Life Advice
As most of you most likely know, midterms came out earlier this week. A stressful time for many, as SATs are approaching and family weekend is looming ahead, there’s a lot on everybody’s plate. Especially for all of the new students, making the transition from public school or even private school to boarding school is a huge leap to make. The adjustment takes a while, and the first term is a struggle for everyone. We’ve answered some questions to make these next few weeks easier and less overwhelming…Q1: Now that the major assignments are piling on, what can I do to stay on top of my ever-growing workload? I try to ask my dorm mates for help but during this time of year it seems that everybody is busy dealing with their own work?Mason: If you have already written your first English narratives or history essays, try to meet with your teacher to discuss what they are looking for. After every draft for a paper, simply talking with a teacher about your ideas is extremely helpful. It not only lets them know that you care about writing the best piece that you can, but also helps them help you. By correcting your organization, grammar, and helping to develop your ideas, this is the first step towards improvement for many students.Q2: I’m not gonna lie, I was quite disappointed with my midterms. As someone who was a straight A student at their old school, my parents were not pleased by my grades. Am I just not smart enough?Mason: First of all, don’t forget that these are just midterms and that you have full control over your final grade. With that being said, good grades don’t come easily at Exeter. If you’re struggling in class, its not because you’re stupid, it's probably because you’re not studying efficiently. For example if you’re struggling in math, don’t just stare at the problem for an hour, but go ask your teacher for help or even your dorm mates. Peer tutoring is also available, so try to fully utilize those academic resources.Q3: When my advisor gave me my midterms, I was devastated to say the least. I’m almost positive that my parents’ reaction will be far less than pleased. How do I break the news to my parents?Yusuke: My best advice would be to write a formal apology and leave it with your midterms in the back seat of the car before your parents leave for the weekend.Mason: Are you a prep? If so, just tell them fall term is pass/fail and that you’re purposefully not trying so that everyone will be amazed by your improvement come winter and spring.Try to stay level headed. Stressing yourself out won’t do you any good. Take some time to organize your priorities and have faith that you’ll do what you need to do. Work when you can. If you exercise good time management, Exeter always leaves sufficient time for work and leisure.