It’s that time of year again. Finals are looming around the corner and the increasing stress levels are palpable on campus. Olin library is now open 24 hours to accommodate everyone’s study schedules and even so, a student is hard-pressed to find an empty corner in which to study.
According to a survey from The Princeton Review, in conjunction with Wrigley, more than 85 percent of American and Canadian college students admit to feeling increased stress during exam time, in many cases leading them to make less healthy choices such as snacking on high-calorie foods, drinking caffeine, and late-night study sessions.
It is true, right now there are more students walking around drinking Red Bulls and toting venti cups from Starbucks than during any other part of the semester.
Students and professors alike are feeling the effects of crunch time as deadlines for papers and exams approach. “Who isn’t? I just feel like there are so many papers as well as so many exams to do — it is just a lot of work. I am stressed over whether I have enough time to go over what I need to go over,” said Rachel Gonzalez ’15.
It is important to find a way to cope with the stress, especially during the last week of classes.
Other students agree with Gonzalez. “The most stressful time in my life is finals week. I am unable to live a normal life. Instead I am forced to become a recluse hell-bent on getting the highest grade I can,” said Chris Taylor ‘14. “How that’s been deemed productive, I’ll never know. Teachers seem to think it works — I sure don’t.”
However, some students either do not feel stressed or are choosing not to let it get to them. “I am not stressed,” said Ray Estavillo ’14.
It is important to find a way to cope with the stress, especially during the last week of classes. “I deal with the stress of exams by setting a to-do list a few weeks before and trying to get as much done as possible as early as possible,” said Annamarie Carlson ‘14. “By getting everything possible done early on, I am better able to focus on larger assignments and harder exams later.” Taylor is also employing this type of time management: “I’m trying to write a page of each of my papers a day so that I can get them done early without having to do them all at once.”
Besides the question “When will all of this be over?,” another common inquiry among students is “What is the point?” Why do schools make students have exams on at least three months of material at the end of the semester?
“I understand the point of exams: to help assess your knowledge and what you learned all year, but they are frustrating to deal with at the end of the semester,” said Carlson. “I wish there was some way to reorganize the year so that students had more time to balance everything.”
The most important thing for students to do is maintain a healthy lifestyle. While it is easier to grab a cup of coffee or an energy drink and skip a meal, that does nothing for the body.
Rather than stay up all night and rely on caffeine to boost you in the morning, try managing your time so you get a good night’s sleep and eat balanced meals.
Sleigh bells are ringing, angels are singing and students everywhere are stressing. Either way, there is not much time left, so keep it together until the end and you will be fine.
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