The Terror of Midterm Grades

By THEA VAUGHAN ‘27

The moment has arrived. Five weeks have already passed in the term. You’re scared. You thought you had more time. If only you hadn’t bombed that math test two weeks ago. But, alas, there’s nothing you can do now. You double-check your email. Come to the common room ASAP, it reads. Slowly, you exit your dorm room and descend the stairs, mentally bracing yourself for what you’re about to face. As you enter the common room, empty except for a few lowerclassmen procrastinating homework on the couches, your adviser beckons you toward them. You take a deep breath, frantically trying to recall how good your Harkness was in history, and whether your chemistry teacher counted that last quiz, when, suddenly, you remember that Exonian article you read recently: “How to Not Lose Your Mind When Your Adviser Gives You Your Midterm Grades.” Wow, thank goodness someone wrote a guide on that… even if the article was released after midterms had come out. Sorry about that.

Plan for the final five weeks of the term. I’ve got to yap more in history, or I need to stop cramming for my chemistry test the night before. Maybe you don’t end up doing those things (relatable), but at least planning to do them makes you feel productive.

You’re at Exeter! That means a B- here is like an A- at another school… that’s how that works, right?

They’re midterms. They aren’t going on the report card. That C you got in comp-sci? No one has to know.

Consider the above while eating a nice bowl of ice cream from Stillwells.

Maybe get started on that paper. I know you’ve been procrastinating.

Or don’t work on that paper. Instead, reward your five weeks of hard work with, I dunno, some Dress to Impress on Roblox? A round of Fortnite? An episode of “How I Met Your Mother” or “Psych?” Or maybe a nap. Yeah, a nap sounds nice.