Finals and midterms are the two most stressful times around Rowan University and most other college campuses for everyone – students, teachers, and onlookers. But the time in between midterms and finals are the moment when everything hits. This is the calm before and after the academic storm.
At this point in the semester, students are in the last two weeks of class before finals begin. But also had the last of midterm exams end a few weeks earlier. Pair this with the holiday stress of buying or making gifts for family and friends, work, and maintaining friendships. Students are counting down the days until break now, until it all starts again in the spring.
Millie Mchugh is a junior studying pre-business management who is trying to stick to healthy stress management habits and discussed what makes her stressed out.
“I’ve been really into meditation, honestly. Other than that, just tracking journaling is also really helpful. It’s on and off, sometimes bad, sometimes you fall back in the cycle. At least if you have those main tools that work for you, it’s always the greatest thing, I think. Definitely, I find finals season stressful. Managing friendships, out of school life, and my classes all at the same time, especially also with work, it’s kind of like juggling everything,” said Mchugh.
Jillian Schultz is a sophomore English education major who struggles with procrastination. The biggest worry in Schultz’s life is job hunting and final papers.
“I put stressors on the back burner until the very last time – procrastination. A lot of distractions with, like, video games. I think I’m pretty good at handling stress, I think, you know, like stress makes me do work faster. So it kind of evens out. As an English major, I’m writing a lot of papers [during finals], and they all have very close due dates, so it’s figuring out all the different timelines and merging them into one,” said Schultz.
A lot of college students and Gen Z in general scroll on their phones as a form of stress relief. “Doomscrolling” is an instant form of escapism, but it can also cause stress. Julia Ciuffo, a junior music industry major, details how she mitigates stress in this busy time of year.
“I hang out with friends, work out, cry, and doomscroll. I would say so [on being good at handling stress]. I have so many projects,” said Ciuffo.
Savannah Harper, a junior advertising major, deals with procrastination by singing with the student band, Fridays at Eleven.
“I like to scroll on TikTok if I’m stressed. That leads to some procrastination, but I think that just a little bit healthy. I also like to listen to music. Sing, a little bit helps me relieve my stress. And the real thing is just putting in the work and getting it done. What am I singing – Adele or Megan Thee Stallion? I have some performances coming up, so just practice, practice, practice, and finals, assignments, and papers. I’m trying to lock in and not get overwhelmed,” said Harper.
Grace Raymond, a senior theatre major, thinks finances are the most stressful part of life right now.
“Not very good [at handling stress]. Not really, because my classes aren’t too bad with finals. Money and bills [are the most stressful thing in my life right now],” said Raymond.
Ella VanCoevering, a freshman English education major, is experiencing a few finals for the first time but is coping well with positive stress management skills.
“I like to go on walks, and I like to talk to the friends I’ve made here and the friends I have back home to rationalize things. A lot of my classes actually don’t have finals, luckily. But this was my first time taking finals since my high school didn’t have finals. So as long as you schedule out your time well and make time to study where it’s all not the night before, I think you’ll be fine,” said VanCoevering.
Finals seasons combined with the onset of the holiday season and outside of school life can all combine to stress students out. It’s important at this time to take time for yourself and utilize positive stress management techniques.
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