Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Dec. 9, 1991, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
r i Serving the students and the University community since 1893 0 1 991 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Volume 99, Issue 129 Monday, December 9. 1991 Chapel Hill, North Carolina NcwuSporuAfls 962-0244 Busl ncW Advertising 962-1163 CaniTO help By Rodney Cline Staff Writer It's exam time. The hours in the day are numbered. And you don't feel as if you know nearly as much as you should for that big final. All college students face this situa tion at some point. Probably now. It's called stress, in case you haven't yet figured it out. "Students have so much to do," said Glen Martin, assistant director of the University Counseling Center. "The consequences of not doing well are sig nificant. Students have a lot of invest ment to do well, and they care about the outcome." Susan Holliman, coordinator of the Wellness Resource Center, said the aca demic environment contributed to stress. "People who come to Carolina are very achievement-oriented, and they have shined in their high schools," she said. "But they get here, and everyone else is from the top of their class, too. Early bird ByGillamllall Staff Writer With exams coming up, end-of-se-mester papers due and other major dis tractions from the otherwise easygoing life of Chapel Hill, things can get, well, stressful. Students can plan ahead to avoid some of the major exam-time stressors. Don't procrastinate. Don't wait until the last minute to begin projects. If you have a paper due next week, don't wait until next week to do it. You can go to that party Friday night, but wake up early Saturday (say, by noon) to begin the paper. Study now for exams. Exams are the biggest stress-causing events in col lege students' lives. The professionals services students beat stress It's the cream of the crop competing against each other." Student Psychological Services, the University Counseling Center and the Wellness Resource Center are on-cam-pus resources to which students can turn for help with their stress-related problems. The University Counseling Center, located in Nash Hall, employs 1 1 coun selors. It's hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon day through Friday. The Wellness Resource Center is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Twelve graduate stu dent volunteers are available for coun seling in the center, located at the end of the glass-covered walkway between Fetzer and Woollen gyms. Student Psychological Services, part of the Student Health Service, employs 10 professional counselors and is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. AH three centers require advance appointments. catches worm, reduces exam-time tensions say the best way to avoid becoming flustered when you have three exams in 25 hours is to study now. One type of stress associated with exams stems from not studying hard enough in advance. A second type oc curs when students study too much: Their heads become overloaded. To relieve this type of stress, take short breaks regularly to refresh your eyes and mind, but always return to the gru eling task. Glen Martin, assistant director of the University Counseling Center, said stu dents should seek a positive way to relieve stress not smoking or drink ing caffeinated beverages. 'Talking about feeling stress with friends can be a relief," Martin said. He also suggested taking a brisk walk to set to "One of the biggest problems con cerning stress is anxiety," Martin said. "Many students feel like, 'I studied, I knew the material, but I panicked.'" Learning to relax can help the prob lem, Martin said. "Relaxation training is calming the body down when you are feeling too nervous," he said. "We use biofeedback training, and students can see on a screen how they can decrease the tension in their muscles and slow down their heart rate." Martin added that no one technique can ease stress. The main way to deal with stress is to look at the source of the problem, he said. "For example, some people may overstudy and feel stressed out," he said. "A good stress technique for them is to loosen up and take some time away from studying. "Then, there's also the person who doesn't study at all. A good stress relief See RELIEF, page 3 Franklin Street or rewarding diligent study habits (maybe a Cherry Garcia from Ben & Jerry's). Need extra help? Extra help is avail able while studying for exams. The Undergraduate Library has copies of old exams at the reserve materials desk. Check the exam index located beside the desk. Undergrad exam copies can be checked out for photocopying for two hours. Individual departments may allow you to make copies of old exams that are not available in the library. But don't wait until the day before your exam to locate old exams. The "do-it-now" rule applies equally to research papers. Gary Momenee, head reference li brarian for the Undergrad, said students wimimmtFs . - , ' f "-sb. ' : " ' : Hi 1 ji i - f S jF f " H"1"1 mi"""" ; ' J : : ""j- 1 I . " ' ' sj, f'. If - . , ' II M . Spare TV sets don't grow on trees, but less who didn't know where to start should seek help from the library staff. "Talk to a reference librarian," he said. "We are not really pressed right now. We've passed the busy stage, (and) I'm really surprised that people don't ask for help more often." Momenee and his staff can assist with research if students have no clue of where to start. Students can make ap pointments for a one-on-one consulta tion with an Undergrad reference li brarian to find the best ways to research a subject. Library circulation increases near the end of the semester because of the num ber of papers due. Get the necessary materials now. If a book you need is not available in one library, check the com puter card catalog to see the total num 3 --' . . 1 X 1 DTH file photo expensive stress relievers are available ber of University copies. Another copy may be available in a different Univer sity library. The library computer sys tem also can search the libraries at Duke and N.C. State universities. Finding assistance forthe actual writ ing may be difficult. The Writing Cen ter, which provides help for writing papers, will be closed during final ex ams because graduate students who work in the center have their own ex ams. If you are really stressed out and want to talk to a professional, call the University Counseling Center at 962 9355 or the Wellness Resource Center at 962-2175. These offices are open not only dur ing the exam periods, but also through out the year for your assistance. Studiers aim to stay stress-free By Valerie Fields Staff Writer College. Relationships. Final exams Grades. Money. These are the top five things students listed as their biggest stressors. -' There is an increased level of stress throughout campus due to the onset of final exams. In addition, routine stress continues. " Stephon Goode, a freshman biology major, said he gets stressed from study ing until 4 a.m. for exams and from; procrastinating. He said he felt the most, stressed on his way to 8 a.m. classes;- He said he relieves stress through his ears. "I play piano and listen to music," Fortunately, stress from schoolwork does not have to dominate our lives. '.If it's between studying for a test and watching A Different World," I'm through," he said. Glen Taylor, a sophomore political science major, said procrastination, grades and exams were by far his big gest stressors. He said he had not fount! agood way to avoid the stress in his life,, ' But, 'There's always time to procrastP nate," he said. Others around campus have devel oped creative ways to relieve stressful situations in their lives. Abeer Elkhouly, a sophomore phar macy major from Gastonia, said she played basketball or participated in other physically active sports to reduce stress, those being "Chem 6 1 and those (exp(t3 tives deleted) organic molecules." -V Toni Burnette, a freshman chemistry major from Summerfield, said, "I don!t really stress, I get annoyed." Cj What does she get annoyed with?". School and guys. Burnette said the worst part was when "I'm failing school, and I can't get the guy I want." Some students have opted to take a "rose-colored glasses" mentality toward See STRESS, page 3
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 9, 1991, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75