Midterms are upon us. For most people, this is a time of great stress. We are crammed into the library like sardines, hunched over our computers and twitching. We spend more time searching for a table than we actually spend doing work, and the printer is bound to break down on at least 17 different occasions throughout the evening. All in all, midterms are no one’s ideal scenario.

But after giving this matter some thought, I’ve realized the middle of the semester is actually not a horrible time. Rather, it is a time of hope and second chances. You’ve made it halfway through, and even if you completely screwed up all your work, you still have another half of the semester to make up for it. More importantly, you still have a chance to do all those semi-sketchy things you wanted to do during the first half, but didn’t.

You can still hook up with an attractive person in one of your classes and then make life nice and awkward for each another over the rest of the semester. After all, you only have half as much time left to deal with it, you’ll probably never see them again, and really, what’s the harm in getting to know your classmates better? College is all about making new friends and study buddies — two birds, one stone.

Go to class high. Attempt to appear not high. Challenge yourself. Think outside the box. College is all about these things, too.

Go to class. Honestly, if you’ve never been, you should go at least once and scope out the territory. No man is an island, you know.

Work around your deadlines. If you have an upcoming paper due by e-mail, attach a blank document, send it in, relax, enjoy the finale of ‘Jersey Shore,’ go out, get wasted, come home, pass out, nurse your hangover all of the next day, go out again, pass out, wake up at 2 p.m., and then start writing your paper calmly and resourcefully. Send it in. Apologize profusely for the silly mistake! Blame your hectic 18-credit schedule and your strange but loveable pet hamster, which happened to get sick over the weekend.

Now is the time for you to do all these things. Don’t wait until next semester, when you’ll be in your deluded post-New Years resolutions phase, and you’ll be all about doing your work in a timely fashion and smiling kindly at freshmen. (Plus, next semester it’ll be cold. Everything about life sucks when it’s cold. Just a reminder.)

Senior economics major Mike Santaniello agreed. ‘What’s life like these days? It’s awesome! I really don’t let the idea of failing get to me that much,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I wonder if I should be as stressed out as everyone else. But I just prefer not stressing.’ True story.

Midterms may be all about schoolwork, but midterm time is essentially a time for you to stop and reflect on your accomplishments thus far and strategize future moves toward personal success and happiness. I can only wish you luck, remind you that the world is your oyster, and if all else fails, take off your pants! Very successful people never wear pants. That can be said of celebrities like Lady Gaga and Rihanna, and as of late, it’s been working out pretty well for me. Hehe. Just saying.

Marina Charny is a senior English and textual studies and writing major. Her column appears every Thursday, and she can be reached at mcharny@syr.edu.

 

Published on October 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm