Student Blog: Student Life and Surviving Midterms

As a student, one can thrive by participating in exciting campus activities to make new friends and get familiar with their new environment. As a first-time college student, it is crucial to go to games, participate in activities, and join a club to enjoy your college experience. I have the privilege of having a campus that provides many opportunities for students to socialize and find their people. I think it's important to do this so you can build a community with your fellow peers about something you have in common. For example, to get into the Halloween mood, my college campus decided to hold a campus fall fixer in the quad. During the fall mixer, students had the opportunity to talk to clubs that interested them and also had the opportunity to do many activities and games, such as a pie eating contest or even be a part of a costume contest. Having the opportunity to participate in these activities helps me feel like the campus is making an effort to make me feel welcome. Not only that, but many professors encourage students to be a part of these activities to encourage having the best college experience. If you are in college or high school, I highly encourage you to participate in the activities that are offered; it makes your experience as a student more memorable.

As students, we all have to take tests or quizzes very often in our academic careers. Since it was my first time being a college student, I finally experienced the dreaded midterms. Since I am a pre-nursing major, I have to take more math and science classes than anything else. Studying for math and science midterms is a whole different ballgame than studying for finals in high school. The midterms are much bigger, and since my college classes average about two hours, my lectures are longer, so that means I have to study more. I think midterms hit me hard; it made me realize how much more I have to study for my classes because they are harder. The good thing is that my professors dropped my lowest test score, so that is a good sign. Even though I may not be that confident in my math and chemistry tests, I am confident in my English class and my essay writing. This goes to show you are going to have strengths and weaknesses in school, and you can give up. You need to improve on what you are doing wrong. For example, in math and chemistry, I'm starting to dedicate time on the weekends to studying the topics I don't understand very clearly. I also find that if you get stressed out about a test, it's good to take breaks to take your mind off the material so you can learn the material instead of potentially causing yourself more stress. To close out, I suggest looking around your campus and becoming an active member of activities to make your experience as a student more valuable. Also, when it comes to preparing for big exams like midterms, just remind yourself to take it one step at a time.