USask student shares three tips for surviving exam season
While exam season can be challenging, there are many supports available on campus to help students make it through this time of high stress and competing priorities.
By UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Emily Jung is a University of Saskatchewan (USask) student dedicated to helping her peers stay healthy and grounded through the ups and downs of student life – including exam season.
In addition to being an upper-year history major in the College of Arts and Science, Jung is a mental health outreach co-ordinator at Peer Health, part of the USask Student Wellness Centre.
In her role at Peer Health, she picks up on specific trends and needs for mental health and wellness support, then creates events and workshops to support the student community.
She sat down with University Communications to share her top three tips for surviving exam season:
#1: Schedule your self-care
There’s this myth that self-care must be grand, but it doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy. It really can be anything you feel like you’re missing in the moment.
While it doesn’t have to be glamorous, you’re going to forget about it if you don’t put it in your calendar, since academics so often take precedence.
Set up a reminder, write it in your planner and make sure you get to self-care.
#2: Consider getting an accountability buddy
We all get it, motivation goes down the drain during the exams. The best way to combat that is to study with friends and make sure someone else is helping keep you on track.
You don’t even need to be in the same place for this to work.
Just recently I texted my friend: “I’m going to finish my essay by 9 pm, can you ask me about it?” That helps me stay motivated.
#3: Reach out to all the free academic and mental health supports on campus
They’re there for you for a reason, and you pay for it, so you might as well take advantage.
There are tons of great study spaces around campus.
The Writing Centre is good for helping you rapidly finish up all those essays.
If you don’t have a counsellor on campus yet, there are drop-in supports at Peer Health.
Hanging out in the Peer Health space and visibly seeing all the emotions that students are going through, whether it’s the struggle or the final push ‘hurrah’ moment, can really help with the isolation we sometimes feel as students.