College students all over the country have been stressing out over midterms for the last few weeks. Although everyone handles studying for midterms differently, no one is alone in the never-ending juggling act that is a college student’s life. I am  one of those stressed out students, fighting every day to juggle six classes, homework, a job and studying for tests and midterms.

One thing I have learned since I began school in August is that I can’t expect myself to do everything right the first time or to do things perfectly. In high school, I made straight A’s, but at Southeastern I have learned that classes are never going to be as easy as high school. I’ve learned that as a college student, you have to set rational goals and understand your limits in order to get everything done to the best of your ability.

The first thing I did to prepare for midterms was to find out exactly when each one was and write it in my planner. When I was able to see how much time I had to study the week before that, I was able to plan out my schedule, splitting my free time appropriately between two projects, small homework assignments, studying for one history test and two communications midterms.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve realized that college midterms are nothing like standard midterms that are given in high school. Not every class is going to give a midterm in the same day or two, and some professors don’t even give midterms. I only had two actual “midterms.” Two of my professors just gave their students an average as a midterm grade; one professor gave a normal test last week and another professor never said anything about a midterm grade.

Even though every student’s midterm schedule is going to be different, there are still some up-sides to college midterms. I found that my midterms this semester were spaced out well enough that I could focus on studying my notes for one subject instead of four at a time. Although midterms were not nearly as stressful for me as they were for some students, I still managed to find myself overwhelmed by the additional work of studying for midterms last week.

I think that a major part of college is finding a good balance in your life. When my classes, work and social life are all maintained successfully, I find that I am much happier and less stressed than when I hide out in my room working, studying and panicking. I’ve found that for me personally to be a thriving student, I have to do lots of hard work, but a support system is just as important.

Without the support and encouragement I get from my family and friends, I wouldn’t be able to keep pushing myself and fighting for the grades I want. My support system is my confidence and my faith, and both are things I believe that every student needs in order to survive the stress of college life. I also think it is important to set aside the books, relax and have a laugh with my friends sometimes. If I don’t take a break from my studies, I end up spending too much time worrying about all the things I have to do in the next 24 hours.

I’ve found that the key to being successful over the weeks of midterms is peace of mind. If I’m internally freaking out, the test is going to be much harder than if I go to class saying, “I can do this,” knowing that I studied as much as I could. If I believe that I have prepared as much as I can, my confidence in my ability pushes me to do my best when the test is placed on my desk. On the other hand, if I feel unprepared and I am worrying before the test, negativity takes over and I usually end up forgetting things that I should have easily remembered.

For all tests, not just midterms, it is extremely important that students balance their studies with breaks. If I stay up for an “all-nighter,” I usually end up so tired that it is difficult to remember things when it comes time to take the test. Sleep is just as important as eating and breathing. One thing I know from experience is that if you do not take care of yourself and keep yourself healthy, your mind will be useless when it comes time to take a test.

If we use our free time efficiently to study, try positive reinforcement instead of worrying and take care of ourselves, we will all find that midterms and tests are much easier to take and pass. This semester I learned that I have to balance work and rest, and I know that next semester I will be more prepared when it comes time for midterms.