College can be the best years of your life but also some of the most stressful. Making new friends, being away from home, the weight of classes, as well as staying on track to graduate, can weigh college students down. It is important to take a step back during this period and have some time to yourself. 

OSU students gave their ways of coping with stress during finals week.

Hannah Thomas, fourth-year mechanical engineering major

 “I feel like it’s hard to structure finals week because you don’t have classes and stuff but, like I said, I’m going to hang out with (a friend) at two, so then I have to be somewhere,” Thomas said.

It’s important to make time for friends and get yourself out of the house, into the fresh air.  “I had a friend visit today, took his dog for a walk,” Thomas said. 

Bryn Shull, second-year marketing major

Shull said she reduces her stress levels by hanging out with friends, going on walks and working out.

 “Socializing as much as I possibly can is what helps me feel less stressed and just better about everything going on,” Shull said. 

Shull’s advice to students who may be struggling is: “Definitely pay attention to what studying works best for you. When you get in a groove of what makes you successful, don’t stop doing it. … I feel like now that I’ve gotten the groove of how my brain works the best, and how I study the best, that’s what’s made me successful.”

Will Moyir, second-year business administration major

“I don’t get a lot of stress as a business major, fortunately, but (during) finals, I like to go to the library to get work done. I think that’s a nice quiet spot,” Moyir said. 

“I think the best way to get away from (stress) when it’s too much is to try to get as much done earlier in the term. If you are waiting until the very end and then you have 15 assignments … it’s going to be a lot harder than if you just kind of get it done over time,” Moyir said.

Hannah Jadzak, fourth-year microbiology major

Jadzak said she likes to hang out with friends to relieve stress. She advises students to get off campus to lower their stress levels. 

“Get off campus. It’s really easy to get stuck in the bubble that is campus. And when you can’t escape school because your home is school, then you are just bringing your stress home,” Jadzak said.  

Tabitha Daniels, fourth-year fine arts major

“I like to go to different coffee places on campus and just sit there and drink a cup of coffee and not think about anything else. I simply zone out, wipe my brain,” Daniels said.  “I also like to spend a lot of time watching movies while eating a good off-campus meal.”

“I think it’s important to know that your friends are also stressed. So do group activities together, like a TV night or make dinner together or maybe go off campus on a nice walk as much as you can,” Daniels said. Spending time with friends is a good way to get away from stressors and also help your friends.

Emma Hedrick, second-year organizational leadership major

“Just having the mindset that no matter what I’ll get through it and that I’m working towards something, makes it worth it,” Hedrick said.

Hedrick’s advice to those who may be struggling is: “Find a circle of people that have your best interests at heart and stick with them, rely on each other and don’t give up. It can get hard but it works out, I think, in the end.”