Photo taken by Tim Gouw, uploaded on Unsplash

By Iffath Liaquat

It’s that time of year again. When students are scrambling to build up stamina to seize the midterm testing season. The fall semester is more than halfway over, the Lehman community is feeling the pressure of being piled with exams, projects, and papers in order to test their knowledge. 

Maii is a sophomore and intends to major in speech pathology. She is part of a few different clubs such as the African Student Association, The Lehman Modeling Club, and the SEAMLSS (Seamless Educational Advancement To Maximize Lehman Student Success) internship program. This program requires students to get internships, career advice, and participation in various opportunities. She shares that she isn’t nervous about midterms, considering that most of them are projects, or essays, except for her French class. “All I know is if I study well, I’ll do well.” Maii encourages students to build confidence in themselves to prepare for their examinations, noting the effects of the self-fulfilling prophecy. “Professors usually [include]... what will be [on] the exam. If they focus… and study … they should be fine.” She urges that if anyone is having any difficulty, they should go to the tutoring center, and take advantage of the numerous resources available on campus. 

Busayo Owoaje is a sophomore at Lehman College and is active in the Leadership for the All program as well as some clubs. But Owoaje has been swamped by her packed schedule and by many obligations in her personal life. When asked about midterms, she says she’s extremely overwhelmed and isn’t confident in her knowledge, but “this feeling can easily be changed when I start studying and practicing. Anything is possible!” Owoaje notes. To balance out the fear, Owoaje voiced that she puts herself into a positive and realistic mindset. “[I remind] myself that midterms [aren’t] the end of the world… I can [always] do my best later on.” To avoid the dire effects of over-studying, on the day of an exam, she maintains a calm atmosphere by listening to music or watching videos. 

Omadai Sukul is a junior majoring in speech pathology and minoring in psychology and early childhood education. She is a part of the ACE program and a mentor for the Urban Male Leadership program. Sukul is the voluntary manager for the Caribbean Unity Club, while also managing two part-time jobs. She expresses feeling anxious and is constantly overthinking about midterms. However, with dutiful planning, she breaks down her schedule in order to deal with things one step at a time. Sukul shares that getting involved in college has helped her cope with stressful situations. “[I get] to socialize and meet… amazing students. [I learned] that [I’m] not alone on my journey, as life as a student can be stressful.” She reflects that these activities have helped her push past limits and attain useful advice. 

Everyone is dealing with this time in different ways; from Omadai’s busy schedule, Maii’s self-assurance, and Busayo’s efforts for tranquility. The midterms provide different challenges for everyone. Being able to deal with such emotions is one of the trials of college life, a universal feeling, and a handy skill in life. But you can always turn to your community when you feel like you’re tipping over the edge.