Calm down, you can get through this! by Darlene Bueno
It's that time of the year again when: midterms! As this halfway point approaches, the stress begins. The average full-time student takes five classes, which can add up to five midterms. And students find various ways to cope.
Some spend all their time in the library, day and night, “Sometimes I stay up late when I'm studying," says Miguel Medina, “I want to know everything on the material that I am being tested on.”
Other students find ways to relax between studying. “I play video games to relieve some stress,” giggled Juan Acosta, a student at CCNY, “Or I go out.”
Whichever way you choose to survive, Student Health Services offers help for students with stress during times of heavy testing like midterms and or finals. Jonathan Suncar, a CCNY peer health educator, gave some insight on what the health service team does: “We tell our fellow peers that time management is always key," he says. "Most students are overwhelmed because they run out of time to study.”
“It is also important to recognize that time management does not only entail planning study time," he continues, "but also planning time for everything else.”
Suncar also suggests these tips:
- Prioritize your studying. Don't leave studying for the night before.
- Do something for pleasure to take your mind off the stress.
- Eat right. “This involves meal planning; knowing how to pack meals that can last the entire day," Suncar says.
- Get rest. "Knowing when to take a break or a nap to maximize study efficiency," he adds.
- Breathe! Finally breathing and exercise techniques to help you through those long hours.