Stress, Part 2

In dealing with stress, I have come to realize that sleep is a key factor. Let’s face it, in college, sleep is sent way back in our priorities list; it becomes a burden. It took me several inevitable all-nighters and many 5-hours sleep nights to finally realize that the less I sleep, the more time I waste, the less productive I am and most importantly, the more stressed out I get. Not sleeping, I realized, clouds my brain, which leads to me not being able to organize my thoughts. So, to manage stress, the first thing I make sure I do is sleep! Getting to know my body and my limits, especially when it came down to sleeping was crucial. However, of course, not all stress goes away with sleep. So, what do I do in those situations? I bake, I cook and I run; three things that I really enjoy doing and clear my mind of ugly, stressful thoughts. Allowing me to have those little moments of peace, then, boosts my productivity and makes me even less stressed, a win-win situation.

-Triana Tello Gerez

Feeling stressed about midterms, papers, homework, and other aspects of college life? Stress is a completely normal part of college, but it's important that you find ways to deal with that stress and turn it into something positive. This week each of our peer advisors will write about how they deal with stress. We also want to hear how you cope with stress- send us an email at caspeeradvisors@american.edu telling us about your stress relief tactics. We will enter everyone who sends their ideas into a prize drawing, and we'll also publish the submissions on the blog. Please email us your ideas by Friday, November 4th to be entered in the prize drawing. We look forward to hearing from you, and we hope that our suggestions help!
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There’s no way to avoid it: at some point, the semester gets stressful. When class work seems overwhelming, I escape to Katzen. Playing my viola allows me to escape from the pressures of other classes and focus on the music I’m making in the moment. It’s a great way to clear my mind and focus on something other than homework. I also make sure to take time to be social and have fun. Whether it’s spending the day at an event downtown or having Monday night parties to watch Castle (my favorite tv show) these little breaks offer some much-needed relaxation and help me return to work recharged. College is a continuous exercise in balance and time management, and it’s important to find a happy mix of work and fun!

-Emma Morgan

The Supplemental Instruction Program

The Supplemental Instruction (SI) Program offers free weekly group tutoring sessions for classes that students often find challenging including macro and microeconomics, financial and managerial accounting, physics, chemistry, applied calculus, and statistics. Sessions are led by undergraduate students who have already taken the course at AU and done well. SI leaders attend class and hold 2 weekly hour-long review sessions. These sessions are a chance to ask clarification questions and work on problems in a much smaller group. While an intro macro class may have 300 people, SI sessions usually have fewer than 20. Not only is it easier to learn in a smaller group, but asking for help from another student can be less daunting than going to office hours, paying for private tutoring, or struggling through things on your own. SI is also a great resource if you don’t have specific questions, but just want some extra review time going over material. Often before exams, SI leaders hold longer review sessions, and some leaders even make study guides or practice quizzes.

SI leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects they work with, and they want to help people during their sessions. I was the applied calc SI for 3 semesters and have many friends who are leaders, and we would all agree that it’s always better when we have students to work with! Adjusting to your college course load can be challenging, but SI is a completely free resource to help you succeed!

To view the SI schedule or learn more about the program, visit http://www.american.edu/ocl/asc/

Supplemental-Instruction-Homepage.cfm.

If you’re currently doing well in a class that participates in the SI program, you may have a future as an SI leader! Visit the SI website for more information.

--Emma Morgan