Under pressure – that’s what many of us are as the wonderful week of midterms has rolled around once again. The majority of us on campus are feeling the wrath of multiple papers and tests all falling within the same couple of days.

For many, the week of midterms can actually be worse than finals week. And while we all dread exams and essays, the majority of stress that comes for most this week, isn’t a result of class alone. It’s the pressure of dealing with those added classroom responsibilities along with all the other tasks we tackle on a regular basis.

If all we had to worry about in life was class, then most of us would embrace midterms week with ease, or at least not get too worked up about it. What makes the mid-week so difficult is dealing with that extra workload on top of all the regular activities we take part in.

Now, those activities could range from drinking beer on the couch and watching Sportscenter to working a part-time job, playing on an athletic team or balancing a social life. The point is, this week becomes pressure-filled because we’re taken out of our normal pattern of life – our safe zone, so to speak.

Now, instead of just worrying about those routine activities, individuals are forced to find enough hours in the day to satisfy both their classroom demands and personal desires. Ultimately, one of the two loses out, and in most cases, it’s the desires.

Those who succumb to school work over fun are typically the ones who manage to stay in school and graduate. But, it certainly can be easy to give into those desires. Wednesday night at Marty’s definitely sounds like a lot more fun than staying in and studying for that pesty test.

But the key to the week of midterms is balancing the amount of effort put into both areas.

If you spend the entire week locked in the library studying, you’re bound to feel the pressure, perhaps even bend under it. At the same time, if you spend all your studying time sucking down drinks on the couch, you’ll be in the pressure cooker when it’s time to take that test.

The best approach is to do a little of both. College shouldn’t put you on lockdown in the library, and contrary to many views, it also shouldn’t place you in a total state of carelessness. After all, you are here to get some kind of education.

So, as the stress-laced week slowly creeps by, try to achieve that balance. Much of who we become in life is defined by how we handle, or perform under, pressure.

It’s something that anyone from the greatest athlete to the smoothest businessman is able to encounter and overcome. The pressure is coming … the question is, will it crack you, or will you conquer it?