Resources help students with end-of-semester stress

With final exams scheduled to begin Thursday, Dec. 16, the workload for many UW–Madison students is steadily increasing. Added stress, anxiety and pressure frequently accompany the final round of tests, research papers and presentations.

In addition to the demands of academics, students may be coping with the expectations and emotions associated with a holiday season. First-year students may be anticipating the challenges of returning home for the first time after a semester away. For those students living with a mental health disorder, this time can exacerbate symptoms.

Faculty and academic staff can play a key role in helping students through this potentially difficult time period, says Dean of Students Luoluo Hong, who notes that conversations inside and outside of the classroom setting can help identify students who need additional support.

“Students who are feeling overwhelmed may need encouragement to seek support and a few simple directions about where to begin,” she says. “Individuals who are afraid or reluctant to ask for assistance, either because of cultural beliefs or personal values, may need to have help-seeking behaviors normalized. Again and again, I hear from students that a few minutes’ worth of concern from instructors has made a great difference in their lives.”

UW–Madison has a number of resources for students to effectively deal with a wide variety of problems that can interfere with their academic progress. In spite of efforts to publicize information about support services, Hong says students who aren’t experiencing an immediate problem or stressor “tune out” much of this information.

“Use your own experiences and instincts to identify student situations that may need some particular attention,” she says.

Among the key student support resources:

Campus Information & Visitor Center (CIVC), 263-2400, is the best source of up-to-date information about campus and community resources.
Academic advising information is available from each of the school and college deans’ offices. The Cross-College Advising Service, 265-5460, is a campuswide advising service designed for undergraduates who are undecided about their majors.
University Health Services, 265-5600.
Clinical Services, 1552 University Ave., provides outpatient primary medical care, nursing and prevention services.
Counseling & Consultation Services, 905 University Ave., helps students who are experiencing personal stress, career concerns, family or interpersonal conflict, general anxiety, depression or other psychological concerns.
After-hours crisis response: 265-6565.
Student Advocacy & Judicial Affairs (SAJA), Offices of the Dean of Students, 263-5700. Members of the SAJA staff are ready to assist and support students and provide consultation to faculty and staff who are dealing with student issues. Assistant deans typically respond to individual, group or institutional problems that don’t seem to “fit” in any other campus department. For help, call or stop by 75 Bascom Hall and ask to speak with the on-call dean between 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4:30 p.m.