Find peace of mind around finals time

It’s that time of year again, where students are cramming for finals and rushing to finish final projects. Long days, and long nights are spent at the library. Pulling all nighters seem to become the norm, purely running off cups of coffee or energy drinks. Here at Central Michigan University it’s no different, with the overwhelming amount of work and studying. CMU, however, will be hosting many events to help their student de-stress. So instead of panicking, come down to join your fellow classmates, and have a good time.

One of the ways CMU helps reduce stress is by giving the students the treat of Gentle Thursday and Gentle Friday, which are the Thursday and Friday before exam week. Classes are not be held these days in order to help students better prepare for their exams.

Park Library is extending their hours starting the Friday, April 27.  Friday, Saturday and Wednesday the library will be open until midnight. Sunday through Tuesday, it will be open till 1 a.m.  The first floor extended study hours, from April 29 through May 2, will be open till 3 a.m. Also, events are held all over campus to help students relax and have a good time before that last stressful week.

On April 26, the American Red Cross is hosting a free benefit concert in downtown Mount Pleasant. It will start around 7 p.m. on the corner of Main St. and Broadway. It’s completely open to the public, all ages are welcome, and will feature new up-and-coming musical artists from the area.

To help you out with the late night study sessions University Cup (U-Cup), starting April 29, is having a deal with 25 cents off brewed coffee and 50 cents off any specialty drink including coffees and tea lattes that are hot, blended or over ice. Deals start after 10 p.m. for any students who show their ID. U-Cup will also be featuring their favorite night-time snacks with things like pita and hummus, yogurt parfaits, bagels, cookies and soup each night.

The Student Activity Center is also putting an effort to help students out with Finals Focus Week. They will be hosting different games that anyone who stops by can participate in. They will have healthy snacks to eat like granola bars along with different tips on how to relax and study during finals week.

CMU hosts all of these stress releasing events because it is something many students need. As of last year, almost half of all students saw them selves as overly stressed out or as being mentally unstable, according to a study done by TIME magazine, compared to 25 years ago, where only about 10% of students identified as “stressed out” for finals.

“I have a lot of projects do in my classes the week before finals,”  Sophomore Jenna Squires said.  “I am really stressed out with having to deal with completing all my projects and finding time to study for my exams.”

It is tough for students when they are forced to perform to such demanding standards our society is calling for. It always seems to be a struggle trying to catch up with all the work classes are churning out of their students. Everyone has had their exam horror story. Sophomore Alexis Lakovidis had a nightmare come true last semester.

“My alarm didn’t go off,” Lakovidis said. “I literally slept through my whole final exam in my stats class. Luckily, my teacher was understanding and let me retake it at a later in the day but I had a shorter amount of time and was rushed.”

Even though this might be one of the most stressful times of the year it can also be one of the most fun. Take advantage of all things going on in town and around on campus to ensure your finals week is as pleasant as possible.