The Spire

Daniel Maddigan ’24

Staff Writer

In the midst of the month-long marathon of exams, papers, and assignments that Holy Cross students and faculty collectively refer to as “midterms.” On September 28, 2023, first-year student Bill Blabis had his sixth existential crisis of the week. In the thick of HC Midterms, he lost it while preparing an in-class presentation for his history class, his 20 page research prospectus for his English literature class, all while applying to internships for the summer on a Monday night. I tried to interview Bill on Tuesday morning, but he refused to acknowledge my presence and continued to map out the Holy Roman Empire in German, Hungarian, and French on a table in the library. My sources say he’s set up camp there, but The Spire’s crack investigative journalist team has been unable to make contact so deep in the bowels of the stacks. 

So instead, in order to fully grasp the experience of an HC student during midterms, I spoke to Joseph Schmoseph who, being a senior, seemed a bit more capable of speaking to me coherently. Joseph described his passionate vigor for the extended nature of HC Midterms, “HC midterms provide the best opportunity for students to do well, no question. By keeping students in a constant state of stress for four straight weeks, including fall break, it ensures that rampant illness and fatigue permeates every level of the college. These conditions are ripe for student success as the misery index reaches its absolute zenith. If my chemistry midterm is going to be miserable, what better way to prepare than by being miserable too?” Joseph, through smiling teeth, proceeded to bawl his eyes out while maintaining a friendly disposition. Thoroughly frightened, I sought out a faculty member to hear their take on the midterm schedule. 

Esteemed history professor Romulus Rome gave me insight into why he schedules an exam prior to the break while assigning a paper due the first Monday back. “How else can I keep my students thinking about the Roman Empire 24/7? Think about the hours of lost Tiktok content and meaningful relationship conversation if girlfriends couldn’t ask their boyfriends about the Roman Empire? I’m doing these young men a favor by making them more eligible bachelors in the dating pool?” I attempted to refocus the conversation with Professor Rome back onto how the grueling schedule of students might affect academic performance or mental health, but he immediately jumped into a tirade about olive oil supplements (which I had never heard of) and the history of third parties in American politics. I slowly backed out of the room as he read from his draft of his newest book. 

So what conclusions did I come to about Holy Cross midterms? Well, I can’t really say. One thing for sure: Holy Cross has some weird traditions.