HC Lehigh’s Guide to “4 o’clock” Midterm Exams

It’s that time again.  4 o’clocks are just coming around the corner and you feel like your brain is going to explode from all the studying you’ve been doing. Tests can be stressful for anyone, especially when you go to Lehigh, but don’t fret. Here are the perfect tips you need to pass all of your exams with flying colors without going crazy.

1. Find a Study Spot. Yes, we all know that Linderman and FairMart are open for an insane amount of time during the weeks of exams, but the problem isn’t the hours. It’s the fact that both libraries are packed to the point where people are sitting on the floors studying because there just aren’t any seats left in the Stacks or the cubicles. Although some of you might like sitting on the floor, there are much more comfortable study areas that people don’t know about and are hardly crowded. For one, take a trip up to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the STEPS building. There are little study areas with comfy sofas, padded chairs, and amazing views of campus. Even Rauch has tables and chairs that work great for group studying, and give you more of an opportunity to talk, rather than disrupting one of the severely quiet libraries.

2. Drink Coffee. It might be stereotypical, but it helps. A lot. And I’m not talking about your typical Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks. I’m talking about real coffee that will give you energy to get through a long day of studying. Lucy’s Café in Linderman has great hot coffee and it’s easily accessible if you’re studying in the library. Starbucks both in the UC and down in the bookstore can help you regain some energy. You might even want to try the Starbucks Double Shots sold in Upper if you’ve got more than one exam in one day. 

3. Make Time for Your Friends. This one is the toughest. You might be tempted to stay at the library all day and all night because you’re freaking out about your Econ 4 o’clock a week from today. But, all that stress won’t do you any justice and you might even do worse on your exam. Promise yourself that you’ll go back to your dorm by a certain time or make plans with your friends to go get dinner in order to keep your own insanity throughout these tough couple of weeks. Hanging out with your friends will help you blow off some steam and will help you keep your attention when you finally go back to studying.

4. Exercise. Everyone thinks that going to the gym during 4 o’clocks is the worst idea, since you’re spending valuable time doing something that seems unimportant. But, all that stress that is pent up can easily be released by spending time at the gym a couple of times during these weeks, and can actually help you stay more focused when you study or while you’re actually taking the exams. So, go ahead and take 2 hours out of your day to go running at Taylor or even go run around campus with a friend.