By Ellie Schuckman News Assistant
With the semester coming to an end, the pressure is on to hand in assignments, boost grades and cram for those pesky finals. But what happens when that pressure builds and the stress becomes overwhelming, especially after the Thanksgiving break?
Professors often tell students to enjoy their days off, but not many can truly relax when papers are due and exams are right around the corner. Returning home for five days, spending time with family and friends and “relaxing” is an unhealthy tease.
Now, I love Thanksgiving just like many others, but when it falls in the last week of November, the stress is on. By the time we start school again, there is only one week of classes left before the dreaded finals. That is hardly enough time to barrel down on the work that needs to be done while still studying for extensive tests.
When the dorms reopen and students finally get back to campus, the last thing anyone wants to do is sit down and write that 10 page paper or memorize an entire presentation.
Even though the date of the national holiday is not changing anytime soon, more preparation can be done to transition from break back to schoolwork. While students can try to finish assignments before they leave for the long weekend, professors, too, must be understanding in giving due dates.
Of course, the expectation of college calls for often lengthy papers and daunting projects, however, there must be a consideration that accomplishing these tasks is not always easy.
If students are overly stressed, they will not be able to produce their best work, and the entire point of a professor giving an assignment will be null and void.
Perhaps exams should always start the third week of December, or maybe final papers must be due before the break.
Whatever the solution may be, one thing is utterly clear: The pressure of finals immediately following a lengthy break is unhealthy.
