Every college student knows the stress of midterms and exam seasons. Many people end up balancing multiple classes and the social aspects of college, all while cramming for their many exams or writing papers. Midterm exam season can be one of the most stressful experiences of the year. You have multiple exams to prepare for, all of which usually fall in very close conjunction to each other.
If this is not your first time taking college midterms, you probably know a game plan that will work for you. Managing your time is essential, and creating a study plan or schedule for your exams that will suit your needs will help you feel better prepared for any exams you have. Practices of self care will also help you prevent burnout and high levels of stress. If you need any extra help, both the Academic Achievement Center and the Writing Center have many resources available to help UConn students during the exam seasons.
Of course, despite all the studying sessions or late nights, all you can do is your best. But what happens when you try your best on an exam or paper and still come up short? Not passing an exam or an assignment is one of the worst feelings a college student experiences. You feel like a failure and often ashamed of yourself or your abilities. This can cause you to enter a shame spiral. Meaning, you feel ashamed of yourself and/or of your academic performance, and this in turn affects the outcome of your classes even more.
If you do not pass all of your exams, or receive results that you’re not pleased with, there are answers. First, give yourself some space and time to recover. One bad grade is not the end of the world even if it does feel that way at the time. Try to identify what exactly went wrong. Did you not study a certain unit well enough? Did you misunderstand the essay prompt? More often than not, there is a concrete reason to explain an unsavory grade. Once you can identify where you struggled, try to focus more on these areas in your next assignment or exam. Try and make regular use of UConn’s many student resources that are aimed at helping you create better study habits and succeed in your academics. Meet with your professors and attend any office hours you can. The more you use the resources available to you, the better chance at success you will have.
Most importantly, try to do your best to move forward. Your grades and your various classes are incredibly important pieces of college success; however, they are not the most important thing in the world. Your own wellbeing and health is paramount to all else. Give yourself forgiveness and know that next time you will take the steps to put your best foot forward. Not passing exams or various class assignments happens — and will likely happen to you at some point in your college career. The most important thing is being able to brush yourself off and try again. Good luck on midterm exams and try your best! You got this Huskies!