As the calendar flipped to December, teachers and students prepared for finals, whether it’s a test, oral exam, project or an essay.
Finals can be stressful because they account for a up to 25 percent of the overall grade.
Perhaps because it is high stakes, a lot of students struggle with the stress that comes along with preparing. Sophomore Rachel Riegel says she really only feels stressed at an academic level during this time of year.
“I usually look over my notes a week beforehand of the test so I stay knowing the information and helping me feel less stressed about it,” Riegel said. “I usually listen to music as I study and make a schedule of what classes I’ll study for and when.”
Many students are unsure of how to relieve their stress and don’t realize the effects of stress on their lives. Although easy enough, there are plenty of ways to stay motivated and calm during this time such as using breathing techniques, ways to study, and as Riegel says, taking time to plug in her headphones.
According to the Touro University Worldwide, multiple studies have shown that stress can affect how your brain functions; killing brain cells and even affect your health. It can make your interaction with people lower and cause you to not want to participate in activities.
In an article, music can be soothing and help keep the mind focused and help keep the mind in meditation, according to PsychCentral.com, a research and resource website about people’s psychology.
There are plenty of ways for students to relieve their worries about upcoming assignments; however, a student’s current grade can also determine the pressure a student might feel from it.
“I’m stressed out because I think I am going to fail,” senior Cam Wright said. “Being a senior, I have the responsibility to make sure my test scores do well.”
For seniors as opposed to freshmen, finals might have a different effect. Upperclassmen may be feeling more pressure to do well on their finals because they may affect their graduation and even college, according to abc.news.
“There isn’t a class I can ignore though because I need to make sure I strive for all A’s,”   junior Anusha Mishra said.
Students make the goal to get good grades because a good GPA will improve their chances of being able to impress college admissions.
How students keep their grades up at this time of the year also creates tension.
“ Sometimes I feel like the rest of my life and senior year is on the line because of how well I do during finals.” Wright said.