This week we are taking our last MMS exams! And I’ve found that they are no different than those I took during undergrad in that they’re no fun and require a lot of cramming (ahem, I mean, studying). But they’re significantly different in the fact that you have so many, and at an astonishing pace, and obviously, the content is different.

In my undergraduate program in Korea, I had four exam periods a year – a midterm and a final exam for each subject per semester. But here, we have five terms; there are three subjects each term, and a midterm and a final for a little more than two thirds of the subjects. That means you have to prepare for more than 20 exams in ten months. Since each term lasts only six weeks, that means you have about three exams every three weeks. So two weeks into a new term means that it’s time to prep for exams!

I’m pretty sure that no undergraduate institution is as fast-paced. So brace yourself – especially in Term 1 – because you may find yourself struggling and doubting your intelligence if you don’t get serious. If you have issues understanding the class material, tackle it early in the term by being honest and asking for help.

There’s Plenty of Help

On the bright side, all the professors are open to the students and are very willing to assist you. Scheduling office hours to meet one-on-one is never a problem, and there are numerous review sessions led by TAs where you can ask questions and try to learn something you may have missed.

There are also peer tutoring sessions, as I mentioned in my previous posts, where students who are better at a certain subject tutor a group of about five students. Everyone’s really open to helping each other out, so don’t be afraid to ask questions in class, in the hallway, or during lunch. Learning at Fuqua is all about how proactive you are – the resources are here, you just have to use them!