Let me tell you, midterms week is one hell of a week.
….But I survived them, so it’s definitely within the realm of possible.
Typically professors space out their exams around the same schedule. So you can expect to be attacked with midterm after midterm in a day or even the whole week. It’s difficult to put into words what midterms week feels like but I’ll give it my best shot anyway.
When you see your midterms looming in the far, but not that far at all horizon, you get a sense of impending doom. Whenever I looked at my planner and saw the test day come closer and closer my heart would double its pace in anxiety.
Then you see every one else around you become affected by the midterm mania. People with usually sunny dispositions are now very aloof, and unconnected to the here and now. It becomes a challenge to find a quiet little nook to study because everybody wants the same privacy and silence that you want.
I personally get very grumpy during the midterm season. I am at my most irritable during the time leading up to my midterms. When it comes to actually taking the test you get such a rush of adrenaline. It isn’t until you take a deep breath after handing in the test that you notice just how tense your body was.
If I had to compare my midterms from this semester to the midterms of last semester I would have to say that this semester’s midterms have been a lot tougher. Mostly due to the fact that I have been battling a crippling homesickness this second semester (but that’s a whole other story). Thankfully I go to a school that has an abundance of resources: tutoring halls aplenty, unlimited ice cream (hooray for comfort food!), and study groups all over the place.
Midterm season are certainly a mentally and emotionally exhausting time of year for college students. So if you ever see a student with dark rings under their eyes, unkempt hair, and with a manic look in their eye you best be sure that the poor person is going through the tougher part of the midterm season (ha, as if there was an easy part). Just give them a pat in the back, and a word of encouragement. We will survive! We will triumph!