On Friday, January 17, 2025, 19 million students will receive their report cards and go on mid-term break. Students completing the first semester of the year will have a two-week break before the second semester, which will begin on Monday, February 3, 2025. However, this holiday is not just for rest; it also represents an opportunity, especially for those preparing for exams.
Specialist Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan offered advice to both parents and students on how to use the holiday effectively, stating, “Students preparing for university entrance exams and High School Entrance Exam (LGS) will continue to study during the holiday period.”
Emphasizing that the mid-term break is an important opportunity for students preparing for university entrance exams and High School Entrance Exam (LGS), Specialist Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “The semester break is the last exit before the bridge. This two-week period should be well-evaluated, spent productively, and deficiencies should be addressed. Students preparing for exams should prepare a special mid-term study program.”
Specialist Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, Manager of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Educational Institutions and Guidance Services, offered important tips to both parents whose children received report cards and students preparing for high school entrance and university exams due to the mid-term break.
Students preparing for exams will continue to study during the holiday period
Specialist Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan stated that approximately 19 million students in primary, middle, and high school levels will go on mid-term break, saying, “Students experiencing the joy of their report cards will fully enjoy the holiday until Monday, February 3rd. However, students preparing for university entrance exams and High School Entrance Exam (LGS) will continue to study during the holiday period.”
What lies beneath low grades?
Özgür Akoğlan reminded that families should not give sudden and overly negative reactions to their children due to low grades on the report card, stating, “Families should investigate the underlying reasons for this outcome and do their part to eliminate the problem. In essence, they can see this process as an opportunity to turn problems into positive outcomes. Academic success is influenced by familial and social factors as much as a child's intelligence level, learning capacity, and attention span. Families who seek solutions for academic problems identified by low grades on the report card are parents who show the right approach.”
Children need rules
Akoğlan emphasized that resting during the holiday is a child’s right, stating, “However, spending this time in front of a screen will not be a productive holiday. During the mid-term break, be a role model for your child by using technology consciously. The region responsible for self-regulation in terms of brain development is one of the last parts of the brain to develop. For this reason, children find it difficult to postpone their desires; they need rules. But merely setting rules is not enough; you also need to be a role model and a follower. We should spend time with our children as much as our means allow. Every minute they spend with you will be like a reward for them. When you recall your own childhood, I am sure you will realize how important it is to leave them with beautiful memories.”
Read books together with your children!
Referring to activities families can do with their children, Özgür Akoğlan said, “You can take short walks together. You can tell them your memories and illustrate these memories together. You can organize a story time and bring the story you tell to life. To help our children develop a reading habit, read with them. If you dedicate at least half an hour a day to reading, the number of books you read by the end of the year will also make you happy. Especially for students who started preschool and primary school this year, it is necessary to maintain the school-time routine during the mid-term to prevent them from forgetting the learning they gained in the first semester, such as sleep routines, eating and drinking habits, self-care, and taking responsibility.”
Semester break, the last exit before the bridge
Stating that the mid-term break is an important opportunity for students preparing for university entrance exams and High School Entrance Exam (LGS), Özgür Akoğlan said, “The semester break is the last exit before the bridge. This two-week period should be well-evaluated, spent productively, and deficiencies should be addressed. Students preparing for exams should prepare a special mid-term study program. Even for those who haven't started studying yet, there is still time. But after the mid-term break, time will start to pass much faster.”
There is still time to reach the goal…
Reminding that students have a 5-month period ahead of them, Özgür Akoğlan said, “This period is the long time we have left to reach our goal. We also have a mid-term break for our short-term goals. But this short period, if well utilized, will carry us to higher success ranks than we are currently at and will allow us to close our deficiencies more quickly.”
Prepare a mid-term holiday program that will be productive
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Psychological Counselor and Guidance Teacher Özgür Akoğlan explained how to improve the exam preparation process in 8 points:
“1. Prepare a mid-term break program for yourself by dividing your day into hours in the most productive way.
2. Identify the areas where you have deficiencies in your subjects.
3. Close this gap by studying the subjects where you have many knowledge deficiencies.
4. Reinforce subjects where you have no knowledge deficiencies by solving practice questions.
5. Do not rely solely on solving questions to finish subjects more quickly. Always learn the subject first, and then solve questions related to it to reinforce your understanding.
Dedicate a large part of your holiday time to TYT and AYT preparations
6. Unlike other students, dedicate a large part of your holiday time to TYT and AYT preparations.
7. Don't forget to include enjoyable activities in your daily program, such as cinema, theater, or meeting friends.
8. Remember that by working in a planned and programmed manner and managing this time efficiently, you will make a faster start to the second semester.”