With Thanksgiving coming up*, professors have been starting to assign a lot more work. Roughly 2 weeks after we get back from the very much needed, but unfortunately short break, finals week will start, which means professors are pushing students harder and making them do a lot more work. On top of the already high number of assignments I have per week, professors are adding more in hopes of getting myself and my classmates prepared for our final exams. However, most professors do not communicate with each other on the amount of work they assign for every student.
Since professors do not communicate with each other about how many assignments they assign, they easily forget that students are the ones who must complete them. Just last week, I had 14 assignments to do, WHAT! Imagine seeing a small number 14 every time you open your phone; it will stress you out. And that is what it did to me. Having to do 14 assignments in one week caused me so much anxiety and stress, that I ended up having a mental breakdown. I had barely any time to do any of these assignments because I had class all 5 days of the week as well as having a job. So, most of the times that I was able to do homework, was at nighttime when I already had to eat, sleep, and prepare for my week.
How did I handle all 14 of those assignments you ask? To be frank, I didn’t. For about 5 of the assignments, I asked my professors for an extension, because I knew I would not be able to complete the assignments by the given due date. Most of my professors were very accommodating and understanding because I participated in class and typically turned my assignments in on time. I am very thankful for those extensions, but the fact that I had 14 assignments to do, is partly the reason why college students are burdened with stress, anxiety, and illnesses. As college students, we are put in situations that we do not necessarily know how to navigate, forcing us to solve these issues ourselves, and putting us through periods of stress. On top of that, we have classes and homework, as well as our social lives to balance.
As a junior, it is a lot easier to balance all these things, so that I can do what I want to do. However, the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving is undoubtedly the most stressful part of the fall semester for college students. The anxiety of this incoming period made me sick. I was exhausted, I had a cough, and I could not think or speak clearly. I still had to go to class because missing a class during this period is like missing a whole semester. The stress that is felt during this period is universal among college students and should be discussed as an important issue that college students face. It is a collective stress that college students face, and it is hard to handle it when you cannot escape campus. It would be amazing to see professors asking their students if they are understanding the assignments and course material before unloading more assignments onto us students.
*(This was written and submitted before Thanksgiving. - Cam McNeil Senior Editor)
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