College Success: Midterms are coming. Everyone who's freaking out, raise your hands.

This is a point in the semester when the number of students seeking my help increases dramatically.  Sadly, I hear all too often,  "I'm so freaked out!"  "I don't know if I'm gonna pass my midterms." "I am so overwhelmed I don't know where to start."

The primary reason people find themselves feeling like this is because they haven't made college a priority and therefore haven't done the amount of work that's required.  Period.  I can't tell you how many students admit that, in the sixth or seventh week of the semester, they haven't yet opened their textbooks.  Seriously. And they wonder why they're freaked out.

But I'm not here to scold or shame anyone.  I'd like to help.  Here are some tips to help you make a plan to study for midterms:


1.  Schedule time to study.
Yes, I said schedule.  Block out chunks of time on your calendar for each course and stick to the plan.

2.  Find a quiet place to study where you will not be interrupted.
Your room (but not on your bed), dining room (if you live alone), the campus Library, the public library, the campus Learning Center.  Be sure to sit at a desk or table with good light, and a sturdy chair to support your back.  Your bed or sofa is too comfy, and you might be tempted to grab a quick nap when you had planned to study.

3.  Gather your materials
Pull together your textbooks, notebooks, and any other relevant materials for each course, including Power Point slides, homework, quizzes, writing assignments.  Have all of the school supplies you'll need for each subject, and a clock to manage your time (one with a timer is even better).

4.  Divide and conquer
Put the materials for each course in separate piles.  Tackle the subject you've scheduled first, and set the timer to one hour.  Study one chapter only during this time.  Breaking it down to smaller tasks will make you feel less overwhelmed, and you'll be more motivated to continue.

5.  Plan how to study
Start with your textbook, and review the questions at the end of each chapter.  If you can correctly answer most of them, you're on the right track; if not, take the time to read the chapter again.  Use your class notes as well, because a lot of information professors offer during a lecture often doesn't come from the book. Since they made the effort to give more material to help you understand, it will likely be on a test. 

A tip I use when studying is to copy my notes over in another notebook.  This gives me the freedom to scribble down what I can in class.  Not only do I end up with neatly organized notes, I remember what I'm writing and it helps me to better understand the topic.  Index cards as a study tool works well, too.

If you need help with taking notes or studying for exams, please visit the nice people in the Learning Center in Elston 523.

6.  Attend review sessions, study groups, professor's office hours

If your professor offers review sessions, GO.  Bring questions you have, and be prepared to add to your notes.  You may also consider getting a study buddy, or start a study group for each class. Sometimes another student can explain things in terms that another student can understand.

7.  Set reasonable goals
Don't plan to study more than an hour at a time; your brain can handle only so much at once.  Which leads me to... 

8.  Give yourself a break!
Plan a break to give your mind and body a rest after each hour of studying. The best breaks include some type of physical exercise: 10-minute fast walk outside, stretching exercises for the muscles that tighten as we concentrate so hard are great, a phone call with your BFF, healthy food break, and whatever else may work for you.  Break for no more than 15-20 minutes, so you can get back to studying feeling refreshed and motivated; more than that will set you up to extend the break to 30 minutes...an hour...two...  You get my point.

9.  Tips for the night before an exam

Stop studying at least an hour before you go to bed.  You've done a lot of work to prepare, so be confident in what you know.  Do something unrelated to studying, like watching a favorite TV show, a hot shower, catch up on Facebook, and so on.  Wind down to prepare yourself to get a good night's rest (as corny as that sounds)...at least 8 hours.  Research has proven that students perform better when they are alert and calm.

10.  Exam Day
Eat breakfast, get to campus early and take time to relax.  Breathing deeply for a few minutes can help calm your jitters and get you focused.  Do not study more; cramming will do nothing but get you whipped up into a tizzy and you'll undo all of the great studying you've done.  Let your mind rest so you're ready to go in there and nail it.



Source:  http://www.nkaleidoscope.com/confetti/2012/01/13/how-to-prepare-for-midterm-exams/
(All images courtesy of Google Images, unless otherwise indicated.)

(c) Copyright 2012-2014 Robyn M.Posson King.  All Rights Reserved.