Kevin Gaiss
Staff Writer
Its officially that time of year again. The Christmas lights are up and there is snow in the forecast with temperatures not climbing above 40 degrees. Everyone knows what that means: stress and anxiety are in the air, folks.
That’s right – for college students, the cold weather and holiday decorations are just another reminder of how close the most dreaded week of any student’s academic career is.
Amidst the nationwide epidemic college students call “Finals Week,” there is the same stress in the air on the small campus of Springfield College. For the students on Alden Street, there are mixed feelings about the last few weeks before they trade their books for candy canes.
When asked to rank stress levels at this point in the semester, the general answers were hovering around the six to seven range for many
“I’m starting to really feel the pressure on me,” freshman Orion Seraph explained.
For Seraph, this will be his first fight with finals at the college level and he seems to be handling the process well.
“I have started studying and I would rank my stress level at about a seven [out of 10] at this point.”
Any freshman is definitely feeling the stress this late in the semester based on the fact that they are walking in blind. But even some who have done this tango before are starting to trip over their own feet. Sophomore Zach Varnauskas is weeks out from seven tests over the course of one week.
“I am not balled up in the corner crying yet so I can’t rank my stress at a 10, so I would
say it is about a seven at this point,” said Varnauskas.
With all the pressure beginning to build, there also has to be some way to release that pressure.
“For me, the release is either sleeping or listening to music,” junior Jack Portlock described when asked how he plans to deal with the ever-growing stress.
Both of his methods are perhaps some of the easiest and efficient ways, but some need more than just a good song to get it all out.
“I’m going to go to the gym or play some basketball with some friends to de-stress” Varnauskas explains, “and after a long night of studying you have to reward yourself with some Netflix. That will take the mind off of the tests.”
Many even find comfort in the company of others that are all anxious for the same thing.
“I am just gonna surround myself with all my friends when I need a break, maybe mess with a few people and get my mind off the tests,” sophomore Kevin Pereira described.
But for the few students that are already crumbling under the pressure of the omnipresent disaster we call finals week, there are few that haven’t felt the pressure… yet.
“I usually don’t feel the pressure until the day before, that’s how it usually goes.” Pereira explained.
Even with the increasing holiday spirit that is growing in each waking moment, the final hurdle that each student at Springfield College has to make before they get released back home is upon us. In the meantime, may the curve forever be in your favor.