Steps to Having A Stress-Free Semester’s End

When students return from Thanksgiving break this year, they will immediately face two of the most stressful weeks of a semester: Dead Week and finals week. To manage their end-of-semester stress, students can look to many places on campus for help.

The Counseling Center

The Counseling Center is collaborating with the Library, the Campus Recreation Center, and the Office of Health Promotion to host a special program called "Stressbuzzters" on Wednesday, Dec. 4, beginning at 7 p.m. During this program, stress-reduction tips, brochures, and other giveaways will be provided to students in the Library.

Students who experience extreme test anxiety or other stress-induced emergencies should consider visiting the Counseling Center. In addition to regular appointments, the Counseling Center will offer walk-in hours for emergencies only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during Dead Week and finals week.

For emergencies that occur outside of Counseling Center business hours, the Center has a counselor on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days week, who can be reached by calling 404-894-2575.

The Library

When it comes time to study, you may realize that you lack some essential materials — perhaps even one of your textbooks. Chances are there’s a copy of your required text at the Library. Check with the Library Services Desk.

The library also offers extended hours during Dead Week and finals week to accommodate student study schedules. It will be open 24/7 beginning Dec. 1 at midnight and ending Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.

The Center for Academic Success

After you have made your study guides and started working practice problems, schedule time to meet with a tutor to clarify any questions you may have about the material you’re studying (but not to teach you an entire semester of material).

The Center for Academic Success also offers Success Workshops on preparing for final exams and managing test anxiety during the weeks leading up to finals. 1-to-1 Tutoring closes for the semester on Dec. 6.

The Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons and the College of Business

When planning your study schedule, don’t forget to make time to meet with study groups. The Clough Commons and College of Business are home to some of the best breakout rooms and collaborative spaces on campus, but study space disappears quickly. Plan ahead and schedule your group meeting using Tech’s online space reservation system.

The Campus Recreation Center

We’ve all heard that exercise can help you manage stress. If you already have a fitness routine, don’t let finals get in the way of this healthy habit. If you don’t normally work out, you don’t have to hit the weight floor to experience the benefits of exercise. You can incorporate exercise in your finals week routine by using other areas in the CRC such as the pools, basketball courts, and indoor track. The CRC will maintain regular operating hours during Dead Week and finals week.

North Avenue Dining Hall

Maintaining a healthy diet is another important habit to pay special attention to while studying for and taking exams. Soda, chips, and other junk foods are easy to reach for during long hours of studying, but they can negatively impact your attention span, motivation, and moods. When you’re up late, look to dining halls like the North Avenue Dining Hall to help you eat balanced, healthy meals.

Your Dorm

When studying, it’s best to get out of your dorm to avoid distractions such as video games and friends, but your dorm room does serve an important purpose during the last two weeks of the semester — it’s where you sleep.

Tech students are known for staying up all night to make the grade, but studies show that sleep deprivation can do your studying more harm than good. Check out this article from the Huffington Post for more information and for some tips to help you sleep well. Getting enough sleep is also at the top of this Tech reddit thread devoted to advice to survive finals week.

Tec Rec

Incentivizing your studying and taking breaks from study materials is an important part of staying motivated during Dead Week and finals week. Experts say that students should take a single 10–15 minute break for every 50 minutes that they spend studying.

You can incentivize your studying by planning longer study breaks and spending time with friends. Visit Tech Rec to unwind with a quick game of bowling or billiards and stay close to your favorite study spots.