Alyssa Anastasi, class of 2025, offers some tips for staying on track during midterm season.
As the semester goes on, it can be more and more difficult to stay motivated and on top of your work. Here are some of the tips and resources that I use to make every semester a success!
The first, and most important, is to stay organized. It is important to know exactly what assignments are coming up and when they are due. At the beginning of every semester, I like to take all of my syllabi and create a table of all of my assignments and their due dates. This allows me to have a clear overview of exactly what I need to do each week, and sets me up to be organized for the rest of the semester. My favorite tools to stay organized are Google Calendar and Notion!
Secondly, break down your assignments. Sometimes looking at an assignment can feel overwhelming because it feels like a lot to get done in not a lot of time. It can be helpful to break down the assignment into smaller tasks to have a full understanding of what needs to be done. Once you do this, you can set a day for you to complete the task, so you are able to complete the assignment over time rather than all in one sitting.
If you find yourself confused on a specific problem, or even so confused you don’t even know where to start, it can be helpful to go to office hours. Office hours give you the opportunity to ask questions and work on assignments with support from the professor and/or course staff. In order to make your office hours visit a productive experience, make sure to attempt the problems beforehand and come with specific questions. In addition to getting help, office hours allow you to get to know your professors, which can be difficult in large classes.
As the semester progresses, it can be difficult to maintain motivation to work on all of your assignments. I would recommend changing your study space. So, instead of studying at the desk in your room, try going to a library on campus, a cafe nearby, or even sitting outside! It can be helpful to surround yourself with people who are also studying, limit the distractions that you might have in your room, or just get a change of scenery. My personal favorite study spots are the Main Library, the Communications Library, and the 2nd floor of Grainger!
Lastly, try not to procrastinate! Everyone is busy, and it can be easy to push assignments that are less urgent to a later date. However, this can result in a lot of stressful all-nighters. The first tip to beating procrastination is to look at the assignment as soon as possible. So, the day that the assignment is released, just take a look at what the expectations are to get an idea of what is ahead of you. Then, by using your assignment schedule and breakdown, you can distribute the work evenly over a period of time, rather than one day. This will allow you to take the time you need for the assignment, and get help from the professor if needed!