes, but I felt terrible all the time. I was also constantly sick last semester which made it hard to even make it to class some days. Now, I set a time for myself to stop doing work in order to go to bed by a reasonable hour and limit my screen time in order to get eight hours every night (or at least most nights). This change has had the greatest impact on my life. I feel happier, more productive and even physically healthier.
- Remember that food is fuel
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Like I explained earlier, nutrition was not all that important to me in the fall. I felt like it didn’t matter what I was eating so long as I wasn’t overeating. I think the thing a lot of people fail to realize (especially me) when it comes to food is that it’s not just about managing your weight, it’s also making sure what you eat makes you feel good. I’ve learned that if I’m eating a nutritionally poor diet, I feel it in all other aspects of my life. Eating healthier has most definitely enabled me to be a better student and a happier person in general.
So, while I might eat an occasional Easy Mac, I view them more as a snack now than a meal. I once used to source most of my “meals” from the Huddle; but now I eat actual, balanced meals mostly from the dining hall (which has also saved me a lot of Flex Points, by the way). By “balanced meals,” I mean meals that include a good amount of protein, fat and carbs. I also fill up my plate at NDH with steamed or roasted vegetables and try to eat all of them even if they might be lacking flavor. In addition, Grab and Go has become my best friend because those RxBars and Special K protein bars are so good and the perfect snack in between classes. Lastly, I’ve realized the importance of eating breakfast. Most of the people I have met at ND have told me that they don’t eat breakfast; and I, too, used to be one of them. Given the average 14-swipes-a-week meal plan, skipping a morning meal is understandable. I’ve found that eating breakfast in the mornings gives me so much energy throughout the day, though, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming to prepare! My go-to breakfast is a pack of instant quaker oatmeal (which I bought in bulk from Amazon) topped with a banana I stole from NDH and a tablespoon of peanut butter. It’s such a simple and classic meal, but it’s so good. On the days I don’t eat breakfast now, I truly can tell the difference. I now see why people say that, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
- Exercise
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When I was super stressed out last semester, I remember my roommate would suggest that I go work out to clear my head. I also remember appreciating the sentiment but simultaneously thinking she was crazy, because I just felt like I was never going to be that person who exercised for fun. I wanted to be, but I was constantly making excuses; I either had had too much work, not enough time or I felt too tired. At the beginning of this semester I decided that things were going to change and I started to force myself to hit the gym. I now realize that the biggest reason I hated working out so much last year was because I was forcing myself to do long sessions of cardio and never switched up my routine. Now, I lift weights, do leg exercises, abs exercises and follow along with Youtube workout videos. Believe it or not, I finally have actually started to enjoy working out and looking forward to these gym sessions. Not only has exercise been scientifically-proven to improve one’s mood and sense of well-being (hello, endorphins), but I’ve also found that working out makes me feel more accomplished and inspires me to get more done. This is a tip I’ll definitely be utilizing during Midterms week.
- Get busy
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While it might seem counterintuitive, I’ve found that putting a lot on my plate this semester has made me more efficient and made it easier to be a healthier person. The reason for this is that having a larger workload and more commitments has forced me to improve my time management. The biggest reason why I felt like I didn’t have enough time to sleep as much as I wanted to or exercise last semester is because I had poor time management skills. I now set aside chunks of time each day to do my homework or work out; and for the first time ever, I’m not experiencing that, “I’m too overwhelmed to even know where to start” feeling!
I’ve realized that being a college student doesn’t just mean putting a lot of time and effort into your schoolwork—it also means paying attention to and caring for yourself. It’s easy to push things off and say you’ll worry about them later, but things really do catch up with you, especially when it’s Midterms week! So, this semester, I’m working towards making my health my greatest priority; and the crazy thing that I’m finding is that other parts of my life have become easier as a result. Now that I’m focused on bettering myself, my goals now actually feel attainable and I’m not just trapped in an endless cycle of cram, freak out, take test, repeat.
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