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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter.

Whether you’re a freshman preparing for your first set of college midterms or a senior just trying to make it through your last few, midterm season is always stressful. When I think back to my first set of midterms at BU last year, I was a ball of anxiety. Coming off of online school due to COVID, I hadn’t studied for an in-person exam since the end of my sophomore year of high school. Jumping from that to taking my first college exam was scary and draining, but it doesn’t have to be such a struggle. 

college classroom
Photo by Shubham Sharan from Unsplash

I think we are all familiar with the term “burnout,” especially when it comes to midterms and finals season. Midterms are placed at the perfect point in the semester when students have fallen into a routine and are comfortable with their friends and living situations. However, they also come at a time when many of us feel overworked and exhausted, just holding on until Thanksgiving break. When you are studying for several hours, filling your brain with information from different classes, and surrounded by other stressed-out students, it’s almost impossible to avoid burnout. 

That’s why it’s important to give yourself brain breaks from studying. These are times for you to focus on taking care of yourself. Despite how often you may have done this in high school, cramming a bunch of studying into the night before your midterm is equally as stressful as studying for hours straight without any breaks in between. 

friends talking over coffee
Photo by Sam Lion from Pexels

Create a schedule for yourself and do your best to stick to it! This will help you create a manageable study schedule that allows you to get work done while maintaining a positive attitude. Get outside for some exercise and fresh air, spend time with friends, call your family and give yourself some alone time to relax your mind. Ensuring that you take the time to check in on your mental health during midterm season is extremely important and will help you succeed as a result! There are so many other students around you who feel just as stressed as you; lean on each other for support and try your best. 

Remember, one bad grade isn’t the end of the world, and listening to your body is just as important as writing out that last cue card. Let burnout be a thing of the past and balance be a thing of the present. 

Get ready to crush those midterms! 

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Geena Prestia is a senior at BU studying journalism with an Italian minor. She's been a writer for Her Campus since the fall of her sophomore year. She enjoyed writing for HCBU so much that she decided to take on more responsibility as an editor in the spring and is currently a Co-Senior Editor on the Executive Board! Outside of Her Campus, Geena has always felt empowered in strong female environments and, in the spring of her freshman year, joined the Rho Chapter of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. As an academic, Geena involves herself in many on-campus clubs to further her journalism experience. She was the Multimedia Editor the BU's The Daily Free Press, a Correspondent and Editor for the WTBU radio show, a Marketing Intern for BU Admissions, and recently started a new position at BU Admissions as a Communications Assistant. Geena also completed a remote journalism internship during the spring 2024 semester, with a NYC based entertainment publication called The Garnette Report. In her free time, Geena loves traveling, writing, spending time with her big Italian family, exploring Boston with her friends, and country concerts! She is also very passionate about the arts and was a competitive singer and dancer from a young age. Geena has only ever had a pet fish but hopes to one day become a bulldog mom!