It’s the most wonderful time of the semester! Yes, that’s right, it’s midterm time. And while spring break is on the horizon, don’t be throwing on your sunglasses and swimsuits just yet. Many of us have midterm exams, papers, and projects to complete before we set off for a week of rest and relaxation. It can be truly overwhelming, but have no fear because there are a lot of tools out there to help you manage the midterm mayhem.
Even if you’re an English major, writing papers can be a dreadful task. No worries though! Florida State doesn’t think you should go through writing a paper alone. The Reading-Writing Center (RWC) is an amazing and FREE resource to all FSU students. The RWC offers free one-on-one peer review and tutoring to help students develop and improve their writing skills. Although they don’t do proofreading or editing, the RWC does offer guidance, feedback, and encouragement to students of all levels. The staff is composed of both graduate and undergraduate students ready to assist you in any phase of your paper. The RWC has three different locations: Williams, William Johnston, and Strozier. To view hours for each location and schedule an appointment just go here.
Although we’re millennial collegiettes and supposed to be technological geniuses, the truth is some of us will just never understand how to make a podcast or iMovie. If you have a digital project that is causing you stress there’s a place for you! Have you heard of the Johnston Digital Studio? If not, the Johnston Digital Studio is an amazing tool and just flat out awesome. There are computers and people who know how to work them waiting for you. In the digital studio there are tutors available to help you become more experienced and comfortable with some of the really tricky programs like InDesign and Photoshop. You can make an appointment in the digital studio by going to the same link provided for the RWC. Strozier also has a lot of computers (even some double-screened ones) to help you knock out big digital projects.
Midterm exams come from nowhere and by nowhere I really mean the syllabus that you probably never looked at after the first day of class when your professor told you to look over it and jot down important dates… like your midterm and final. It’s okay though because you have plenty of places to study for that sneaky exam. On campus there’s the Dirac Science Library, Goldstein Library, and probably most well known, good ‘ole Strozier. It’s important to go online and check out the different hours for each location and also the resources contained in each one to find the spot the best fits your needs. In Dirac and Strozier, private and group study rooms can be reserved if you really need to get in the zone. My personal preference is Strozier because Starbucks is a studying comfort blanket. Click here to find out more about the great libraries we have here at Florida State.
If you can’t focus on campus with all the hustle and bustle of midterms going on, there are plenty of great spots to go and escape the madness. If you’re into coffee, Atomic Café, All Saints Café, and Red Eye are a few really great spots to grab a latte, bust out the books, and get some serious work done. If you don’t feel like being confined in a building, grab a blanket and go study at Lake Ella, Litchgate, or the FSU Reservation. You can study and try to get a little pre-spring break glow all at once.
No matter what form your midterm mayhem is in, whether a test, paper, project, etc., there are plenty of resources for you to take advantage of that will help push you through to spring break. Hit the books now and the beach next week!