This week’s vlog is basically me trying to stay calm while studying for my (hopefully) last midterm ever: my machine learning midterm at UBC. It’s open book, which sounds comforting, but it also tricks you into thinking you don’t need to study… and then you realize there are 11 chapters and each one is like 30 pages. I take you along to the library (where I immediately regret forgetting chapstick because I feel weirdly anxious without it), and I also show you one of my favorite cozy spots in Vancouver—a little koi pond I found on a walk. I share the exact study plan I used across three days: six chapters, then five chapters, then practice exams. Active recall is always what makes me feel the most confident going into an exam, because it proves what I actually know instead of what I think I know. On exam day, I sit in my car to avoid the rain and calm my nerves, and I rant a little about how evil a 5 p.m. Friday exam is. My biggest tip: stop studying at least an hour before—don’t look at notes, just breathe, walk, and remind yourself you’ll be okay. After the exam, I felt that indescribable post-midterm relief (and I’m pretty sure I got at least a 70%, which is an A in my books).