With this past week (Feb 18th-24th) marking our sixth week back from winter break, students know exactly what loathsome event is about to be coming from around the corner. 

Midterms. 

Midterms are the second-most dreaded week for any college student within any given semester (with the most dreaded one being finals week). Midterms week is, as the name suggests, a week of exam-taking, essay-writing, and general confirmation to ensure that students have an understanding of their courses’ contents thus far. 

One exam is stressful enough. Having to take five all in the same time period is another beast entirely, and a big part of the stress surrounding this week of test-taking lies in the fact that students often do not feel that they have the time to properly study for each of their classes’ exams, resulting in less study-time overall as they become increasingly overwhelmed and choose not to study at all. 

This feeling of stress is something that various members of the MCLA community understand, which is why this past Wednesday, on February 21st, multiple different clubs and organizations on campus, with the permission and encouragement from the school’s library staff, decided to host a midterm study night from 6:00-8:00 in the Freel Library. 

Students who came to the event were free to talk to the various tutors who had shown up and reserved tables, including tables from members of the writing studio and members of the math tutors. If students who came to the event preferred studying alone, there were also various empty tables for them to take a seat at so they could study privately, in an environment made to be studied in, with help at their fingertips if they so needed it. 

“It was really helpful for me personally,” began Mo Piantoni ‘27 in an unofficial interview after the event was over, “to be in an environment that encouraged studying. I feel like it helped me focus more.” 

This ties back to the fact that some students find it crucial to have specific time set aside for studying so that they don’t feel overwhelmed and end up not studying at all. Having an event focused entirely around studying and getting schoolwork done is extremely beneficial toward students who struggle to set aside that time for themselves. 

Piantoni finished off their interview by mentioning one final sentiment: “I’m glad the school was able to throw a study night event, and I hope they do one for finals week, too.” 

Enticing students further to come to the event were various snacks and raffles. Snacks included chips, crackers, Rice Krispy Treats, sodas, and sparkling waters, to name just a handful. Three different $25 gift cards (one to Amazon, one to Walmart, and one to Target) comprised the raffles. Every student who showed up got a raffle ticket that they could put into any of the three prize pools, and so long as they stayed until the drawing at 7:30, they would be eligible to win. 

“I think it definitely added a fun twist to the night,” said Aya Lahirizi (winner of the Walmart gift card) in reference to the raffles. “It’s the first time I’ve ever won a raffle before, so it makes me want to keep coming to these kinds of events again. It’s like a blend of doing the actual schoolwork and keeping things light and fun.” 

Overall, the midterm study night was a slam-dunk success. Roughly 20 students were there the whole time, with plenty of other students popping in and leaving before the event was over. Students made it very clear that if such an event were ever held again, they would be willing to go and take advantage of the opportunity to study in that welcoming environment once more.