With finals quickly approaching it's easy to get wrapped up in all the things you're supposed to be doing but then forgetting about the other things that are supposed to come first. Education is key for success I know that but with all the people having panic attacks and making counselor appointments, it's making me worry some for future generation.
Yes, by all means going to school and wanting to get good grades is very important, but your mental health should come first. Not all professors believe in cumulative exams, but for the ones that do and expect us to remember 12 weeks of material while we're also balancing 5 to 6 other classes are awful. This is my second year in college and I most likely will continue to see next semester, however, after talking with some of my peers I realized just how stressful the whole finals week situation really is. You see it all over the news students; cramming for exams and keeping up all night by drinking different types of energy drinks and prescription drugs just to stay awake. Not only this bad for our physical health but mentally it's exhausting. With all this caffeine running through our bodies we're thinking we're on top of the world but when exam time comes and the caffeine slows we realize just how screwed we really are.
No I'm not saying all students are this way. Many are great at multitasking and focusing on the task at hand but for others who have crippling anxiety when it comes to test day, it's hard for them. What they need to understand is that yes, this test is important but it will not make up the rest of your life. I have never been the best test taker. However I have always done well in school and I honestly think it's because of my attitude towards my academics. Sometimes I do get very overwhelmed and question why I put myself through this stress but in the long run I know it's worth it. I feel bad for those who can't come to a healthy conclusion on how to cope.
What's even scarier is that 16% of students who will approach finals week will either attempt suicide or think of suicide. 10% actually do it.
I feel that students are put under so much stress that it really takes over their life. Focusing on balancing school work, life outside of school, friendship, extra activities, work and even free time is all a bit overwhelming. Now what can we do? I know we can't just drop out of school and say "screw it" and just continue on with our lives I know that we do need an education to better ourselves however I wish there was a better system. When will I ever need to know the genetics of a fruit fly? When will I ever need to know why the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell? As a nursing major, what I should be learning is how to triage a patient when they come in unresponsive or how to handle poor circulation in patients with diabetes.
We're getting crammed into these classes that are just supposed to fill our schedule however we're not really learning anything. Towards the end of the semester when you meet with your adviser and he's like "yeah you should really take African Tribal Dancing" but you want to be a physical therapist, you're going to question whether or not African tribal dancing is really right for you. However I am not kicking down the tribal dance class itself, but the fact that I've been put into these ridiculous classes for absolutely no reason!! And I’m paying for them!!! College is far from cheap. Actually within the last 15 years college tuition nationally has gone up 37.5%. No it doesn't sound like much but when you're paying for that annually it really does add up. Finals week should not mean the end of times for students. Finals week should be challenging but it should not build so much stress and anxiety. The only thing that students can do is plan accordingly, get enough sleep, and power through the test like you have nothing to fear but fear itself. (And your GPA. ALWAYS fear your GPA).
