Stress and the College Student
They seem to go hand in hand. Oh, the
beginning of the semester you are filled with excitement. New Classes.
New Instructors. New
Friends. New Dating Options!
But then, after Week Four, the realization
sets in.
You have a lot of work to
do.
And, you only have 12 more weeks to
get it all done. Less than that, once
you factor in Thanksgiving and October breaks.
So, what does all this have to do with stress? You as a student and as a son or daughter,
worker or parent have a lot of juggling to do.
So many demands on your time and so little time to address those
demands. For many students, Week Six in
the semester is one of the most likely times that a student will feel stressed
out. Why? MIDTERM EXAMS!
Suddenly, you don’t have reading and
homework, you also have four to five exams all scheduled in the same small
window. You have to get everything else
done PLUS study for exams.
How do you avoid letting the
stress get the best of you? Create a
study plan. Manage your time. I know, you are like…whatever, Dr.
Brooks. That’s what you always say. This is TRUE; however, if you create a
schedule for studying you will feel more control of your life. Better yet, you will BE in control of your
life. How does all this relate to
stress? The more you can structure the
chaos, the more relaxed you will feel.
More relaxed = less stress.
OK. OK. We know that tests can raise your stress level, but what
else contributes to your stress level as a new college student.
Loneliness. Many of you have lost the every day contact that you had
with your high school friends. If you have someone you know from high
school here on campus, they are most likely not one of your best
friends. By week Four or Five, it really becomes noticeable that you
don't have friends. And, maybe at this point you haven't made any
friends. What do you do now?!
Well, remember Up there???
Use Midterms Exams as an excuse to talk to somebody in class. Ask
them if they want to get together to study. Talk about the exam. Use
the exam as a way to reach out and connect with someone in your class.
OR
Come to the Student Success Center!
We have lots of friendly tutors AND students who visit them. The best
thing about the Success Center isn't the tutoring (although, they are
pretty darn awesome if I do say so). It's the connections you make.
People who want to do well in their classes just like you.
If stress is still getting to you, then look at the checklist
below. How many apply to you? What can you do to help reduce some of
your stress? What resources should you access to help you?
Stress Management Plans?
What the heck? How do I go about creating one of those?
Look below for resources on campus that can help you manage your stress:
- Check out the PNC Student Activities page for fun things to do on campus.
- Go to our Fitness Center. It's FREE for students and located in the basement of LSF.
- Visit the Dean of Student's Office. Diana Marovich's office is located there. She can help you on campus and hook you up with many off campus resources.
Don't worry. Stay the course. Stick with us. Come see us if you are worried, but never fear we are here to help you. Soon you will be on the other side of midterms and looking toward the end of the semester.....and Final Exams. But, we will talk about those in another post. :)
(C) 2012 Jane Brooks
No comments:
Post a Comment