Midterms Week at FUS: 5 Tips for Success!
Welcome back or welcome to Adventures at Franklin! It is midterms week at Franklin University Switzerland. Obviously this week has been a difficult one, and I am planning to write about everything that's transpired, but for now the show must go on. We still have midterms to take, and this week is high-paced and stressful for everyone. Our time and energy are luxuries, so here are some tips that may help provide an idea for where to allocate our time and energy, and culminate in success (hopefully!).
1. Review and revise. This tip is pretty obvious. For most of us, in life and at Franklin, if you put the time and effort into preparation, you can succeed. If the reason why you did not succeed, is that you did not prepare well enough and tried to shove everything in your head 10 minutes before the exam, that is no excuse. People often say that success is about the process and less about the results. I still think the results are important, but if your process is successful, then often the outcome is too :)
2. Pick a time and place to study. Find where you can study and remain focused. Maybe it is in your room, or the library, or in a study group. Next, find when you can study and remain focused. Some are morning birds, some are night owls. For me, I study after I nap, as my attention and energy levels are always higher after a nap. Find out what works for you.
3. Study smart by reviewing what you need to know. Often for midterm exams, not everything you have learned thus far will be in the exam, and more importantly, it is unlikely that you will have time to review everything covered in class. To put it simply, you might not have to review everything. Find out what topics might be in the exam and/or make an educated guess on what will be in the exam. Sometimes your professor might give out a review sheet, which makes your life a lot more easier. Make sure you know everything on that review sheet. Sometimes your professor does not, but then try to think about what they might put on the exam. Reflect on the moments in class where they took more time to explain something. If you can allocate your time and energy to studying what you need to know, the process becomes so much smoother.
4. Study smart (again) by making the most of your study time and play to your strengths. This might seem obvious, but let me explain. I can read something 10 times and still not be able to recite it, but I can write it down 2 or 3 times and be able to recall it. So you might say that I should review by writing, and you would be right. Find what works for you. However, also consider if you need time to adapt the material to your style. Say you are a visual learner but you also learn from writing things down, and want to make a video to revise. Those are potentially precious hours that you spent making the video, that you could use to write down and revise. Study smart, and get the most out of the time you have.
5. Look after yourself. The worst thing that can happen is that you burn out, as that takes a lot more time to recover from. To avoid burning out: take breaks, spend some time doing hobbies or interests, eat and sleep well, and spend time with those who care about you.
These are my tips. Of course following these tips will not ensure you succeed in every midterm you take, but your preparation process will be good, which may in turn help your confidence as you sit down and get ready. As I said, the results are important, and a successful process can lead to the result you are searching for. Good luck and Carpe diem!
A presto,
Asa