“I strictly manage my time,” said Reynolds, a sophomore management major with a 3.7 grade point average. “I make a checklist to see what I need to do and check things off when tasks are finished.”
Sam Spinelli spends his day in class or in St. Bonaventure University’s Café La Verna with friends. It’s 8 p.m. He has a proposal due tomorrow morning for his psychology study. He’s not worried.
“It’ll probably take three hours to write,” said Spinelli, a junior psychology major. “School isn’t my first priority in life. I just want to be a good man and grades won’t get me there.”
Reynolds and Spinelli’s study habits differ and so do their views on grades.
“My GPA fluctuates from a 3.4 to a 2.0,” said Spinelli. “I work hard enough to get the grades needed to graduate. It’s not worth putting in extra effort.”
Spinelli said he meditates, which usually helps him when he becomes unfocused during a required course.
Reynolds said her academic expectation of a 4.0 GPA is the reason her eyes sometimes twitch.
Reynolds said taking naps helps with her twitching eye.
Rutgers University’s College Readjustment Rating Scale ranks 29 events in a college student’s life based on importance. Students choose and rank the events that have occurred in the last six months or will occur in the next three months of their lives.
When given the questionnaire by a reporter, Reynolds scored a 181 out of 1379. According to a Rutgers’ study, the result gives her a 50-50 chance of serious health risks such as heart disease. Spinelli, scoring a 148, has a one-in-three chance of the same risks.
David Blake, a St. Bonaventure sociology professor, said he can spot his stressed out students.
“I see students lacking attentiveness in class or becoming emotional when explaining why an assignment isn’t done,” said Blake.
Blake said some academic majors influence this stress.
“Biology students spend a lot more time doing labs and taking lecture courses than sociology students do,” said Blake.
“I see students lacking attentiveness in class or becoming emotional when explaining why an assignment isn’t done,” said Blake.
Blake said some academic majors influence this stress.
“Biology students spend a lot more time doing labs and taking lecture courses than sociology students do,” said Blake.
Alyssa West can testify to that.
“I spend eight hours a week working on labs,” said West, a freshman biology major. “I want to get into medical school, which requires getting A’s.”
West, who wouldn’t give her GPA, scored a 343 on the questionnaire. She said she loses sleep from studying eight to 10 hours a week for chemistry and biology.
Erin Cornelius, a counselor at the Counseling Center, said chronically stressed students score 300 or higher on the questionnaire, giving them an 80 percent chance of illness.
West enjoys talking with friends, but it usually doesn’t help her forget about her homework, she said.
Nate Staples, a sophomore psychology major, said he doesn’t worry about grades.
“I study for an hour for a test,” said Staples, who has a 2.9 GPA. “I’m usually a B minus student but sometimes classes just don’t interest me.”
Staples scored a 144 on the questionnaire. He said working out at the gym at least three to five times a week helps keep him calm.
Interviews showed class year also influences stress.
Freshman journalism and mass communication major Skye Tulio said she’s doing homework four to five hours a day.
“I worry about deadlines and keeping my grades up,” said Tulio, who has a 3.7 GPA and scored a 169 on the questionnaire. “I’m ecstatic about how well I did, but I have to keep it up so I can get a good job.”
An avid Phillies fan, Tulio likes to watch baseball and enjoys music to relax, she said.
Michael Gargano disagreed with Tulio’s outlook on school.
A graduate student studying mental community health, Gargano doesn’t let work bother him.
“I’m currently co-authoring a counseling paper with a professor while going to grad school,” said Gargano, who scored an 87 on the questionnaire. “It’s all about managing different task and doing what’s important first.”
“I’m currently co-authoring a counseling paper with a professor while going to grad school,” said Gargano, who scored an 87 on the questionnaire. “It’s all about managing different task and doing what’s important first.”
Gargano becomes frustrated around close-minded people, he said. Taking walks helps him calm down.
Blake explained that upperclassmen like Gargano develop study habits and understand the expectations of college better than underclassmen.
“Senior courses show a heightened level of work, but by the time they get to it, most students are prepared,” said Blake.
Cornelius agreed that class year and major do affect stress but said students can easily cope.
“Getting seven to eight hours of restful sleep at night, naps don’t count, and taking breaks throughout the day will help manage stress,” said Cornelius.
Reynolds agreed.
“Finding a way to relax is important,” said Reynolds. “Personally, I like to watch Disney movies. Everyone is happier when they’re less stressed.”
JMC 202 Story
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