Fighting The End-Of-Semester Slumps

By  Andrey Nalbantov | Published December 21, 2021

As we slowly approach the season filled with colorful decorations, Christmas trees of all sizes, and the sound of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on repeat all day long, we also move closer to the end of the Fall semester, with many students experiencing end-of-semester slumps.

End-of-semester slumps occur when students begin to feel burnt out from the numerous finals they have to prepare for, and the stress of alarmingly closing project due dates. The slumps create a sense of loss, and writer’s block in many students resulting in little to no motivation or focus on their assignments.

Along with affecting the productivity of students, end-of-semester slumps can also affect their mental health. According to Vidal Annan, Director of Office of Counseling, Accessibility, Alcohol, and Other Drug Services at Kean, the burnout caused by slumps can lead to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and cause the feeling of just wanting to shut down.

“One of the ways burnouts play out is that you feel low drained,”  Annan said. “You just want to sit down and not get up”.

End-of-semester slumps this year are greatly affected by COVID-19. This semester, Kean students came back to in-person classes after an academic year filled with online classes spent in the comfort of their homes. The return to an almost normal semester brought a new struggle for students.

“In addition to attending classes, students are also re-adjusting to learning in-person again,”  Annan said.

While many Kean students will face slumps during both semesters, big holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas during the Fall semester and the mass preparation for them add further into the stress mix.

According to an article written by 6Park NewsDesk, ‘Thanksgiving is a stressful time for students, the mixture of Thanksgiving planning and the pressures of the ending semester for students can lead to a “time of stress, rather than a time of gratitude and reflection.”

Living in a global pandemic we find ourselves in search of extra ways to create a safer environment to celebrate the holidays, in order to protect not only us but also our relatives. Making sure that our relatives are safe and healthy is a top priority for many. That can also factor in additional stress, eventually contributing to further burnouts.

“Holidays are stressful, to begin with,” said Annan. “Especially this year with Covid”.

So what should students do when they start experiencing end-of-semester slumps? Annan has a couple of tips to combat the burnouts caused by schoolwork.

 As a start, students should work on their time management in order to have the maximum amount of time to finish their assignments. The long and important assignments should be prioritized over the small ones, and students have to remember that the semester is almost over.

In addition to these tips, an article from IvyWise College Admissions Blog has some additional ideas on fighting end-of-semester slumps.

One focuses on the idea of creating a list of needs versus wants. Everything that is important and has to be accomplished during the day goes under the needs column, while everything that can wait goes under the wants column.

Another important tip is to study for your harder subjects before bedtime. The blog suggests this option for reaping better results instead of pulling all-nighters. During sleep time your brain processes, everything taken through the day, studying right before bedtime will put the new information at the forefront for processing.

If Kean students need help, they can always contact or visit Kean’s Counseling Center located in Down’s Hall, room 217. While a big part of the counseling is done remotely through the Telehealth app, students whose cases are more pronounced would have the opportunity to have in-person counseling.

Kean students who suffer from end-of-semester burnouts should know that if ever they need help and guidance, they are not alone, and they can always find it in Kean’s Counseling Center.

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