Stress During the Stretch

By Genna Luzzi

Students finish up final papers and project and get prepared for finals.

As the pilgrim hats and pumpkins get put away and the Christmas lights come out, Loyola students travel back to campus for the last few weeks of the semester. During these weeks, many students have several papers and projects to finish and then a week or so of finals. Some find these the hardest weeks of the semester due to the amount of work and anxiety to get back home.

Some students, such as Marissa Melillo, a sophomore psychology major, and Lauren Duwan, a sophomore communications major, find being motivated to conquer their workload and study for finals the most difficult part of these few weeks. “All I can think about is going back home for a month,” Melillo said. “The worst part about it is that this is the most important part of the semester because of finals.” Duwan also finds it hard to be motivated. “All I want to do is watch Christmas movies!” she said.

Katie Brennan, a sophomore biology major, uses going back home as her motivation. “You realize it’s the final push and after these two weeks, you get a nice month of break,” she said.

There are a few positives of this tough stretch between breaks. Jacob Saks, a sophomore biology major, said he likes to get to see everyone before we go back home. “And we get to decorate our room!” Saks exclaimed. Christmas lights are up all around campus, illuminating sidewalks, streets and the quad. There is even a Loyola-run website for a countdown to Christmas, with different activities to explore each day.

While Christmas break is so close, students can almost taste it – and perhaps they already have, with holiday cookies and candy canes – work and finals still separate them from opening up their presents under the Christmas tree and relaxing with their families. As Brennan put it, “Christmas break is so close, yet so far away.”