Studying for Midterms
Midterms can be daunting, especially when you have more than one in the same week. Usually, mid-October and mid-November are the Midterm weeks. This can vary depending on the classes you’re taking, especially during Covid-19. As a junior, I have picked up better studying habits over the years in college. There are some study tips that I wish I had known when I was a freshman. I’ll be sharing some study habits I have been following!
The most important thing is to know when your midterm is – obviously! So, when you get your syllabus on the first day of classes, make sure to add the midterm dates as well as other important dates into your planner. I like to use Google Calendar because I can easily log hours for specific activities and set reminders. Setting reminders is helpful because you don’t want to find out about the midterm on the day of. So, I usually set a reminder a week before. So, depending on the class, I can create my game plan to study for the midterm. I recommend setting reminders at least a week before because you may have other homework and responsibilities, and you want to plan ahead as much as possible.
After you have your game plan, it’s time to study! Studying can look different for many people. Some people like to study in groups, while others like to study alone. Personally, it depends on the class and how confident I feel about the material. I usually like to study alone, but I have found study groups to be very helpful in the past. Also, Tufts offers tutors for some subjects, such as Chemistry, Calculus, and Economics. These tutors are free, so I recommend checking them out! In addition to the tutors, Teacher Assistants are also a great resource. Large classes usually have TAs and they have their office hours. I always went to the TA’s office hours for two of my Economics classes and I don’t think I would have survived those classes without them!
In general, staying organized and keeping up with the course material is really important. But as we all know, life happens and you can get busy. You can feel overwhelmed and exhausted, but there are resources for you, and the professors and the students are very welcoming and nice! Creating a study habit that works for you will help you out a lot in college. Good luck!