The howling winds of midterm season have descended upon South Bend, Indiana. These days, Notre Dame students scurry around with heavier backpacks, larger coffees, and a little extra fear in their eyes. I have isolated a few key components of the midterms aesthetic and listed them here so that every collegiette may have the proper weaponry to conquer her midterms, whatever they might be. Or, if you’re one of those students who had all of her tests last week, read ahead to learn how you can be “I-haven’t-slept-in-a-week chic” year round.
1. Caffeine
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses longing to stay awake…Everyone knows the clarion call of caffeine during a week like this. Pick your poison, ladies, whether it’s a Monster, a 5-hour, or old-fashioned coffee. You know it’s crunch time when you upgrade from a tall to a venti (or even that mythical creature known as a trenta). If the trek from Club Hes to Starbucks is just not in the cards for you, notice that ABP now offers its lattés frozen as well as iced. And if your typical order just isn’t doing it for you anymore, check out this post for an arsenal of exciting new pick-me-ups.
2. Comfort
Maybe you belong to the “Dress Well, Test Well” school of thought, or perhaps you’ve been sporting a groutfit since you woke up the morning after the Navy game. No matter what you’re wearing, you want to be as comfortable as possible so that your mind can be free to focus on those differential equations or that eight-page essay. Temperatures are finally dropping to more South Bend-y levels this week, so be careful if you’re running to an 8 am exam with wet hair. And if you want to swap your real clothes for a onesie and a fuzzy blanket this week…we really can’t blame you.
3. Sustenance
If you somehow haven’t noticed that the Huddle sells Ben & Jerry’s…the Huddle sells Ben & Jerry’s. And who could forget that candy wall? Now that you mention it…that place is magic. Don’t let yourself forget to eat this week—you can’t ace that orgo exam if you’ve starved to death. Take your work to the dining hall or snag a free bagel from outside DeBart, just make sure you eat.
4. Study Tactics
Midterms week can be hellish when you’ve got a finals-esque workload and you still have to make it to class. Studying efficiently is extra important when you’re on a time crunch:
·     Hit the big concepts hard, and fill in the details if you have time. Tons of people lose points on stuff they knew would be on the test.
·     Study in different places! Psych studies have shown that studying in one place all the time makes you associate the material with that place…which is why you blank on the answer in class and remember it as soon as you get back to your room.
·     Turn off distractions (duh).
·     Take breaks! Take a brisk walk to the Dome and back. Call your parents. Your sanity is already thanking you.
Suck it, midterms! Go, Irish, go!
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