BY HAOMIAO LU
By mid-October, the average person might be thinking, “Who is ready for Halloween?” But for college students, many have to go through a troublesome event — the midterm.
Some FHSU students didn’t seem to reject midterms as much as they did final exams, and several students said the midterms were even easier than usual because the professors canceled classes so they could review what they had learned.
Of course, this feeling is limited to students who do not have “mid-term exams” and “mid-term project submission” majors. Like Karen and Seth, graphic design majors, they don’t have a staged “exam”, they just keep working on their project until the end of the semester.
“Midterms don’t mean anything to me,” Karen said. “They’re not even as scary as weekly deadlines.”
International students will experience more pressure than natives during this relatively special period. Although the feeling depends on their major, most international students find the midterm more difficult due to some language and thinking barriers.
“Usually, it doesn’t feel like anything, but when it comes to the midterm, it’s like someone is telling you, ‘It is already the middle of the semester. If you don’t make up those grades, you’re going to fail,’” Nischal, a freshman from Nepal, said.
Kai is a music student from China. While her language barrier was greater than many other international students, she thoroughly enjoyed every exam, which involved performing in front of the class where her confidence shone through. The midterm exam, which is bothersome for others, was a stage for her to show herself.
Pengxiang, another Chinese student currently studying for a master’s degree in communication, thinks midterms are a nightmare. Since last week, to prepare for the continuous examination, he got up before 6:00 a.m. every morning and memorized the handouts.
“My personality makes me take the midterm exam, and even every exam so serious,” Pengxiang said.
The biggest feeling about the midterm is to let him realize the gap between himself and other students and to know the professor’s evaluation of him.
“I am not going to relax even after midterms, every day is midterms for me,” he said.
Dr. Robson from the communication department makes it clear what it means to keep midterm exams in perspective.
“It is designed to provide valuable information to students at important points in the semester,” Robson said.
Robson also said students don’t need to stress out about midterms, but they shouldn’t take them lightly.
“Just make sure you look at your grades and feedback and consider what they mean to know if you’re making good progress or if you need to make some changes,” Robson said.
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