Exam anxiety!

When asked to answer a few questions about how finals week affects Pitt, one student said it… When asked to answer a few questions about how finals week affects Pitt, one student said it all.

“I’m sorry, I’m studying.”

Twice as many students use Pitt’s libraries during finals week than during a typical busy week, according to University Library Systems Administrator Greg McCormick.

With free hot chocolate and snacks starting at 11 p.m., some students spend every night at the library during finals week.

“We do like people to keep quiet,” McCormick said. “We have to remind them to keep it down, it seems louder because of the increase of stress during finals week.”

Not only are there more students, though; there’s also a lot more trash. And the maintenance staff – who usually clean overnight – often has to work around tired, stressed and anxious students.

Michele McMeans, a computer lab consultant at the Cathedral of Learning and Hillman Library, said that the scene is much the same in the computer labs.

“People get more frustrated,” she said. “They come in and freak out because stuff doesn’t print.”

James Cox, the director of Pitt’s Counseling Center, said that faculty members refer a lot of students who would not usually come in to the Counseling Center to help manage the workload.

“I wouldn’t say there’s an increase in use of the Counseling Center being used because it’s used a lot all year,” Cox said. “Some students who haven’t been keeping up with their work come in to get issues sorted out, but we can’t always help people if they wait until the end of the semester.”

“If they come in a little earlier,” he added, “we can help come up with strategies to help improve performance.”

Songwon Seo, a graduate student, studies about seven hours per day during finals week. He said that during the semester he doesn’t need to do nearly as much work.

Sophomore Dan Davis, however, said that he studies gradually.

“I think it’s better to wake up early and study that day than to stay up the night before,” Davis said.

His friend Amy Ditoto disagreed.

“I study all day during finals week because I just have more time to do it,” she said. “I only stay until probably 2 a.m. at the latest. I do need to sleep eventually.”

Unlike Ditoto, many students spend all night at the library. With two desks kept open and three student volunteers running the building, Hillman late at night turns into its own community.

“Working during finals week is not that bad as long as people are nice,” McMeans said.

Through all the stress and tension of finals week, students still find a way to take interesting study breaks.

“I remember finding maybe three to six people sleeping around the building,” McCormick said. “And intense card games sometimes happen upstairs.”