By Theodora Malison

To Loyola University Maryland students, it is “that time of the year” again. For first year students, it is their first experience of that time of the year. Finals are nipping at the heels of all of the freshman here in Flannery O’ Connor hall as the common rooms fill up with MacBooks, Starbucks, and students.

As the numbers of hours of sleep are decreasing for freshman, their anxiety levels are slowly increasing, as they don’t know what to expect.

“My stress level has reached an all time high,” said Sara Gymrek, 18, a freshman Spanish major at Loyola. “Being a first year student, I don’t know what to expect with minimal time to study.”

“I am so stressed out; the whole quiet hours thing with a fine is going to make me go crazy,” said Dom Proto, 18, a freshman Journalism major at Loyola. “I’m not even going to touch the library because that will be a complete disaster. I’m very worried I will not do well.”

Other freshman however, find themselves to be a little less stressed than others.

“My stress level isn't too bad because most of my exams are not cumulative,” said Ariel Schneier, 18, Bio Chemistry major at Loyola. “I feel very well prepared for my finals because I kept up with all of my readings.”

At Loyola, finals week is typically referred to as “Hell Week” around campus. Freshman students are figuring this out, as the homework load keeps piling up each day.

“My work load has been piling up as the semester comes to a close,” said Zach Peters, 18, Political Science major at Loyola. “I have a lot of projects, papers, and things to finish up.”

“My homework has been through the roof,” said Schneier, 18, Bio Chemistry major at Loyola. “I didn’t keep all of my handouts organized, so that is a drawback.”

But some students debate that the week before finals is considered hell week. Freshmen are starting to panic with the lack of studying they have been able to fit into their busy schedules.

“My teachers didn't make it easier on me by giving exams every day during the week before finals,” said Schneier. “Studying for them has been hard this week.”

“I have to fit in studying for finals, on top of every else I have to do,” said Peters. “It’s going to take a lot of studying and work to achieve an excellent grade.”

With the semester coming to an end, many professors and upperclassmen have said to simply breathe, relax, and focus. Good luck to all of the freshman at Loyola with their final exams!

The unfolding terror that is the Jerry Sandusky investigation, has hit hard the world of college athletics, specifically Penn State University. Without diving into the denseness of the story, it can be summed pretty quickly. Jerry Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator at Penn State from 1972 until 1999, has been charged with the sexual abuse of young boys on and off campus starting in 1997.

Current wide receivers coach Mike McQueary allegedly witnessed Sandusky performing sexual acts on a young boy in a Penn State shower in 2002, however, failed to stop it, and after reporting it to head coach Joe Paterno never went any further with his knowledge. The rest is really history, it was never reported to police, was buried, and then recaptured several weeks ago, leading to the firing of a college sports icon in Paterno.

Read more: College Sports Scandals May Leave Lasting Mark