Quarter nears end, but stress doesn’t
Worries magnify as academic, personal pressures increase
By Betty Song
It thrives on pressure and feeds on procrastination. It’s
stress, and it’s everywhere.
As fall quarter draws to a close, students are faced with many
facets of this thing called stress.
For fourth-year psychology student Shannon Horsely, finals are
only a small part of her worries.
"I’m graduating (this quarter) so I’m stressed out about what
the hell I’m going to do, so finals seem kind of puny in
comparison," Horsley said. "But I want to pass all of my classes so
I don’t have to come back." she added.
According to third-year geography and environmental studies
student Roger Kim, finals week isn’t the most stressful aspect of
the quarter’s end either. It actually provides him with a time to
catch up on sleep missed during the hectic quarter.
"It’s stressful, but it’s easier to deal with than the everyday
crunch," Kim said. When asked what was causing him the most stress
right now, Kim answered, "I have a paper due next week for
Geography 3, and I haven’t started the paper, or the reading."
But even without the common pressures of finals and papers,
there’s no lack of stress on the campus.
"I’ve been stressed the whole quarter," said Shawndrell Lynch,
third-year math and computer science student. "There are just too
many tests. I don’t have any finals, but I have three tests next
week, and I have three jobs. There’s not enough time. You need at
least 32 hours in a day."
The increase in stress at the end of the quarter can also be
seen by the increase in the number of students seeking help in
coping. According to Harold Pruett, director of UCLA’s Student
Psychological Services, the number of students using the counseling
services has doubled since mid-quarter. At the beginning of the
quarter, a student could expect a one or two day wait for an
appointment. But now it can take up to two weeks to see a
counselor, Pruett said.
Pruett attributed the increase to a greater awareness of campus
services, but also to the fact that students find themselves
overwhelmed during the end of the quarter by academic and social
pressures.
"There is an increase in academic pressure as students realize
they are not doing as well as he or she thinks," Pruett explained.
"Problems with relationships impact on academics, such as
expectations from parents and interpersonal issues such as dating.
These are all compounded as the quarter moves toward the end."
In addition to Psychological Services, students can get help
dealing with stress from Peer Health Counselors, who teach stress
management strategies and relaxation techniques, as well as give
massages on campus. Peer Health Counselor Amy Miyoshi, who gives
free massages at various campus locations, said that more students
have been coming for massages and are more willing to talk about
things that cause them stress.
"I noticed at the beginning of the quarter people were just
curious about the program, and just came for a massage," Miyoshi
said. "Now people are talking about midterms and finals and saying,
‘Oh I’m really stressed.’"
Unlike winter and spring quarters, however, fall quarter
provides students with a long Thanksgiving break and gives them a
winter break to look toward. This unique aspect of the quarter can
both alleviate and compound stress.
For Horsley, the Thanksgiving break definitely did nothing to
reduce the stress.
"I took an entire week off (for Thanksgiving) so now I’m a week
behind," she said.
But for Kim, who didn’t have any expectations of getting any
work done during Thanksgiving, the break gave him a chance to get
away from school. He added that the anticipation of winter break is
also helping him deal with the work at hand.
"It makes it easier to know I have a big break ahead," he said.
"It makes things easier to deal with."
For more information on services available, students may call
Student Psychological Services at 825-7985 or 825-0768, and Peer
Health Counselors at 825-8462.