How UMD students take care of themselves during finals
By Jason Belt
May 17, 2022
Image Credit: Max van den Oetelaar for Unsplash
“Finals week” is a term that defines stress for college students all across the world.
It is the time of year where B’s can become A’s and final projects and exams are creeping around the corner. While this stress is warranted, the first few weeks of May do not have to be anxiety-inducing if you prepare yourself the right way.
For senior computer engineering major Ian McKibbin, finals week never truly overwhelms him.
“I’m not sure what it is,” he said. “I have never really felt significantly more stressed during finals week than any other week.”
McKibbin tries to stay on top of his work as much as possible so that it does not sneak up on him at the end of the semester.
Some professors assign projects at the beginning of the semester that are due at the end, which if neglected, could be a lot of work to cram into an already stressful period of time.
Whenever this is the case for McKibbin, he tries to map out his semester to make sure he is always aware of when his larger projects are due. Getting bigger assignments out of the way earlier in the semester allows him to feel more accomplished and less stressed as May approaches.
Similarly, junior marketing major Ryan Looper tries to limit distractions during finals week.
Since the weather has started to heat up and studying outside has become an option, he tends to take advantage of that.
“Being outside in such nice weather clears my head,” he said. “It’s relaxing and I find myself getting a lot more work done than if I was stuck inside a library or classroom.”
Working out during the day has also proved to be a valuable way to minimize stress during finals.
Junior economics major Camilo Toro said that he tries to break up his studying and school obligations by going to the gym and clearing his head.
“The hour or so that I’m in the gym is great,” he said. “I don’t have to think about anything other than that, which is so much less stressful.”
The ability to get a certain amount of work done and reward himself with a break is a strategy that has worked for him throughout college.
Setting these goals allows him to break up his work and still give him enough time to maintain his social life and mental health.
Students that are prepared for finals have various strategies to combat stress that comes their way.
These students also recommend listening to music, going on a walk, hanging out with friends and eating to relieve stress.
All of these things can be stress relievers and provide a boost in production after hours of studying and finals preparation.
It is the time of year where B’s can become A’s and final projects and exams are creeping around the corner. While this stress is warranted, the first few weeks of May do not have to be anxiety-inducing if you prepare yourself the right way.
For senior computer engineering major Ian McKibbin, finals week never truly overwhelms him.
“I’m not sure what it is,” he said. “I have never really felt significantly more stressed during finals week than any other week.”
McKibbin tries to stay on top of his work as much as possible so that it does not sneak up on him at the end of the semester.
Some professors assign projects at the beginning of the semester that are due at the end, which if neglected, could be a lot of work to cram into an already stressful period of time.
Whenever this is the case for McKibbin, he tries to map out his semester to make sure he is always aware of when his larger projects are due. Getting bigger assignments out of the way earlier in the semester allows him to feel more accomplished and less stressed as May approaches.
Similarly, junior marketing major Ryan Looper tries to limit distractions during finals week.
Since the weather has started to heat up and studying outside has become an option, he tends to take advantage of that.
“Being outside in such nice weather clears my head,” he said. “It’s relaxing and I find myself getting a lot more work done than if I was stuck inside a library or classroom.”
Working out during the day has also proved to be a valuable way to minimize stress during finals.
Junior economics major Camilo Toro said that he tries to break up his studying and school obligations by going to the gym and clearing his head.
“The hour or so that I’m in the gym is great,” he said. “I don’t have to think about anything other than that, which is so much less stressful.”
The ability to get a certain amount of work done and reward himself with a break is a strategy that has worked for him throughout college.
Setting these goals allows him to break up his work and still give him enough time to maintain his social life and mental health.
Students that are prepared for finals have various strategies to combat stress that comes their way.
These students also recommend listening to music, going on a walk, hanging out with friends and eating to relieve stress.
All of these things can be stress relievers and provide a boost in production after hours of studying and finals preparation.