As we are now in midterm season, stress levels tend to skyrocket, especially for first year college students.
According to The Daily Universe, “fear of lower grades and eventual job market failure are major factors in exam stress and anxiety.”
“The middle of the semester is such a stressful time because all of your professors decide to assign projects and have exams on the same day or week and sometimes life throws unexpected things that need to be done and that only makes it more stressful,” said Brenda Cabrera, senior biology major on the premed track.
A survey conducted on more than two thousand senior college students found that “64 percent of students worry that their exam stress is negatively affecting their grades and academic performance.”
“I have a presentation to write, two exams next week, two quizzes, one online assignment, two quizzes, one online assignment, two modules for my math tutoring class, developmental psychology project, and four annotated peer review articles,” Kathy Swartz, junior English major, said.
Even though midterms can be stressful, there are many different ways to rejuvenate yourself.
According to Elite Daily, “studies show that walking can have a really positive impact on your productivity and your ability to come up with creative ideas.”
“When feeling overwhelmed and stressed during midterms, students often try to pull all-nighters, skip meals or study for hours without breaks,” said Dr. Brown, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Cabrini University. “However, a lack of sleep and poor self-care can hurt a student’s performance on exams and contribute to feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Tired brains don’t perform well, so make sure to take breaks when studying, maintain good nutrition, and get a good night’s sleep, even if you’re tempted to study all night.”
Some ways of combating stress from exams would include exercising, having healthy study snacks and even listening to classical music.
“The number one stress reliever has to treating yourself, in my opinion,” said Madelyn Biddle, sophomore psychology major. “Sometimes you need to treat yourself and take breaks and breathe.”
“Sometimes, in the midst of the stress, the best thing you can do is envision the end goal that you have in mind for yourself, your life, and your career,” said Professor, adviser and graduate admissions counselor Kyla Cavanaugh. “You being here at Cabrini will bring you right where you are supposed to be. Using the resources and support offered here will only help you and propel your success along the way!”
