Do you hear what I hear? No, not jingle bells. Do you smell what I smell? They aren’t holiday cookies, I can tell you that. You’re getting closer though, it’s got words on it, it’s made of paper, and it’s not one of those corny Happy Holidays cards.
Yes, midterms! We all know about them, and they’re coming up fast. The question is, how many of us have started to think about them yet, which ones are people already studying for, and which ones are we holding off until the week or day before the exam comes along?
I asked a few of my friends this past weekend- mostly freshman and a couple of sophomores- if they were studying yet, and frankly, none of them were. However, when I asked them if they were starting soon, they answered yes, and then there was that million-dollar question: “Which ones are you going to study for first?”
One of them said, “I would definitely study for Biology first. Then Math, and after that would be English.” I asked several other friends the same question. There was a rather consistent trail of answers. Another freshman, who is currently taking AP Computer Science and Biology answered once again with initial reference to Biology. When I asked him which exams he was most scared of, and which he was going to study for first, he said, “English and Biology are the hard ones, so I’m going to study for those ones first.” One other freshman I asked said that he was most scared for the upcoming Math midterm.
Sophomores aren’t too excited for these tests that are quickly dawning upon us either. Of the few I asked, one said she was most scared for the Chemistry midterm, and another sophomore I asked stated she wasn’t looking forward to the AP Bio midterm.
The majority of students, including myself, seem to be dreading any midterms for science courses. In addition to reviewing for these tests, it’s not as if the learning for this first half of the year is done. There are still several units to come in our classes. Geometry, Algebra, the Sciences, and other tested classes are not done giving us more knowledge!
The effect of midterms is rather interesting on students. The fact that they are just a month away brings up the thought that the school year is almost half-done. Stress levels are sure to be booming within a couple of weeks of the end of break as East students begin to study. After all, the process of administering multiple regents exams at once is a cumulative exercise to the brain.
So what exams are you holding off? Which ones are you already going crazy over? Be it English or AP Biology, the best advice I can give is to study and sleep, and to have a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year as well.
