It is October, which means with each passing day, the hair pulling, energy drink consuming and restless hours become more frequent for Eastern students–midterms are almost here.

The Student Success Center will be having a 30-minute workshop to alleviate the stress that can come with midterms while increasing the grades students receive.

“What can I do to ace that test!? (Midterm Edition)” will take place at 6 p.m. today in the Charleston-Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Mike Mendez, a clinical psychology graduate assistant, will be the host of this workshop and similar workshops, which introduce the active steps needed to achieve in a higher education atmosphere.

“We’re going to give them a better understanding on how to take notes and how to study,” Mendez said.

Personal note-taking is one of the best ways to retain information and using those notes later on is very conducive to the learning process, Mendez said.

Ethan Ingram, a senior mathematics major, said he thinks he is well prepared for his upcoming midterms.

“My midterm exams are usually spread out in the few weeks around midterms, so I’m not in a real high-stress situation to get a lot of things together,” Ingram said. “I try to focus on one exam, paper, etc. at a time.”

Mendez said he will also teach students ways to decrease test anxiety.

“(The workshop) will include different methods and different tools for them to use like study guides and coherent notes,” Mendez said.

Ingram said he likes to look over all his notes and bookwork for comprehension before he looks over past tests.

The workshop is part of a longer series that Mendez said is intended to increase awareness and not simply teach.

“Most of the things we teach at these workshops can be found on the Internet,” Mendez said. “Our goal is to increase understanding and help students understand how the actions they take in the short-term impact their overall GPA.”

Betsy Miller, a senior family and consumer sciences major, said she just wants to get midterms over with.

“(I am a) repetitive studier and looking over passages, lists and diagrams are all important things to look at,” Miller said.

Jessica Johnson, a sophomore family and consumer sciences major, said she thinks time management and study skills are important during stressful exams.

“I think study skills are important to taking good notes, reading the book and going over your notes more than once,” Johnson said.

Most of the students who come to a workshop similar to the one taking place today do so simply because attending the workshops is mandatory for a class, Mendez said.

“If you want the best grade possible, you have to sincerely desire that grade and use the tools provided to the best of your advantage,” Mendez said. “This will make a large impact on the grade that you receive.”

Melody Dozard can be reached at 581-2812 or mmdozard@eiu.edu.