Midterms not required for all classes

Now that it’s colder outside, I want to stay in bed and curl up with my blanket. But, I can’t because if I don’t go to class I won’t know what will be on the test. Even worse, I won’t know what will be on the midterm.

Midterms are an extra burden on students. Although students are expected to keep up with the readings and assignments of a class, it’s intimidating to know a longer multiple choice exam will have such a big effect on their overall grade for a course.

Tests suck, but midterms are even worse — they require extra work aside from homework and quizzes. Thankfully, not every course offered at NIU requires students to take a midterm.

Because Homecoming celebrations and midterm week coincidentally fell right after one another, students were left with little room to de-stress and enjoy themselves by engaging in school spirit activities.

Nonetheless, students were aware if they did have to set time aside to study, they’d only be studying for a couple of classes.

Fall break would ease students’ stress

Weekends aren’t enough to free students’ minds from schoolwork, especially after big exams or projects.

NIU may not obligate students to take midterms for all the courses they enroll in, but they don’t offer fall break, which would be the cherry on top of surviving midterms.

Students spend countless hours memorizing information for classes and there isn’t enough time during college days to cool down or enjoy binge-watching Netflix without horrible consequences. Students simply get through the semester, looking forward to winter break, which is over as soon as it begins.

There should be a mid-semester reward for students so they are motivated to get through the rest of the semester without half-completing their work for classes they hate.

Fall break would also help the professors reflect on the things that have worked well during the first half of the semester so they can find ways to improve the class atmosphere.