Lucy MooreWith the fall semester coming to a close and final exams rapidly approaching, many students are feeling the burn with skyrocketing stress levels and sleepless nights in the library. This semester, many professors moved their finals to the last day of class in an attempt to relieve students of finals week stress. However, their decision has resulted in mixed reviews from students.
“I actually found out yesterday that I have a final this week,” said sophomore Ryan Cannon.
Cannon wished he had a “reading week” period to prepare for the exam. Instead, he has much less time to cram.
“A lot of students, like myself, have a lot of catching up to do and reading week is necessary-not just for my GPA, but also for my sanity.”
Senior Russ Sims has a similar situation.
“I have the lion’s share of my work due on the 12th, 13th and 15th,” said Sims. “[I have] three papers, a presentation and an exam in that time frame.”
After that load, Sims has one more exam on the 21st.
“I have six days to study for my last exam,” said Sims. “That’s usually the amount of time I have to study for all my exams.”
Senior Mike Sherby, on the other hand, is pleased about his spread out final exam schedule.
“I like it that way [having some finals the last day of classes and the others during finals week] most of the time actually,” said Sherby. “Maybe because I usually have my easier finals on the last day of classes.”
Sherby, a St. Louis native, does not have to worry about travel plans like Cannon, a New Yorker, and Sims, a Californian.
“If I have to stay till the 20th for one of my finals, I might as well take my other finals around then,” said Cannon.
Sherby has witnessed some of his out-of-town friends encounter travel problems when professors reschedule final exams. However, he said that they try to make the best out of the situation.
“If you used to have a final on the 21st but now you have none it can be frustrating [if you are from out-of-town],” said Sherby. “Friends of mine usually just stick around and relax for a few days and then leave on the day they were going to go.”
Sherby says he is lucky that he has had reasonable final exam schedules throughout his time at the University and understands that many are not as lucky.
“I can see how having four stressful finals packed into three days can be annoying,” said Sherby. “That hasn’t happened to me yet, and instead, moving a final just means I don’t have to stay for as long.”
For students who do have a tight schedule, Cornerstone offers a few general tips to stay on top the workload.
“Having a plan is really important,” said Kelly Main, Cornerstone’s student resource assistant. “Be mindful and take the time to create a schedule for yourself that’s realistic.”
She says students often know what they have to do but don’t budget their time well, leading to more stress. Main offers some ways to relieve this stress.
“Students must identify what’s stressing them out,” she said. “Think about what needs to be done for each individual thing, then break it down into more manageable parts.”
The Office of Student Activities is taking advantage of this year’s three-day reading week with two days of stress-free zones. Free massages, Cold Stone ice cream and healthy snacks will accompany screenings of Family Guy, Simpsons and Rugrats.
The stress-free zones will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 1-4 p.m. at Ursa’s and Dec. 14 at the same time in the Village Dining Room D.
“It’s a busy time of the year and very stressful and it’s very easy for people to not take care of themselves,” said Naomi Daradar, coordinator for student involvement and multicultural leadership. “They need to take a second to give themselves a break from their finals and the stress of holidays.”
For more study tips and help desk hours, visit Cornerstone’s Web site at http://cornerstone.wustl.edu.