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It’s no secret that the midterm season can be an overwhelming time of the semester.

But students aren’t just stressed in October — the American Institute of Stress (AIS) reported in 2019 that 80% of students say that they are consistently stressed, and 34% have reported feelings of depression.

Facing a full course load worth of midterm assignments can be daunting to tackle all at once. But academic coaches and other study experts said that implementing effective study habits, taking breaks and prioritizing self-care can lower stress levels and make the workload feel more feasible.

As a CLASS academic coach, Keren Makleff’s role is not to tutor students, but to teach them time management and studying tricks to promote success in classes and lessen the stress and anxiety of college coursework. Makleff said she always recommends to the students she’s working with that they take midterm season one day, and assignment, at a time.

Sarah Beckage, a math academic coach and student that studies biology and neuroscience, expressed similar strategies, and said that when she tutors, she helps students take their studying step by step.

“When you look at it with a big umbrella approach with all your classes at once, it stresses you out more,” Makleff said. “I highly recommend breaking it down subject by subject and getting one thing done at a time.”

Makleff also encourages her students to prioritize tougher assignments and classes, devoting the time and energy where it’s needed most.

“You know what classes you need more work in, and the classes you don’t,” Makleff said. “Optimize that — say ‘I know this class, and that I am doing really well in this class. Why don’t I spend a little more time in a class I need a bit more work in?’”

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But even with good study habits, school work can still be overwhelming. To combat this, Syracuse University offers many ways to both study harder and destress.

Going to individual tutors, coaches or group sessions can help prepare students more efficiently while still protecting their mental health at the same time. CLASS offers Mindfulness Workshops as well to help students deal with stress efficiently.

Research also shows that exercising has positive impacts on stress, such as improving concentration and calmness.

According to Erica Jackson, a researcher for ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal, stressors like midterms, while still short term, can contribute to chronic stress, which is more long term and harder to deal with, like school or work. Jackson found that exercising still helps students deal with chronic stress, but that it won’t be a full treatment, and suggests that people find other things in their life to get them through stress.

Harrison Spieler, a junior television, radio and film student, said that the best way to deal with stress is to find something, whether it be video games, painting, or even watching TV, that students can do to take their minds off of studying.

“The best way is, even if you have a midterm coming up, to take a little bit of time — anywhere between a half hour and two hours — and do something that you love,” Spieler said. “I try to find time to go to the gym, even though I have midterms, because I know it will relax me. It’s good for me.”

No matter how hard you may study, your efforts will likely be in vain if you allow your mental health to deteriorate and don’t make time for yourself to unwind and reconnectB.

A recent study by UMass Global found that virtually every student — full-time or part-time, online or on-campus — experiences some form of academic pressure and stress. Most college students also must balance academic demands with extracurricular activities, which only intensifies their anxiety and stress.

If students don’t take care of themselves, it will significantly hinder their success in the classroom, according to the study, which found that students who report higher levels of stress are 34.2% more likely to struggle academically. Anxiety, depression and difficulty sleeping also negatively impacted some students’ grades.

Stress is naturally going to be higher during midterms, making self-care all the more important. But Beckage said that they only take up a few weeks of the semester, and the only way out is through.

“You just have to get through it,” Beckage said. “You just have to keep doing it, or else it doesn’t get done.”

Published on October 17, 2022 at 12:12 am