Fanshawe College students are preparing for upcoming midterms as they adjust to the demands of the fall semester.
For some students, midterms can bring added pressure as they balance studying, assignments and other responsibilities. The Library Learning Commons (LLC) offers academic support to students who need help preparing.
First year Fanshawe student Jane Holman says that she does feel ready for midterms, but with it being her first year, the thought of midterms is stressful.
“I would say I would, but I feel like this is my first like actual midterms in college, so it is a bit stressful,” she said.
“Prioritize schoolwork over going out or going somewhere at night for sure, but also have that good mix and balance,” she said.
photo: Jane Holman, police foundations, year 1. (Torey Joseph Legarrie)
She said that her method of studying is by memorization.
“I’m pretty good at memorizing, so I’ll try to memorize everything and make sense of it in my head using like different ways of understanding,” she said.
She said the hardest part of studying is going through the content.
“Probably going through all the content and knowing what I don’t need to study,” she said.
“I knew the expectations coming in, so I feel pretty prepared,” she said.
October 8 and 9 is when students can take time to study for their midterms, and they will receive their grades on October 23, 2026.
Dana Vanzanten, manager library testing operations says that the LLC provides many resources for students.
“We have a number of study spaces both on the 1 and 2 floor of F. Those are reservable through our website. We also have open study spaces where students can get together, collaborate, have conversations, work on things together. We have a number of staff members who are trained specifically to provide support, so we have staff members who provide support with research, writing, with citation, math and science, with study skills particularly,” she said.
LLC also has peer tutoring, resources and study guides on their website, ands starting at 5p.m. they have an after hours math and writing support with the live virtual tutors.
photo: Dana Vanzanten, manager library testing opperations. (Torey Joseph Legarrie)
“Thinking about what I heard from staff and what I see in our statistics, I think students are often looking for support around math in various ways because obviously math is woven into a number of the programs here, as well as writing, communication, and properly citing, especially like in the age of AI,” she said.
She said that the LLC does get busier around midterms.
“The beginning of the semester, the first couple weeks can maybe be a bit of a slower start, but as students approach midterms and start to get a sense of how they’ve been doing on assignments and tests so far, they’re definitely reaching out and looking for support and we’re always glad when they find us,” she said.
Second year Fanshawe student Nicolas Becerra said his study routine has drastically changed.
“Brutally. Like I would say I used to not care much about that, but now I focus on it, putting like a schedule, putting times, of course to study and always rest,” he said.
He said that first year students need to have a routine.
“Oh yeah, they have to schedule all his routine. They have to have times to study,” he said.
photo: Nicolas Becerra, business supply-chain operation (co-cop), year 2. (Torey Joseph Legarrie)
He said that midterms used to be difficult for him and his only focus was on studying.
“Used to, not now. It made me stay in my home, study, maybe go to Starbucks and study, and that was like kind of my weekend too,” he said.
