Winter blues as finals are due

Molly Walker has her study plan down to a science. She’s going to take a few days off from work, stock up on Red Bull and whip out her flashcards to practise her active recall.

“It’s not my first rodeo, if you will,” Walker said.

With less than two weeks left in the fall semester, students are rushing to meet all their deadlines and cram in some last-minute studying for their finals before winter break. The next few days may not only be busy, but also gloomy and cold as the weather drops below zero, making studying and getting to campus all the more difficult.

After taking a double major in communications and sociology at the University of Ottawa, Walker decided to pursue computer engineering at Algonquin College.

Walker’s interest in statistics and coding brought her to the college, but the quick end to November has brought her back to another exam season.

However, being used to studying almost every day, she is prepared.

“Because this course is so demanding, I’m kind of always finding myself studying, so it’s not super different from what I’m already doing every day,” Walker said.

“Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve really stayed on top of everything so far. So, it’s not like everything is piled up.”

To carve out time for herself, Walker will play video games, participate in campus yoga events and see her friends.

“I know everyone’s like, ‘I can’t see my friends until finals,’ but I actually find it’s like a nice way for me to socialize and talk about things that are not coding or math.”

More than exams, Walker dreads the added 30 minutes that snow will soon add to her commute.

“In the morning, when it does snow, I have to get up and shovel the driveway, clean the car and start the car,” she said.

Other students have already started to feel the sting of the cooling weather and early sunsets.

“One of the worst things about this time of year is that it coincides right as we go into exams,” Arianna Houle, a student in the social service worker program, said. “I feel like I never see the sun anymore.”

Houle is in the intensive program, meaning she’ll be completing the two-year diploma in just three semesters.

Although it’s Houle’s first time taking so many courses at once, and the lack of sun can keep her mood lower, her support system makes her exam season feel less daunting.

“It’s a little stressful, but I actually feel really supported by the profs that we have in the social service worker program,” she said. “So, I’m less worried about it than I thought I’d be.”

To study for all her classes, Houle has sacrificed time she’d otherwise spend either in the gym, painting or seeing friends. Without her hobbies, Houle instead squeezes in small practices in her routine to stay relaxed and combat the lessening daylight hours.

“At this time of year, I start taking Vitamin D, and I have a little sun lamp that I try to sit under in the mornings,” Houle said.

The routine and journaling work for Houle, but she advises stressed students to speak to their teachers or check out the self-regulation station in the E-building’s Wellness Centre.

“Figure out what works for you and take whatever time you can because it’s important,” Houle said.

“It’s not a luxury to do self-care. It’s maintenance. You have to do it every day.”

Sierra-Lynne Allwood, a student in the pre-health sciences program, is spending most of her days studying.

“I’m a little bit stressed out, but I’ve just been starting to study already,” Allwood said.

To balance her workload and prepare for two full weeks of studying, Allwood has started cutting back on sleep and going to the gym, which is usually her outlet to de-stress.

“I prefer to go five times a week, and I’m only going like two-ish times.”

Despite her hectic schedule, Allwood still tries to make time to relax and Facetime her friends.

Like Allwood, many students are almost in the full swing of crunch time. With tensions running high and temperatures cooling off, Walker offered advice to stressed students.

“Getting a bad grade is not the end of the world,” Walker said. “I’ve retaken courses, and you feel a little embarrassed at first, but you get over it. It doesn’t matter; everybody goes at their own pace.

“Try your best, study hard and you’ll do good.”