midterms...

Nothing makes sense about midterms. I think my professors need to be informed of a few key components to a midterm:

1) It is halfway through the term. That means you cannot have two. Halfway through the term is the end of October. Not beginning October and also middle November.

2) Having two chapter tests on Friday and a midterm on Monday is cruel.

3) 5 problems on the midterm? FIVE? I've never even seen e to the negative x and have no hope of finding the derivative and that question alone is half of one question?

4) Scaling the grades helps no one when some stupid over-achiever gets 100%.

5) Giving hints like "there is a short-answer question on the brain." Gee thanks. That's only the most complex thing KNOWN TO HUMANKIND. I'll be sure to study, what, everything?


Not to be pessimistic, here are a few things that turned out well. (Mostly because the teachers didn't realize they're awesome. No doubt they would be taken away if they realized).

1) Midterm review sessions by the calc TA. An hour and a half review, offered to the entire class of 300 people. Two of us showed up. Private tutoring!

2) If you finish early, you can leave. And study for another midterm. Not sit around staring at the wall and second-guessing your answers like after the AP exams.

3) No class after the midterm; 3 hour classes are over in 2 hours!

4) Creative writing midterm- what midterm? Even better, what final exam?

5) Being an Arts major- didn't have time to study for French because of calc, go take the test on existing knowledge and you've still got a good chance. This works because being fluent in French counts as studying. You can't be "fluent in chemistry."

6) Watching science students memorize things they never use in daily class. In French, we're being tested on grammar structures. She explained the test using said grammar structures. Practice makes awesome.


All that being said.... I'd still rather not have a midterm. But I'm clearly not running a university.



If I did, the cafeteria would have hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles.