Finals week is approaching, and with it comes the usual bouts of stress and test-taking anxiety. The American Test Anxiety Association reports that between 16% and 20% of students experience severe test-taking anxiety, and 18% experience moderate test-taking anxiety. The American Test Anxiety Association, however, does not include normal test-taking stress in those statistics, which many students experience during finals week.
The college, however, offers a multitude of services to help students combat finals stress and test anxiety through both the Wellnes Center and Campus Life’s Stress Less Week, which is hosted during finals week.
Both during and outside of finals week, the Wellness Center offers many stress-relief programs for Dickinson students. Among the consistently offered Wellness Center programs, they offer group therapy sessions, animal-assisted therapy sessions, workshops for improving mental health and occasional drop-in events.
Their group therapy sessions often focus on, according to the Wellness Center, stress and anxiety for many different groups of students. Regularly offered group therapy sessions include sessions to help manage depression, navigate grief and loss, alleviating anxiety and panic and a support group for international students. Included among these group therapy sessions are what the Wellness center calls “Bunny Breaks,” where students can meet with the Dickinson Wellness Center’s roster of bunnies—named Dixie, Otto, Bun Bun and Moxie—for a dose of animal-assisted therapy. Bunny Breaks require RSVP on EngageD prior to attendance and are offered Thursdays from 1-1:45 p.m..
In addition to non-clinical drop-in sessions, the Wellness Center also offers clinical services for students who need them.
However, the Wellness Center is not the only organization which prioritizes helping students minimize stress during finals week. Campus Life partners with the Wellness Center during finals week to run a college-wide program called Stress Less Week. Stress Less Week often includes activities like crafts, study sessions, study breaks at different organizations throughout campus, and occasional special meals or snacks at the Caf or the Wellness Center. Some of the events Campus Life has planned for the Spring 2025 Stress Less Week are a Late Night Breakfast on May 5, juice shots at the Juice Bar on May 6 and chocolate espresso beans at Union Station on May 8.
Outside of the college, there are other ways to manage stress during finals. The Mayo Clinic recommends setting a regular study routine, not cramming information the night before, visiting office hours, learning and using relaxation techniques, getting outside and getting plenty of sleep. In addition to all of the Mayo Clinic’s recommendations, Harvard also recommends taking practice tests and utilizing campus resources, such as the Quantitative Research and Writing Centers.
