Midterm Check-up

By: Ethan Ding, Joonyoung Heo, Hannah Park, Aaron Mampilly, and Henry Yao

Students received midterm grades, a preliminary assessment on each student’s performance in class, from their advisors on October 19th.

For the prep class, the newest additions to the Academy, midterm grades are the first batch of quantified feedback they receive from Exeter.

In response to how he adjusted to life on campus, prep Leonardo Chung said, “I found a nice group of friends to hang out with and study with and also socialize with at the music building, which is nice.” Chung continued, “My midterm grades are an accurate representation of how I’ve been doing in all of my classes.” 

Prep Claire Han described how she was feeling with two words: “overwhelmed” and “stressed.”

“My schedule doesn't balance out the way I wanted it to, and especially doing sports alongside music ensembles and stuff, it's really hard to balance it out and do your homework,” Han said. Han described her midterm grades as “better than I expected them to be.”

For many preps, the Academy’s Pass/Fail grading policy for fall term alleviated much of the stress around midterms. “I think the pass/fail term really helped me adjust to Exeter with minimal anxiety,” prep Minjae Suh said. “I definitely would have struggled without it. It was nice knowing that the stakes weren’t so high. I felt I could do more, try new things.”

Others referred to upperclassman friends as points for guidance. “The older kids in my dorm are great as well,” prep Beatrix Prairie said. “They can relate to being preps and they gave me a lot of advice––what electives to try, what clubs to sign up for, that sort of thing.” 

Positive feelings about midterm grades also abound. “I really like the fact that they give out these midterm grades,” prep Nick Riccardi said. “My previous school was a lot less rigorous, and I’d get top marks without having to put in much work. Obviously, things are very different here, and I appreciate the feedback.” 

When asked about the effect that Exeter has on her mental health, prep Hemani Stallard remarked, “It's definitely affected me because when you're in this environment, your brain, it's just very busy and preoccupied all the time.” 

Others feel that the system could be improved. “It’s frustrating to me that some teachers will lower your grades to motivate you for the second half of the term,” Prairie said. “That makes it difficult for me to know what classes I’m actually acing, and what classes I need to work on.”

Prep Juliet Stien agreed. “It lets me make excuses for myself. I might be tempted to think that I got a suboptimal grade because the teacher lowered on purpose. Excuses help me avoid what I know I’m struggling in.”

Some students also praised their teachers for supporting them. “They’re very understanding,” prep Finn Lorgen said. “Like, if I can’t make it to class because I’m at the health center, they help me make up for what I’ve missed. In a lot of ways they’re flexible, and generally considerate.” 

Stien said, “Most of my teachers have made sure that we have the resources to navigate our first term. The only real problem, sometimes, is that I don’t know when to ask for help. I think that’s something everyone can work on. Help is there for the taking, and we should always keep that in mind.”

This year is the lowers’ first at Exeter with full in person learning, a significant jump from last year’s hybrid in-person and online schedule. For lower Dongchen Zhou, the year has been less stressful compared to last year’s spring term, when he was an international student studying remotely off campus. “In-person classes are just better, easier to understand and provide better interactions,” Zhou said. “Therefore, I had less confusion and thus didn’t send as many emails to my teachers, compared to last year.” 

Many lowers also expressed gratitude for the no-homework “short” blocks implemented in the new schedule. When asked about the academic leap from last year, lower Gunn Sukhum reflected on the helpful addition of short blocks, “The main difficulty is the workload; however the short blocks definitely reduced the work by a lot.”

The midterms have been helpful for many, as they give students a chance to improve their grades before the end of the term. “It’s always great to know where your teacher thinks you’re at currently. Midterms are just the right time to be able to turn things around,” Sukhum said.

Zhou appreciated midterms as an indicator of final grades. “For subjects you’re good at, it boosts your confidence. For others, it perhaps encourages you to talk with your teacher to seek improvements,” Zhou said. “In general, it gives me a better sense of how I am doing in class and helps me better organize the rest of the term.”

Upper Jayson Tung believed the stress this term was manageable thanks to his teachers. “Teachers are very lenient this year with work and course load.”

When asked about 331’s, commonly known as a source of stress for many uppers, Tung didn’t seem too worried, but wishes to get started soon. “I haven’t started my 331 but I hope we do soon because I don’t like being crunched for time.”

Many seniors were stressed about midterms, as it coincided with early deadlines for colleges on November 1. Senior Oscair Page said, “[Midterms] have been hard to manage. School by itself takes up most of my time and it can be difficult to find space to work on everything else.”

“Most of my teachers have been accommodating and are trying to cut down on our workload before early deadlines,” Page said. 

Senior Kira Ferdyn believed short blocks helped to alleviate stress. “They allow me to have more in-depth discussions on other material or related things. [Short blocks] definitely don't feel like a whole lot of time, in terms of class material.”

With this midterm check up, some students are enjoying the advantages of this fall, but workload continues to be a concern.