MAYBE you dealt with them last week. Maybe you are dealing with them right now.
Perhaps you are one of the lucky University students that did not have to deal with them at all this semester. Regardless of when you have them, midterms are one of the most stressful ordeals students will suffer during their time here in Charlottesville.
It does not have to be this way. Midterms should not be arguably the most taxing part of a student's time here. They are difficult, but they should not have to cause, in many cases, more stress than finals.
Unlike final exams, midterms have no predetermined date. Professors can assign them anytime they like. If the University wants to give its students the best chance to do as well as we can on mid-terms, it must do a better job of setting rules for these tests.
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The University's system for final exams makes intuitive sense. Classes are over. We have at least two free days set apart to devote ourselves exclusively to studying. If you have three or more finals in a 24-hour period, you have the right to move one. The library is open 24 hours so we can study whenever we like and have immediate access to all kinds of resources.
Despite the prevailing stress of each final, there is a sense of reserved confidence in the air at Clemons and Alderman. Students know that, one by one, we are knocking out each of our final exams en route to the Promised Land of break.
Now let's take a look at how midterms work. Clemons library closes at 2:00am, like normal, forcing students to go home and study in an environment that might not be nearly as conducive. We still have all of our regular classes scheduled, independent of whether we have a mid-term in them or not. Professors can assign midterms either before or after fall break, rendering these days effectively meaningless in terms of their original intent.
Most students are happy to put their exams behind them and enjoy a stress-free vacation. But this sense of relief does not make up for the fact that midterms week did not allow them to maximize their performance on these tests.
Why should we raise these issues? Because grades matter. Make no mistake about it: Your GPA is of fundamental importance to employers, graduate schools and countless other opportunities that you will have after you leave Grounds.
From the moment students arrive here, the University should be more forthright concerning the impact one's GPA has on one's post-graduation opportunities. Your GPA should not be the defining factor of your existence, but it certainly merits more attention than the University devotes to it, especially during one's first year.
This is exactly why we need to change the system for giving midterms. In some classes, these tests count for only 20 percent of the grade for the course. In others, the mid-term makes up a full 50 percent of the final grade.
Under the current system, the University treats the week when most midterms are given as any other week. The University needs to set some new regulations concerning this part of the semester.
There has to be uniformity about when professors can assign midterms. The University should either require professors to give their midterms before the two-day break, and simply have "Reading Days" as a break for students, or it should require professors to wait until after the two-day break to give their midterms.
Currently, there is no consistency and because of that, students suffer. Second, if a particular course has a mid-term that week, then that should be the only time it meets, barring any outside review sessions. Students should be able to devote the most time possible to studying without having to concern themselves with attending yet another class.
The purpose of these changes is not to make the midterms "easier" for students. Conscientious students will still work hard and irresponsible ones will still avoid work, irrespective of any changes. These changes are necessary because the University has a responsibility to provide students with an environment where they are able to excel.
In the current convoluted midterms schedule, students cannot devote their full attention and energy to any one class-as we can during finals - because there are too many tests and assignments bunched together.
No one is suggesting that University professors are somehow malicious or inconsiderate for assigning midterms in this way. Far from it. We simply need a more straightforward and fair system for dealing with this one- or two-week period of high stress.
In the high-pressure environment that we live in at the University, students can use all the help they can get in the effort to achieve academically. While this does not mean that midterms should be made easier for students, it does mean that the University should make the system more fair.
For most courses, these tests are too important to treat as a routine event in the course of a regular week. We need to change the way midterms are given here at the University to allow students the best chance to do their best.
(Timothy DuBoff's column appears Thursday's in The Cavalier Daily).
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