With finals season underway, many students feel the pressure of exams, final projects and papers piling up all at once. Upperclassmen say finding balance between academics and self-care are essential for de-stressing this time of year.
Communication junior Anna Rigo said she often struggled with managing several large projects at a time as an underclassman, which meant she sometimes ended up leaving things until the last minute. Figuring out how to plan her work has been a learning curve, she said.
“I really had to prioritize not just the thing due the next day but the thing due the next week,” Rigo said.
As a theatre major, Rigo’s finals season looks a little different from Weinberg students’ exam schedules. She said she has in-person performances and presentations during Reading Period and tests and papers due during finals week. That means she doesn’t have the extra week dedicated solely to studying that most Weinberg students have, so she has to plan her schedule meticulously.
For her, making a game plan for those two weeks has been helpful. She said it’s allowed her to set aside time to take a step away from schoolwork and enjoy the start of the holiday season.
Rigo said that going to Chicago for the Christkindlmarket in Wrigleyville, browsing the ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo or strolling through downtown Chicago to look at holiday decorations have allowed her to shift her focus away from academics.
Amid the overwhelming burden of schoolwork, Rigo advised underclassmen to remind themselves that Winter Break and the holidays are right around the corner.
“It’ll get done,” Rigo said. “Even if some days suck, it’ll be over soon.”
Communication and McCormick junior Isabel Restrepo said taking breaks is a skill she developed over time. She said that as an underclassman she would study for hours without interruption, sometimes forgetting to eat or move around.
Despite a daunting workload during finals season, she said, breaking it down into chunks helps to reduce the pressure of getting entire projects done at once.
“This is not one black box of a project,” Restrepo said. “It’s actually these seven steps that need to happen. Even just the process of breaking it down like that for myself is really helpful.”
Like Rigo, Restrepo said that scheduling breaks for activities unrelated to school is important for managing stress.
Exam relief events hosted by Norris University Center during reading and finals weeks are a convenient way for students to take a break from studying. This quarter, Norris is hosting a late-night breakfast for students on Monday, Dec. 8 and will have dedicated study spaces and free printing available Dec. 3-10.
NU also offers other resources for students to destress, including Counseling and Psychological Services same-day access counseling appointments and white light therapy at Henry Crown Sports Pavilion.
Weinberg junior Delaney Caudill said that when she checks off a major item like a project or paper, she rewards herself with Starbucks or time with friends — or reality TV watch parties.
“I’m finishing up one of my classes today and then I’m going to watch ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ with my roommate,” Caudill said. “But I can’t watch ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ unless I get this done first.”
She added that calling friends and family outside of Northwestern helps her stay grounded.
“There’s stuff outside of your grades and what you’re doing here,” Caudill said. “Your life is so much more than your finals.”
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