Reframing the Final Exam Period

As we enter the December holidays, college students everywhere are also about to complete their final papers and course projects, and to begin to prepare for their final exams. No matter how many end-of-semesters they may have under their collective belts, many students experience stress as the semester winds down (though many perceive it to be a wild ride, even a train wreck).

Why does this happen? For many reasons. First, some students wait too long before beginning to think about navigating their end games (papers, projects, exams). Second, the lore surrounding the finals period may be more hyped than real, but regardless of its reality, it still triggers stress. Third, some students assume stress is part and parcel of the finals experience—a rite of passage, if you will.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I don’t want to be a scold and suggest that students should “stay on top of papers and projects and exams,” though I do think that’s wise advice. Instead, I believe that students should take a page from positive psychology, the subfield that examines how human strengths can promote well-being, by reframing their attitudes about final exams. Rather than viewing the experience as a rollercoaster of stress, why not look at time as being an opportunity to be grateful?

Quite simply, gratitude entails being thankful for something, including showing appreciation for something or someone or even returning a kindness. How does that fit into finals? Well, here are some reasons students might reframe how they think and feel about the final exam period.

• Pursuing a degree is a privilege, something one should be grateful for having the opportunity to do so, as many people lack the option.
• As a student, you chose to pursue a degree, so why stress about the end of the semester when you can instead see it as a culmination of your efforts?
• Be grateful for the opportunities that have come your way during college—the knowledge acquired in your major(s), the friends, the social life, the organizations, and breadth provided by your general education.
• The end of the semester means the soon-to-be respite and relief offered by the holidays, no matter whether you celebrate them or not.
• Reflect on the help you have received from various family members, faculty members, and college staff who have helped you to pursue your education.
• Think about the things that you believe your college experience should make you grateful—why not keep a running list during final exams and look at them on occasion? Doing so may provide you a good perspective for finishing on a high note.

These and other items to be grateful for can help you enter the end of the semester fray with a positive attitude rather than a stressed or negative one. How we think about such things has a profound effect on how we cope with them. Be grateful for the opportunity to have a final exam period. Happy holidays!