<\/p>\n
S<\/span>tudents all over Canada have been feeling the stresses of midterm exams, and for some, reading week may have come just in time.<\/p>\n B<\/span>ut students like Shantelle Bron, a third-year English minor at Concordia University in Montreal, have some tried and true methods of tackling any obstacle midterms may throw at her.<\/p>\n \u201cMidterms for me usually involve both written exams and take home essays,\u201d said Bron in an e-mail interview.<\/p>\n Bron prepares for her midterms by employing different studying tactics specific to her courses, including utilization of a close-knit study group, flash cards, and converting written notes into flowcharts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe flow charts work better for English classes in which I must tackle large concepts in a short amount of time,\u201d said Bron.<\/p>\n According to Bron, equally important to studying tactics is the support of classmates and friends.<\/p>\n \u201cI find a study schedule, as well as balancing my school with things I enjoy doing (exercise, cooking) extremely helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n These methods of study can vary from student to student, but the baseline is essentially always the same. Repetition is the key.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery midterm I do is different,\u201d said Simran Panang, a third-year kinesiology student at the University of Calgary.<\/p>\n \u201cDepending on the class, I might do flashcards, or paraphrasing notes. Sometimes I listen to audio recordings or YouTube videos if I don’t understand a concept.\u201d<\/p>\n Preparing for, and completing, the midterms is only half the battle, however.<\/p>\n An additional component to full midterm recovery is some valuable post-midterm downtime.<\/p>\n \u201cI always make plans for after midterms,\u201d said Panang.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helps having something to look forward to after.\u201d<\/p>\n Although some U of C students might be feeling the pressure of midterms, others seem to have it under control.<\/p>\n \u201cI work well under pressure,\u201d said Monika Serquina, a second-year anthropology student at the U of C.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if I’m really stressed about it I plan out my time and stick to it the best I can.\u201d<\/p>\n For Serquina, the midterms can be varied, with tests that can require a number of logic and abstract thinking skills.<\/p>\n \u201cA few others are readings — context base — so if you understand the material and the main ideas, you’re pretty much golden,\u201d said Serquina.<\/p>\n \u201cI read over my notes, write down random things in a notebook, such as ideas or key terms or people, to ingrain it into my memory.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Serquina, those seemingly random and endless scribbles help later on to figure out why the concepts learned were important, and how to apply those concepts to questions in the midterm.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the stress is incredibly overwhelming, I allow myself some time to just focus on me, relax my brain before I go right back to studying,\u201d said Serquina.<\/p>\n Serquina also has a word to the wise for other students.<\/p>\n \u201cStay away from Netflix,\u201d she warns.<\/p>\n \u201cThat site brings out a lot of the good stuff when students are back in school, and during midterms rather than on a break,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n (You can read Verge Campus’ post about dealing with midterm stress here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"