Studying for Theology midterm
I will be cutting in between each post to give you a quick update on uni/school life.
Reading week arrived and marked the half way point to the end of the second semester as well as the arrival of midterm exams. As one exchanger noted, "Why are they not called mid semesters?", considering they do not use the word 'Term'. They can be a bit of an annoyance when you are also overcome with essays, debates and presentations at the same time. Experiencing midterm exams last semester enabled me to be more organised and prepared for them this time round. Although, it does seem odd that many students get tested 5 or 6 weeks into their semester as what could you have possibly learnt in such a short amount of time? However, I have come to realise that the extra revision allows you to be more prepared for the finals and you learn a lot more than you think.
The value of midterms can vary from 10%-40% so it's always a struggle trying to figure out how much revision you need to do for a test/what you'll be MSAFing - basically a form that exempts you from handing in an assignment below 30% without a doc note but with only one a semester, you have to be selective! Im happy to say that i did not use one last term and i hopefully will not be using one this term either. On the plus side - if you fail to hand in an assignment and use your MSAF they simply add the percentage onto your final exam or give you a new deadline. This is something that wouldn't happen back in the Uk unless you have a very serious reason, such as a medical reason. Many students here in Canada have used it due to having 3 assignments due in on the same day, so in a way it can be seen as a good thing or a maybe a sign that a person should be more organised. One other strange thing is that midterms can stretch from the beginning of February to the middle of March. This can be annoying as people would probably prefer not to worry about revising for a small midterm percentage two weeks before their final. Overall, I'd say that yes midterms can be annoying but they do allow you to bag marks towards your final grade!
It is so interesting to hear the other side of this argument! I'm a Canadian studying abroad in England right now, and I've been bemoaning the lack of midterms. I've really missed the sort of cross-section they give you of the course, letting you know how you are doing so far and also taking a bit of pressure and percentage weight away from the end of term exams. It seems so strange to me to have pretty much only one essay and one exam per class per year, I guess it must seem even stranger for you to have so many essays and exams. I confess I'm sort of terrified for the end of year exams here - I've never had an exam worth 60% of my grade before! Good luck with your midterms!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree, it is quite useful to know how you are getting on throughout the term. Although the constant Midterms can be a pain when there are essays due at the same time. I'm not sure which system i prefer, as you said a final exam at the end of the year is pretty daunting! Hope you're having a brilliant time on exchange! and i know that exams in the UK are coming up soon! Hope your exams went well! :D
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