Midnight Midterm Madness: Snack, study and succeed
On a typical Sunday night, the Averyt-Wood Learning Center is a no man’s land devoid of life. But on Oct. 11, it became the cradle of civilization and popcorn. When students are at their wit’s end preparing for exams, Midnight Midterm Madness shows up with snacks and tutoring for anyone who needs it.
From 8 p.m. to midnight, the left hall classrooms are converted into tutoring centers, sorted by subjects. Each center has several personal tutors for one-on-one coaching. All tutors are other students, with one graduate assistant to oversee the event. The hallway serves as a common area for taking breaks and eating refined carbs.
For those who prefer to work in the quiet, the first classroom to the right is converted into a quiet study room, with soft lighting and ambiance instead of tutors. It is an optimal environment to pray when the tutors have done all they can.
Abbey Matson, the coordinator for academic success, manages the late night event, and has been both a tutor and a tutee during her time as a student at NGU.
While working toward her bachelor’s in English, Matson relied on the great minds of her peers to pass her midterms. She worked as a tutor herself during sophomore and junior year, and after graduating in 2025, she is now oversees the event that once helped her.
“I wasn’t really drawn to this job in particular, but I love to help students and I was given an opportunity after graduation to do that.” Matson explains her postgrad involvement in student events.
The Midnight Midterm Madness event aims to supply tutoring for the classes students most commonly struggle in, such as math, English and Christian studies. Each of these main categories encapsulate several specific classes which tutors have taken themselves, and want to help others pass.
Lydia Jarrard, a senior in math education, has volunteered as a tutor for three semesters now. She gives tutoring on differential equations and everything below, except for statistics.
“In my experience with tutoring, the most difficult part about learning math is the lack of a visual element.” Jarrard articulates the difficulties of studying math. “Unless you are studying geometry, of course.”
Jarrard also acknowledges the disparity between high school and college math. The subject material and study patterns are vastly different between the two grade levels, and the latter has a much greater impact on overall GPA.
Jarrard’s primary tutoring method is to optimize her pupils’ study habits rather than teaching them information. She hopes to equip students to tutor themselves after the four hours of midterm madness are over, and the popcorn has run dry.
During this busy weekend of October, many tutors have exams to worry about on their own, yet still find the time to make sure no mathematician is left behind.
“It was always rewarding to see students accomplish something they thought they couldn’t do…to see their confidence come back.” Matson reflects on why she routinely participated as a tutor. “I’ve always had a heart for students, especially since I’ve been in their shoes.”
Midnight Midterm Madness is an outlier among NGU events in that it bolsters academic success, rather than distracting from the never ending slog of assignments. While the space to breathe and enjoy oneself is essential for any hard working student, Midnight Midterm Madness proves that one can do so without sacrificing their GPA.
