Things are winding down in college, and while the thought of summer vacation free of exams and homework is so close. Yet, one barrier blocks that path: Finals Week. What is especially hard is the two or three weeks that precede the dreaded last moments. From the outside, you see a gleaming college or university that is preparing for the next academic year. What most don't see is the chaos that happens behind the scenes when you talk to the students preparing for their finals. There are many students that feel the pressure and stress, and I have categorized the types of stressed-out students that appear in the weeks before and during finals.
1.The Energizer- These students are always seen actively studying for hours in the day and always into the night. They mainly survive on Monster and Mountain Dew. Energizers usually group together when two or more students have a similar class. They usually group together in secluded and quiet areas like the library or the student center. When encountering an Energizer, the best tactic is to lower your voice and walk away, keeping in mind to resist the urge to talk to them
2. The Obvious Ones- These are the people where they are stressed both physically and mentally. You can tell by their chronic panic episodes and their constant sighing. Similar to the Energizers, these students frantically search textbooks and tutoring websites to try and get a higher grade on their terrifying cumulative final exams. Some symptoms of Obvious Ones include: Chronic nail biting/ frantic body language, pacing and looks of defeat after reading one chapter.
3. The Hercules- I named these people after the legendary Hercules because that is what they are, legendary. These are the students that seem to have things figured out. They have a planned schedule, and take their pace when studying. This type of student has a relatively low amount of stress levels and goes in calm and collected and smashes the exams like it was a mythical beast that only they can slay. Being friends with a Hercules helps a lot with lowering stress levels during Finals Week, but they are a rare sight among the students. Keep a watchful eye in any campus and you might spot a legendary Hercules among mortal students.
4. The Calm before the Storm- The saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" applies to this type of stressed out student. Through the weeks that precede Finals Week, you see them all preparing. However, they're called the "Calm before the Storm" for a reason. Once the week of their exams begin, they are a big ball of rubber bands. It is impossible to unwind them until the week is done and all their finals are complete. Don't act surprised when these students look and sound calm one day and suddenly a whirlwind of tension the next.
5. The Jinx- I fall under this list, and just like what the type says, includes behaviors that are unfortunate and just plain sad. Jinxes are those type of students that get so confident that they psych themselves during their finals exams. It is both a blessing and a curse, on one hand the stress boosts their confidence that they study and retain that information up until the time to take the test, skyrocketing their grades. On another, we can get a little too confident. In this case, we lightly study and when the time comes, the stress gets to us and we finally break down looking at the tests regretting not studying hard enough. The Jinx's Finals Week is a cycle of the good luck and the bad. Life as a Jinx is an adventure, I suppose.
6. The Zombies- These are students whose stress brings out their lethargic behavior. I'm not saying that these guys are lazy or prefer not to study at all, it's the slow response to any activity around them that I am focusing on. Their attention is so drilled toward their studies that they drown out anything that happens around their immediate surroundings. You can always see them with slumping shoulders and a defeated look lingering on their faces. Communication with Zombies will require a bit of effort as they respond to most questions with a "what?". It's best to repeat what you were saying to get the message through to Zombies.
7. The Anxiety Bomb - Please be cautious with these students, you never know when they are ready to burst. Just like in Hazel Grace in John Green's book The Fault in our Stars, these kids are "grenades". The thought of Finals Week and the stress that tows along with it develops this fungus called anxiety in these students. The Anxiety adds very pessimistic thoughts and other fears that would otherwise not be present in the situation conjured up by the anxious mind. It's understandable, to fear the final exams that hold your grade at the palm of their hand. The Anxiety would be fine unless poked hard enough (the constant studying for that final), then you get to feel the blunt force of their "Bomb" side. The best thing to do for them is to tell them about the student resources available for students who feel the pressure of Finals Week.
The types written above are generalizations I have observed. And though Finals Week is not going to be here for another few days, that should not stop you from studying as hard as you can. Coincidentally, you should not be studying 24/7, pouring all your focus on chapters and topic reminders. Take a break, go for a walk, breathe, eat, and sleep once in a while. Remember, "All work and no rest makes (insert student name here) a very stressed out boy/girl." Stress comes naturally to everyone and each person has their own way of coping with it. We cannot change what stress does to us, but what we do have is the power to alter the outcome of any situation in life. We just have to tap into it.
1.The Energizer- These students are always seen actively studying for hours in the day and always into the night. They mainly survive on Monster and Mountain Dew. Energizers usually group together when two or more students have a similar class. They usually group together in secluded and quiet areas like the library or the student center. When encountering an Energizer, the best tactic is to lower your voice and walk away, keeping in mind to resist the urge to talk to them
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| They can't hide it, they're stressed. Credits to: asrtemissg.com |
2. The Obvious Ones- These are the people where they are stressed both physically and mentally. You can tell by their chronic panic episodes and their constant sighing. Similar to the Energizers, these students frantically search textbooks and tutoring websites to try and get a higher grade on their terrifying cumulative final exams. Some symptoms of Obvious Ones include: Chronic nail biting/ frantic body language, pacing and looks of defeat after reading one chapter.
3. The Hercules- I named these people after the legendary Hercules because that is what they are, legendary. These are the students that seem to have things figured out. They have a planned schedule, and take their pace when studying. This type of student has a relatively low amount of stress levels and goes in calm and collected and smashes the exams like it was a mythical beast that only they can slay. Being friends with a Hercules helps a lot with lowering stress levels during Finals Week, but they are a rare sight among the students. Keep a watchful eye in any campus and you might spot a legendary Hercules among mortal students.
4. The Calm before the Storm- The saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" applies to this type of stressed out student. Through the weeks that precede Finals Week, you see them all preparing. However, they're called the "Calm before the Storm" for a reason. Once the week of their exams begin, they are a big ball of rubber bands. It is impossible to unwind them until the week is done and all their finals are complete. Don't act surprised when these students look and sound calm one day and suddenly a whirlwind of tension the next.
5. The Jinx- I fall under this list, and just like what the type says, includes behaviors that are unfortunate and just plain sad. Jinxes are those type of students that get so confident that they psych themselves during their finals exams. It is both a blessing and a curse, on one hand the stress boosts their confidence that they study and retain that information up until the time to take the test, skyrocketing their grades. On another, we can get a little too confident. In this case, we lightly study and when the time comes, the stress gets to us and we finally break down looking at the tests regretting not studying hard enough. The Jinx's Finals Week is a cycle of the good luck and the bad. Life as a Jinx is an adventure, I suppose.
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| Also, be sure to enunciate. |
7. The Anxiety Bomb - Please be cautious with these students, you never know when they are ready to burst. Just like in Hazel Grace in John Green's book The Fault in our Stars, these kids are "grenades". The thought of Finals Week and the stress that tows along with it develops this fungus called anxiety in these students. The Anxiety adds very pessimistic thoughts and other fears that would otherwise not be present in the situation conjured up by the anxious mind. It's understandable, to fear the final exams that hold your grade at the palm of their hand. The Anxiety would be fine unless poked hard enough (the constant studying for that final), then you get to feel the blunt force of their "Bomb" side. The best thing to do for them is to tell them about the student resources available for students who feel the pressure of Finals Week.
The types written above are generalizations I have observed. And though Finals Week is not going to be here for another few days, that should not stop you from studying as hard as you can. Coincidentally, you should not be studying 24/7, pouring all your focus on chapters and topic reminders. Take a break, go for a walk, breathe, eat, and sleep once in a while. Remember, "All work and no rest makes (insert student name here) a very stressed out boy/girl." Stress comes naturally to everyone and each person has their own way of coping with it. We cannot change what stress does to us, but what we do have is the power to alter the outcome of any situation in life. We just have to tap into it.
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