Midterms might be one of the most stressful times here on the All Saints’ Upper School Campus. Between having 20% of 6 months of work put on the line along with the daily stresses of high school. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. When a poll was sent to the upper-school students, it was very clear that all students in some way experience an emotional impact from midterm week in general.
The All Saints’ students share many differences and come from different backgrounds, however
When asked, “What is your personal biggest struggle during midterms.” Responses varied from balancing social lives with studying to balancing extracurriculars. To even gain the courage to study, along with not knowing when to start applying yourself and causing procrastination. One response that stood out to me was simply trying to not have a panic attack and get enough sleep. There’s almost a comfort to simply knowing “hey, I’m not the only overwhelmed student, and am not alone when feeling these emotions.”
Once reading through the responses I was intrigued by how individual students deal with stress management and feelings of being burnt out, and how maybe I could persona persevere through Midterms. Isabella Rodriguez 25’ responded simply .” valuing your body and mind over education, getting at least 7 hours of sleep, and finding an activity that makes you happy.” Tatum Walker 23’ responded with “Studying in small windows and making space for free time with family and friends. Sometimes studying with a group of people helps me, and makes me interact with my material more than I would study alone.” Ryan king 25’ mentioned “not waiting until the last minute to begin studying. Pay attention during class in the weeks before the exams and spend most free time during school familiarizing yourself with the materials.” He stated “It’s a lot less stressful when you manage your time well so when the night before the exam comes, you’ll only really need to look over the material once just to make sure you remember all of the details. Listening to music and spending time with family and friends, or sometimes going for runs outside helps with “tunnel-visioned” stress. Consider drinking things like green tea and such, because from my experience it can help with focus.” simple responses such as remembering to just breathe, and using a planner can honestly be a small difference that has a huge impact.
Overall getting through this week is best accomplished by utilizing the community we have here at all saints’ whether it’s talking or hanging out with a friend. Or spending time with family and vocalizing your struggles.
