Tips for Preparing Your College Student for Midterms

Ace Exams This Fall with Help from My College Crate

It’s hard to believe that the fall semester is already halfway over and midterms are on the syllabus. If your student is a freshman, this is their very first time experiencing the stress of collegiate midterm exams, and they could be feeling overwhelmed and stressed.

To help your student make it through, whether they’re living at school or at home, try these tips from My College Crate, your source for unique monthly college care packages or one-time gift boxes.

  • Acknowledge and understand that your student is tired and busy. It’s not the time to demand daily phone calls or expect immediate responses to your text messages. Studying and writing essays will likely take precedence above all else.

  • Encourage self-care and good health practices. It’s already hard enough to stay healthy with a global pandemic and flu season approaching. Your student may need reminders to choose healthy meals, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated. If your college student is still living at home, you can lead by example by preparing healthy foods for family-style dinners.

  • Midterms are the perfect time for your college student to self-evaluate their performance so far. They’re likely feeling anxious about how their midterm exam or paper may affect their grade; remind them that the semester is only halfway over, and there’s plenty of time to plan and instate changes to do better the second half, if necessary.

  • No one likes a micromanager. It’s OK to give advice to improve time-management techniques, but planning their study sessions or questioning their dedication to them won’t help. You can remind your student about on-campus resources, like tutors, library study workstations, or utilizing their professors’ office hours for extra help.

  • Manage expectations. If your student is a freshman, they’ve never experienced collegiate midterms before. Remind them that just like anything they do for the first time, it may not go swimmingly, but over time, things will get better.

  • Volunteer to read over a paper, listen to a presentation, or help your student with flash cards. Sometimes a second set of eyes is all it takes to perfect an essay or make information “stick.” Just don’t take over the work for your student; academic dishonesty is usually punishable with automatic course failure or expulsion.

  • Send your student our awesome October college care package, full of Halloween goodies and sweet treats ready for spooky fun after exams are done. Place an order for a one-time gift, or be the best parent ever and subscribe to our monthly care package delivery service, which includes a discounted price and free shipping.

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