Weinberg junior Izegbuwa Adun still remembers her first college finals season. Her daily routine quickly became studying in Main Library for 10 hours straight, she said.
Now, she said, she tries to avoid staying in the library for too long. Instead, Adun said she likes to explore while studying and tries to destress throughout reading week.
Having a balance between well-being and studying during finals week is important, according to Adun.
“You can’t sacrifice your mental health, physical health — whatever, just to try and get an A on your exam,” she said. “Of course, put in the hard work, but I think you should try and have that balance as much as you can during final season.”
To provide students with study break options, NU and various campus organizations hold destressing events during and leading up to finals week. Last year, Norris University Center held Hot Chocolate and Doughnuts and craft nights.
Weinberg senior Aryaman Chawla said he tries to find a work-play balance during finals week, which includes attending events held at Norris.
Norris will host fall exam relief spaces Monday through Thursday nights of finals week, including its famed Late Night Breakfast on Dec. 9 from 9 to 11 p.m. Students will also have access to free printing from Dec. 1 until Dec. 6.
“I really enjoy (them) as a sort of de-stresser before finals,” Chawla said. “(A) couple of other things I like to do are go to the professor’s office hours and haggle them until they just give me a lot of practice problems, because I feel like that really helps.”
Weinberg senior Linh Ly said she tries to distract herself with events like these when she has a break in her busy schedule.
She added that her days are often filled with “back to back to back meetings” which leave her little to no time to think about relaxing events.
“Sometimes I read my email and maybe I see an event (and) I think, ‘Okay, this is probably a signal that I should evaluate and consider how much I’ve been working throughout the week,’” Ly said.
Other campus resources providing relief leading up to and during finals week include free white light therapy for students, faculty and staff in the Wellness Suite at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion to treat depression disorders and boost positive feelings.
Happiness Club is also hosting the Snow Ball on Thanksgiving, featuring DIY gingerbread houses, bingo, hot chocolate and more for students staying on campus over break.
Regardless of what events students choose to attend, Adun said that studying for finals early is key to feeling less stressed.
“If you can, start (studying) early, (which is) so much easier said than done because it can get really intense and it’s like, ‘Okay, it’s Monday of reading week and I wasn’t paying attention,’” Adun said. “‘Awkward. Now, I gotta learn nine weeks in a week.’ That’s very stressful. So try to do well throughout the whole quarter, so finals aren’t as bad. But even if you weren’t doing as well throughout the quarter, try and start studying for finals early.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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