Minds are blazing as midterms begin to roll into GC. Students feel defeated as they race to the finish line only to realize they are only halfway through the semester. This seemingly never-ending relay to make it to the second half of the semester has students slipping into a slump.
As students start to fall into the “midterm slump” while exams start to topple one onto another, they begin to lack motivation in their studying. Where there is lack of motivation, procrastination often follows.
When the stress of passing exams becomes too overwhelming, students can resort to procrastination in order to deal with the anxiety. To help combat this, students can break up studying into smaller, more manageable increments.
Instead of spending hours at a time studying, some students find it helpful to divide studying into sections. Spending one full day studying does not often help with memory. Studying over multiple days allows information to have a lasting effect.
According to Cornell Health, breaking up studying “increases your energy, productivity, and ability to focus.”
Oftentimes, college students result to pulling all-nighters to cram information before important exams or presentations.
Christie Campus Health, one of GC’s mental health resources, reports that 70% of college students do not get enough sleep.
“Sleep deprivation can result in more extreme consequences like lower GPAs, increased risk of dropping out of school, getting sick more often, difficulty with mood regulation and a bigger risk of getting into motor vehicle accidents,” said Christie Campus Health.
There are many ways in which students try to extinguish the flames of stress as the mania for studying for their midterms commences.
“The aspect of having good grades the first half of the semester is motivation itself,” said Jackson Schwartz, senior mass communication major, “I take little mental breaks. I cook, listen to music and do some sort of physical activity. I will take a little pause that will make me want to come back to study.”
When the stress of studying takes its toll, it is always good for students to take a step back and take small breaks to keep their mental health in check. Physical activity helps keep the brain stimulated.
The best way to avoid perpetuating procrastination is for students to find healthy habits that they enjoy to give themselves some peace in the midst of this midterm mania.
“I deal with the stress of midterms by making sure to separate out time from my studying and school work for self-care time to also focus on me and my personal needs, not just my academic needs,” said Macy Baugh, sophomore psychology major. “I stay motivated by journaling and making sure to write down what I’m grateful for so I can keep a positive mindset.”
Staying positive is key in staying out of the midterm slump, as this can change the entire outlook on studying.
Self-care is of utmost importance when the chaos of cramming for that final midterm causes overwhelming amounts of stress.
