As a new feature in the Talk of Townsend blog, throughout the semester we will provide words of wisdom to freshmen and underclassmen. Please check back for advice on midterms, finals, getting involved, and more!
This month’s feature focuses on midterm grades. What do you do if you are not performing as well as you expected? How can you improve your study habits? Upperclassmen share some advice…
“A lot of times, especially in upper level courses, the midterm is the first ‘actual’ exam of the class. Sometimes I don’t do as well because I’m not used to the professor’s testing, so I tend to do much better on later exams as well as the final once I get a better feel for how to study. In more general courses, there are often more exams throughout the semester, as well as other factors like homework and lab grades. In short, midterms are important, but don’t be too discouraged if you don’t do as well; there’s always room for improvement and you can do better next time! Midterms are usually a reminder of whether you’ve been dedicating enough time to a class or not; if you did poorly, it probably means you need to do a little more outside work for the class.”
-Chris Taylor
“I remember how I felt right after my midterms first semester last year. Most classes I felt great about, but chemistry is one that I was struggling with. My “If I Knew Then What I Know Now” advice would be to GO TO CHEM PROFESSOR OFFICE HOURS. The 103 and 104 professors are extremely nice and go step by step with you over problems and are very helpful resources, plus they will regrade your tests and do their best to give you extra points that you might have missed if you correct your problems and explain to them mistakes.”
