How to Relax and Ace Your College Midterms

February 26, 2010 RSS Feed Print

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Students work on arts and crafts during exam week at Oberlin College in Ohio.

A new art therapy program at Oberlin College helps students manage stress. It is designed to let them unwind through painting, drawing, and other creative ventures.

Students at Roanoke College get their pre-exam good luck charm from a kicking post on campus.

At Roanoke College, campus lore says that students will get good luck by “kicking the post,” which is a three-foot cement marker between two buildings on campus that many students kick before exams.

If you have a midterm coming up, here are some more nuggets of wisdom from students and staff:

"Do not panic. You might lose a few hours of sleep during midterms week, but it is only for a brief period. Focus on studying—it actually makes the time go faster!"
Charles McElwee, junior at Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pa.

"Hop, skip, and jump over a few phrases in the text to make sure you can distinguish key points from less essential information."
Beth Boquet, English professor, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn.

"You can reduce stress by placing the word 'so' in front of such tormenting questions as 'What if I do poorly?', 'What if I fail the test?', or 'What if my score is low?' This tends to reduce tension and put the significance of the test in perspective."
Mike Malmon-Berg, psychologist and counselor, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio

"Study groups are wonderful and effective, if the members involved stay on track with the subject matter."
Brittany Rathbone, sophomore at St. Leo University, St. Leo, Fla.

"Be well rested and well fed. Use your favorite food as both a motivator and a reward!"
Carrie Nolte, alumnus, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn.

"Watch your professor's body language and listen to his tone of voice to determine the most important information. If she repeats anything, writes it on the board, or gives you a handout, study it as if it will be on the test."
Cynthia Crimmins, director of the Learning Resource Center at York College of Pennsylvania, York, Pa.

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Tags:: colleges,; academics,; stress

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@ HW Eng of Fl.
As much as I agree that note taking is a good skill to have, I disagree that its the best. I do do my best when I am listening in class. There are many times I've started taking notes and find myself trailing behind the professor. I am not one of those few students that read ahead of the class. What I do is listen in class, see where I the professor loses me and then fill in the blanks using the textbook. Sometimes this may lead to me reading deeper . This is the method that works best for me.
As much as I applaud my friends note taking, I've come to accept that it does not work for most of my subjects (miraculously it works for dance, who would have thought). I am simply a different learning style, and there are many other students like me. I think a professor who recognizes all learning types in his classes or tries to cater to all of them in his teaching is one that is most honed in his field and yielding the best results. All the best with your courses.
Signed,
College student studying Educational Psychology

Candrea of MA 10:29AM March 16, 2011

I completely agree with you. I am a french 17-years old student and I can assure you my teachers think similir. The methods are always the same ! Take notes, even if you don't understand everything, because then you can work with these notes and try to fill the gaps.

lecoz florian 5:42AM March 07, 2010

The statement "if you have a choice between listening and understanding or taking notes, you should listen" is one of the worst pieces of advice I have ever seen. Unless you're one of the very few students in class who has actually read the material before the lecture, you will probably become lost in lecture. Learn to take good notes. Two hints to students: (1) learn to abbreviate, and (2) if your mind wanders, write even more notes.
I teach chemistry at a university, and many students do horribly on the first exam. Many students have said in the past, "I was trying to listen, so I didn't take notes," and then they have to rely on their faulty memory to remember how to work out problems. If you learn to take good notes, you can go back to them to understand concepts and how to solve problems.
Many people don't have the attention span to remember all the concepts mentioned in even a short lecture. If you go to a scientific seminar, you will see that even PhD scientists take notes during short presentations. If PhD's need to take notes, you can bet students should take notes.
PS. I do not give my notes to students, because learning to come to meeting on time (class), follow a discussion and take notes should be a major skill they learn in college.

HW Eng of FL 9:12AM March 06, 2010