As the spring semester finally comes to a close many students find themselves overwhelmed by the thought of exams and face stress and anxiety.
“I find finals stressful because I have multiple tests on one day, and they cover a lot of material,” said Kaylin McLin, sophomore family and consumer science major.
“There’s too much pressure put on one test,” added Sarah Bertrand, junior vocal performance major.
Although cramming seems like an easy solution to last minute preparation, there are many ways that students can prepare.
“I prepare by studying and drinking a lot of Sonic sweet teas,” exclaimed Bertrand.
 “I sometimes make notecards and try to get with girls from class, and we go over what we need to focus on,” said Shelby Schexnailder, junior education major.
At this point in the semester, students must be confident in the knowledge they have gained throughout the semester, realistic about how well they have prepared and do their best on exams.
“What you know, you know it,” explained Angela James, counselor at University Counseling Center. “Be confident in that, feel secure in that and trust that all the preparation you’ve done for the past few months will pay off. What you don’t know, you don’t know.”
Although many students face stress and anxiety about exams, others feel prepared and are relieved that the semester is almost over.
“Finals have never been stressful for me,” noted Jasmine Theriot, senior regular and special education major. “I think if you take care of business throughout the semester you should only really have to review the information. I’m always relieved when I know finals are approaching.”
There are many resources offered by the university and  the UCC including an the “Stress Less Breakfast,” which took place on Monday and provided students who were taking morning exams with breakfast, snacks and tips about taking proper care of the mind, body and soul and becoming relaxed and confident about exams. James suggests that students get proper rest, eat a good breakfast and take care of themselves. She also encourages students who are experiencing anxiety or nervousness about how well he or she will do to visit the counseling center.
“Just go in and do it,” James said.
The exam schedule is available to students online at www.selu.edu/admin/rec_reg/exam_sch. Counseling services are provided by the UCC to students, faculty and staff. Appointments can be made with the receptionist at the counseling center free of charge to students. Questions regarding services and appointments should be directed to the center at 985-549-3894.