The Price of Motivation

By: Christopher Lewis

For many college students, coming back to school after the Thanksgiving break can be extremely stressful. Students are facing burnout, lack of motivation, and lack of preparation. With finals just two weeks after returning from break, students are left scrambling to find the time and energy it takes to prepare for these tests.

Some students are left dreading this week as they are mentally checked out. To get away from the stress and worry, many students are relying on leisure activities to get them through these last few weeks.

Sophomore William Bainbridge is a student at SUNY Brockport is dealing with the stress of finals week.

William Bainbridge Brockport, N.Y (Photo Credit: William Bainbridge)

“When I am feeling stressed, especially during the week of finals, I like to run…I run track and cross country for the school, so each practice is like a mental reset that allows me to focus in on homework and studying once I am done,” says Bainbridge.

Bainbridge doesn’t see coming back to school as an issue in fact, he sees Thanksgiving break as the perfect time to reset and rework his mind.

“I think for me it is not difficult, Thanksgiving break gives me the opportunity to reset and then I can focus the rest of the two and a half weeks on finals,” says Bainbridge.

According to Penn State University, in order to take away the dread of coming back to school after the Thanksgiving break, students now have the option to take classes and finals asynchronously.

Old Main State College, PA (Photo Credit: Flickr)

Aiden Gagne is a sophomore at Penn State and is adjusting to the change in finals.

“It’s up to the professor whether your final is in person or online; since last year I have seen a huge shift in how finals work and this year I was able to stay home after break because I have no tests in person,” says Gagne. “I think the school doing this has changed the morale of many students and I would love to see other schools make the same change.”

Students at SUNY Brockport have differing opinions on the suggested change. Some students think the shift would be beneficial whereas other students see the shift as unnecessary.

SUNY Brockport sign Brockport, N.Y. (Photo Credit: Christopher Lewis)

Brockport sophomore Lily Augustine is a student that finds the change to be unnecessary.

“Staying home I know for myself that I would get no work done; I need to be in an environment that pushes me to stay motivated,” says Augustine.

Brockport sophomore Aiden Sobrino sees this change as something that would be beneficial to his academic performance.

“Going home for Thanksgiving I get used to being back home and I feel more adjusted and more like myself; going back to school for only two weeks I have to readjust on top of stressing about finals… If I had the opportunity to stay home, I would take it,” says Sobrino.

Despite the temporary stress brought on by finals week, students should remember to prioritize their well-being and do what is best for themselves.