Ask Nikki
Midterms? No Stress!
Gabrielle Lambert, '06
Issue date: 2/16/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Dear Nikki,
Midterms are over and I finally feel like I can take a breath! Coming so soon after recruiting, I feel like these midterms were so much worse than last quarter. However, I noted that all of the second years seemed calm and unfazed. What's your secret?
Un-Cool Calm and Collected
Dear Un-Cool,
Young Padawan, wish to know the secrets of the Force, you do. Then listen closely you must. The key to a healthy and happy set of midterms is not reviewing your notes. It's not reading your overpriced textbook or even more overpriced coursepack. It's not even doing a Jedi mind trick on the professor moments before the exam. Believe me, I know people who have tried and it doesn't work.
The key to a stress-free set of midterms is procrastination. Now wait, you must be thinking - I've been led to believe that procrastination is the enemy! That's just not so. Properly used, procrastination can be your key to successful studying, and therefore a life of supermodels and riches. Sort of like effective highlighting.
The first thing you must do is accept the side of yourself that procrastinates. Procrastination means: to put off intentionally and habitually. Now that doesn't sound so bad, does it? Procrastination is your mind's way of saying: Hey you! I need a break! I don't want to do that right now! And that's OK. No one can or should study for five hours without a break. It's unhealthy and you're probably not really retaining much after the first 90 minutes anyway. I, for example, like to study and then take a break. Sometimes that break lasts for 3 or 4 hours, but that's not the point! I am following the natural rhythm of my body, and I think I am healthier for it. Now, there is a danger that procrastination will lead to laziness. Laziness means: disinclined to activity or exertion or not rigorous or strict. Laziness is the dark side of the Force. It's hard to know where to draw the line between the two. If you're just starting out, you might want to limit yourself to 2 or 3 hours of procrastination per day. Once you've gotten the hang of it, you can choose your own dosage.