Well, we made it. After almost two months of reading heavy material, writing essays, and little sleep, we can cross off a quarter of the 2018 academic year. The semester is halfway over, and midterms have passed. Now, we have another great two months to look forward to: more reading of heavy material, writing essays, and little sleep. All over again.
While some are rejoicing over their midterm exam grades, some are kicking themselves for not studying as much. Whichever category you fall into, here are some ways to come back energized, focused, and on a strong track for finals.
Take a deep breath and reflect:
Take a minute to regroup. Studies show that the human brain needs time to recover from activities, such as reading or a phone call, and yet we rarely take time to silence the noise and regroup. Whether that be a 5 minute meditation, journaling or simply doing nothing for a couple minutes, it’s good to let yourself just be. After regrouping, think about your study habits. Did you spend enough time working for each class? Did you devote too much time to a particular class? Additionally, are you happy with your midterm grades? If you aren’t, what is a reasonable goal for the future?
Set intentions:
Once you take time to reflect, you can begin to set intentions for the rest of the semester. If your plan worked out well last semester, find ways to continue implementing that in your life. If your studying and work habits didn’t turn out so well, set goals to find more success. Intentions are important because it helps you from going through the motions and getting swept into the mundane flow of life. Consciously identifying an objective will help you gain a sense of direction in your studying and process of obtaining your degree.
Get help from tutors, professors, or other students:
If midterms didn’t go as well as you hoped, don’t worry! Mistakes happen, and it isn’t the end of the world. The only problem is if you don’t take action to improve your understanding. Go through your test or paper with your professor to see what you could have done better. Attend a tutoring session or arrange one for your subject. Also, other students in your class are always a good resource to use. Hamline has a great Writing Center in the basement of Bush Library to get help on papers. Learn what you could have done better and fit it into your plan for the rest of the semester!
Remember the first half of the year’s information:
Though it would be nice to forget about a bad midterm grade and move on, it’s important to remember the information from the first half of your classes. It can be helpful to review any notes, tests or papers from the first half of the semester to review the material and remember what you learned. That way, finals won’t seem like such a daunting task. Even a simple read through of your notes can help jog your memory. If you focus on the material for the first half and second half equally, you’ll be able to master the final.
Support your intended path of success:
Reflecting and planning is the fun part. To make sure you are successful, you must put your intentions into practice. If you intend to spend at least a half hour on a certain subject each day, set a timer or write it in your planner to hold yourself accountable. Rather than live passively and let your grades slump, take action to direct your plans towards success. Support yourself and take care of yourself to ensure that you will be able to add new information to the old with ease. Make studying fun by giving yourself rewards—wait and grab that snack until after you finish chapter 6! If you keep the end goal in mind, you can motivate yourself to support your path along the way.
Think about the bigger picture:
The classes you take now are important. Your grades matter, but they don’t matter that much. Remember to keep the bigger picture in mind—what is important to you? What career do you hope to inhabit? Let those dreams and desires motivate you to do the best you can in your classes now. Likewise, let the bigger picture wash the little things away. Don’t waste your time hyper focusing on small details that only stress you out. Think about your purpose for being in college and what you have to be grateful from this experience. A bad midterm grade might not fall on that list, but with reflecting, setting intentions and determination, you can work your way to a final grade to be thankful for!
Hopefully a few of these suggestions will help you get back on track for finals. It’ll come up quick, so be sure to plan and focus to achieve the most from the semester!