By Devon Ruddock, Staff Writer. 

The picture is crystal-clear in the minds of college students: late nights under the fluorescent library lights, piles of empty energy drink cans, the sweet relief of finishing that last final and promptly sleeping for days. Midterms made clear that exam seasons, if not tackled appropriately, can leave us trapped in cramming limbo for days or weeks until we emerge, as if from a dream, incapable of remembering what happened since the last time we went outside. 

Two faculty members located within Student Success Services generously donated their time and expertise to this article to provide their professional advice on the topics of finals stress, self-care, and academic success.

 Anna Cooke-Smith is the director of Academic Support and Engagement, the orchestrator of Daemen’s Academic Coaching program, which offers peer support from students who have previously excelled in a course to those taking it currently. Additionally, she works one-on-one with students to refine their studying, time management, and test-taking skills. 

Michelle Semski is the director of Academic Advisement, an advisor for undeclared students who also runs Daemen’s Peer Mentor program. She is an invaluable resource for anyone who needs support, encouragement, or guidance during their time at Daemen

One of the biggest issues students have with finals is the mounting stress that grows as the days before that big exam or due date tick away. There are so many assignments, some far away but creeping ever closer, and some due in half an hour. The energy of worrying about all of them at once sometimes leaves students unable to start on anything. 

Semski works with students to build table-based semester plans that show assignments for each class on a weekly basis. Even small assignments are listed so they don’t fall through the cracks, with important tasks bolded as to draw the eye to them. Emphasis is placed on tests or due dates for papers. It often fits on one sheet of paper, is easy to maintain, and most importantly: doesn’t require the mental energy of a color-coded elaborate planner system.

“Some students are living day to day and not always looking at the big picture; this gives them a way to see what’s really going on this week,” says Semski. She emphasizes that this schedule does not replace familiarity with course syllabi, and that its purpose is to bring students’ minds to what is going on in their academic life.

Cooke-Smith takes academic scheduling one step further. In addition to looking at syllabi and considering the totality of assignments due before the close of the semester, she advocates for the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for organizing the hours within a day to fit a student’s needs. 

“Tell [ChatGPT] you want to create a schedule specifically for finals, including work schedule and time commitments,” Cooke-Smith suggests. For students, having a schedule generated for them takes one step of the studying process off their plates. 

Time-blocking, the organizational system that Cooke-Smith utilizes when working with students, consists of designating tasks to specific times in a day. For example, time periods are designated for certain goals, such as working on a study guide or reading a book. She recommends that instead of balancing schoolwork and activities such as self-care and fun activities, one integrate them into one another. 

“I like to look at a student as a whole,” Cooke-Smith said. “Yes, you have classes, yes, you have assignments to do, but are you in any clubs, do you have time for your hobbies?” 

College is about more than just grades; students are allowed to grow as people, engage in campus activities, and pursue their interests. Making time within a student’s day to engage in a task they enjoy, as well as completing their studying and schoolwork, is a goal of hers. She expressed that the time is often there, just not utilized in an optimal way for an individual’s priorities.

Even with a time-blocked schedule, it is often hard to know how to go about studying material when not presented with assignments. Many students have to develop different study strategies when transitioning from high school to college, as courses in college rely on extended, continuous effort for success, instead of late-night cramming and relying on sheer force to remember information. This reckoning can occur at different times in their college career for different students.

“Effective studying looks different for everyone,” Semski said, touching on the crux of the issue: students are told to study, but often not how to, or advice given to a class does not always generalize to everyone. Instead of recommending specific techniques, Semski recommends students try many strategies and find what works for them.  

One service offered at Daemen that can teach students study skills and help them prepare for specific courses is Daemen’s Academic Coaching program. To meet with a coach either individually or with a group, visit the Find a Coach page. In addition to class-specific coaches, the Academic Coaching program contains coaches who focus on building study skills applicable to any course. Students must be logged into their Daemen accounts to access this website. 

Exam seasons often ramp up the stress college students are facing. At the end of a semester, many classes have term papers, final exams, or lab practicals all due within a few weeks. However, this is a time in which taking care of oneself cannot fall by the wayside.

From an academic viewpoint, it simply isn’t an effective strategy for long-term retention to pull all-nighters and camp out in the library. Though this could marginally increase performance on an exam the next morning, it impacts the individual as a student and as a person. 

“It’s hard to perform your best academically if your head and your heart aren’t in a good place” Semki says, noting that academic success is not achieved in a vacuum. Those struggling physically or emotionally often do not have the capacity to do as well as they would like in their classes.  

Cooke-Smith echoes a similar sentiment: “Your mental health takes a toll on you; when you’re so stressed trying to prepare for midterms and finals, you’re not really retaining what you’re studying. Make sure you’re getting proper rest, making sure you eat, and that you hydrate. People say it all the time, but it’s all true.”

Starting studying days or weeks before the day an assessment occurs is the best way to avoid fatigue and damaging one’s health in the heart of exam season. However, sometimes students find themselves unprepared the night before, unable to go back in time and start earlier. 

“Take a breath, take a step back, try to find a time where you can sit down, unpack everything, and get yourself organized,” Semski said. 

Daemen faculty across the board emphasize that even if it didn’t happen yesterday, right now is the time to get back on track. The semester will end, no matter what happens between now and then. Harnessing the time that’s left is the best way to change the direction of the semester, both academically and personally. 

In times like these, students may find that stress is disproportionately impacting their daily lives. Grounding techniques can bring a student back to the moment when overwhelmed by the amount of work they have coming up.

An integral part of Cooke-Smith’s approach to academics is meditation. When presented with those who say they ‘don’t have time to meditate,’ she notes that it can be during everyday tasks, such as when in the bathroom or brushing one’s teeth. When in these environments, she recommends taking three deep breaths and paying attention to the physical sensation of them.

“Focus on… the cool air coming in and out, your chest moving in and out,” Cooke-Smith says. 

Some stress stemming from other causes is better addressed with the help of professionals. Daemen’s Counseling, Health, Insurance and Prevention (CHIP) center addresses the health needs of Daemen students via services such as internal counseling sessions and referrals to mental or physical health agencies outside of the university. Students can contact the CHIP Center by phone, email, or by walking into their office on the first floor of the Yurtchuk Student Center. 

Help can come from wherever a student feels most comfortable. Sometimes students are not comfortable with contacting the CHIP Center, or feel that their stress is more than they can handle alone, but not of a professional caliber. If academic support is what students are seeking, they can schedule a session with Anna Cooke-Smith to work on study or time-management skills, as well as a variety of other academic strategies, through her booking link. Michelle Semski can be reached through her email, msemski@daemen.edu, for advising, organizational, or academic success services. Numerous other Student Success Center faculty can be contacted based on the needs identified by the student.

Semski wants students to know that reaching out to someone they trust is the best thing they can do when feeling overwhelmed. It can be anyone in a student’s life, not limited to the student support faculty or herself. She says it can be anyone they trust, such as

“A professor, a friend, an RA, a staff member, [or] a faculty member.”