Advice From a Senior

It’s that wonderful time of the year: finals. 

When coffee and energy drinks flow, stress levels are high, libraries and common spaces are packed, students with bleary eyes make their way through campus. Whether it’s your first rodeo or your last, we get it, finals are never all too fun. We pulled in one of our seniors, Kass to pass down some wisdom she has about dealing with Finals Week stress. 

Meet Kass

Kass is a senior at Simmons University studying Nutrition and Dietetics. She’s originally from Granby, Connecticut and made her way to Boston four years ago! She’ll be graduating this May and starting a graduate program soon. We met Kass earlier this year and as someone who has been through finals more than a handful of times now, we wanted to share some nuggets of wisdom she had for you.

Physical Well-Being

Take it from a nutrition major, what you put in your body counts, especially during stressful seasons! It can be tempting to just want to eat or indulge in happy foods like nuggets, chips, and gummies. After all, optimal studying happens when you’re happily snacking away. But here are some thoughts from Kass:

“As a nutrition major, I’ve learned that eating well can support your studying. Foods like berries, citrus fruits, avocados, eggs and nuts all support your brain. My favorite snacks are dark chocolate with almonds and dates.”

A challenge for you during this finals season: replace one of your go-to snacks with a healthier alternative like dried fruit!

Significance

Easter Sunday 2023

It’s also very normal for anxieties about the future to come full force during finals. But as Christians, we can rest knowing that we don’t need to rely on things like academic success to draw significance from. While a large part of your identity right now is around being a college student, your greater identity is a child of God! In Kass’s words, “In regards to stress, one thing that I constantly remind myself is that my identity is not rooted in my exams nor my academic performance, my identity is in Christ. Therefore, do your best and if things don’t go perfect, that’s okay because your exam does not define you or your future!” 

Good luck out there, folks!