I had my first one last Tuesday (History) and my second one today (Sociology). They both weren't that awful, which is surprising. It's only really intimidating and stressful because a lot of classes only have 2-3 test grades the entire semester. Like, that sounds like a ton of pressure. I'm paying for these classes! Cut me some slack!
Last semester, I took a "World History to 1500" course and I totally thought I was going to blow my brain up because me and history don't really get along. I didn't do so well on the first test but it was a learning experience. Then I pulled a B+ on the midterm after studying for a week straight, every single day... Usually sitting at Starbucks. That gave me a lot of hope. My professor expected a lot from us and I felt like I finally delivered. (I ended up with an A on the final, whut).
The great part is, a lot of my classes don't have cumulative tests.. so the information I studied for on the midterm won't even be on the final. I can push all of that out of my head and never have to remember it again right?! Well, yes, but I end up remembering it anyway. Is this what learning feels like?
Anyway, I got back my history midterm today and.. yikes. I didn't quite get that B+ like last semester. The only time I really studied was the night before with three other people from my class. We sat in one of the dorm lounges for like, five hours, going over everything. Or maybe it's because, in the essay part, I wrote "the struggle for Indian goods was so real." He circled that sentence and wrote "what does this mean?" I don't think he appreciates modern day slang very much. Either way, as soon as I pass this class, I'll be done with history FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
The Sociological Imagination midterm I took today was actually a joke. Crying over this class with my roommate, Delaney, has become a weekly thing and we were insanely nervous to take this test. My professor makes us do these weird online test things every week and they're the hardest, most irrelevant things in the world. So, of course, we thought the midterm would be literal hell.
Spoiler alert: it wasn't.
Luckily, Delaney is in the class before me, so she was able to tell me what was on the test before I took it. Somehow, I still feel like I would have left that test very confident if she hadn't.
Midterms (or, any tests for that matter) are a lot less scary if you tell yourself you know what you're doing.
As far as my other classes go, the only one I should be really worried about is Spanish. The only test grade we've had so far was a take-home test. That's probably the only reason I didn't fail.
If there's one thing I've learned so far from this whole "college" thing, it's that studying doesn't have to be painful. Go grab your laptop and head to Starbucks. Or the library. Study with friends. Make flash cards. Color code your notes (if you're into that stuff). Find a place that makes you feel comfortable and study there. It doesn't have to be your 10 x 11 foot dorm room. Most academic buildings are open for student use all day long--take full advantage of that.
Going into studying with the mindset that you are going to fail is not helping you. It's hurting you. So stop that.
So grab your favorite Starbucks drink and get to reading!
P.s. I have to share this great story with you. So today Delaney tweeted about go to the health center and I was like "what". So I texted her, you know, like any concerned friend would do. She texted back like, an hour later with "I got bit by something"....... I'm sorry what. Anyway, when she comes back to the room, she shows me her hand and yeah.. ouch. Something definitely bit her and it started spreading down her arm.
My roommate may or may not wake up tomorrow as the next spiderman. I'll keep you all updated.
No comments:
Post a Comment