As finals week is swiftly approaching, students are already thinking about their plans for the month-long break ahead. 

Tushar Khosla, freshman in Engineering, is planning to stay on campus over break. As an international student, Khosla was initially planning on going home to India this winter but decided to stay on campus to be productive. 

As far as finals go, Khosla says he is feeling prepared because he has been studying.

“There’s a lot of workload,” Khosla said. “But it’s not something to stress over. If you begin on time, it’s something you can do easily.”

Nichole Evans, media communications director for the Counseling Center, says that sticking to the basics of self care, such as eating, getting enough sleep and exercising, is important when coping with finals stress.

Over break, Khosla is planning on taking a few online courses for his minor. He also plans on taking a few proficiency exams and getting a job on campus.

Khosla says he is feeling a bit homesick, as it has been a couple months since he has last seen his family in person. 

However, for those who do see family in person this break, the holiday season can also be a bit stressful. For those who anticipate a stressful holiday season, Evans recommends identifying the stressors and coming up with a plan on how to manage them.  

In the context of having a strained relationship with someone in your family, this can include thinking about how you will approach being around that person.

“Set clear boundaries for yourself about what behaviors you’ll accept and what you will not,” Evans said in an email.

According to Evans, the Counseling Center usually sees increased appointments during this time of the year. 

“We have all of our clients who have (been) doing counseling with us for a while who are usually trying to check in before the break, and then we have students who are having crises around the end of the semester and all that can mean,” Evans said.

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