Midterms

[EmilyAnn]

I'm sure you're done with this test but for the future:

If you don't know an answer, move on. You're better off getting the things you're confident of out the way and then going back to the shakier bits.

Bring extra pens. So many extra pens. I once had three pens run out in an exam and finished it in pencil. True story.

Whatever you do, do not stand outside the exam hall reading notes. If you don't know it by then, you're not going to learn it in the next five minutes and all you're going to do is stress yourself out. Use that time to breathe, listen to music, etc.

[LittleWaySoul]

Apparently studying in the way you take the test is helpful. For example, don't listen to music while studying since you can't listen to it during the test. Eat a mint while studying and eat one before the test. That sort of thing. Not sure how helpful this actually is, but it's worth a shot.  

[PhuturePriest]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

The questions on the test were largely way different than the ones I had been told to prepare for, so I didn't feel as confident as I would've liked and I know for a fact I got two of them wrong, but I'm hoping I at least scraped a pass. If not there's a 15 point learning curve, so certainly with that I'll have passed.

Any advice for feeling overwhelmed with reading and essay assignments? I got an unexpected overload of reading today due tomorrow and had a minor panic attack. I wasn't able to get it all done, but decided at eight to stop for my own well-being.

Also, how do you prepare for midterms? I felt very lost as to how to go about it.

[truthfinder]

Sorry to hear that your exam didn't go as well as you hoped.

We had a thread a little while ago about choosing how to do readings, effective techniques here:http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/142913-in-need-of-some-study-advice/

Luigi's advice in particular.

As to midterms and final exams - this kind of depends on the prof - some are literally the 'you must know everything' type and therefore STUDY EVERYTHING - but in a way which synthesizes the information.  (Also, quite possibly the most important class of the year is the first and last where they discuss course goals and sometimes offer a summary of the course - often you can guess what will be on the exam just from the 3-4 themes given). So, ask yourself how do individual ideas, persons, debates (whatever) fit together, why are they important? A technique for doing this, is imagine you're the prof and you're setting the exam - what sorts of questions would you ask, and what sorts of answer would you expect? 

 

[Fr. Antony Maria OSB]

Greetings there, PP!

I'm sorry I didn't see this before your midterm: UD is my alma mater, and while I was not in the seminary at the time, I majored in philosophy and almost had a major in theology, so I basically took the seminarian curriculum....just not as a seminarian

Overwhelmed with reading and essay assignments: UD, lol. In all seriousness, try to look ahead at your syllabus and schedule out your assignments ahead of time so you can split them up into more manageable chunks. This is especially important for you as a seminarian, since you don't have as much time as the non-seminarian students due to your formation at Holy Trinity (something I didn't realize until I started seminary as a monk).

As for preparing for midterms, first and foremost make sure you take good notes in class. I've always studied oddly, but the way that worked best for me was to read over all of my notes that pertained to the test, and, if possible, re-read the works covered (not always possible, but at least review them to refresh your memory). If the professor gives you the essay questions ahead of time (many philosophy professors will do this), write the essays out before the test and review those over and over.

But also, make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating well, etc. One thing seminary makes you learn fast (if you don't want to crash and burn) is the necessity of having a balanced life. If you need to sleep, sleep. Try not to get too far behind, but often you'll find that you'll be able to be more productive after a good night's sleep than if you were stressing out over an assignment the night before when exhausted.

Along with that, keep try to keep up your prayer life. As crazy as this may sound, when I was at UD I discovered that when I kept my daily Holy Hour, I seemed to have more time to get my homework done (and work 10 hours a week and hang out with my friends). Prayer is essential, and it's often the first thing to go when we're stressed.

Good luck, and you'll be in my prayers!

Pax

[Norseman82]

I second the part about making sure you have a good night of sleep.  Also, a decent breakfast (not too heavy, but enough so you will not be distracted by hunger pains) as well.

I agree with Emily Ann and Luigi on the point that if you are unsure of an answer, move on to the ones you do know and then come back to the ones you are unsure of.  Another "rule of thumb" is that if you are unsure of an answer, go with your first instinct (of course, you can revisit it if you have enough time).