As the spring semester comes to a close, many students can’t help but feel relief. They are looking forward to returning home or going on vacation to take breaks and recharge for the summer before fall semester.
Hand in hand with feelings of relief are feelings of exhaustion from the tough and unforgiving class work from the spring semester.
A 2021 survey from Ohio State University showed that 71 percent of students were experiencing burnout during the month of April, which was a 31 percent increase from August of the previous year.
This shows that burnout is not only happening at other universities, but under our noses as well.
On Florida A&M’s campus, you can definitely feel the anxiety as many students are preparing and studying for finals week, getting ready for internships, and registering for summer classes.
Leidi Majors, a fourth-year business administration student, said she has been running on fumes this semester.
“I have been experiencing a burnout this past semester,” Majors said. “But with the prayer and the support of my family I’ve been pushing through.”
According to an article from EDUMED, burnout happens when you “face chronic stress over an extended period of time, manifesting in apathy, fatigue, detachment, and lack of interest in academics.”
Burnout is not only affecting those who still have a long way to go in their academics, but also those who are graduating this semester and looking to go into careers in their fields.
In an article from College Magazine, post-grad depression affects stressed out looking for jobs and the challenges of working in the corporate world.
With summer classes coming up, some students will have less recovery time from the burnout from the previous semester.
There is still an unanswered question: How would these students deal with and recover from their burnout?
According to Thrive Global, there are ways to help cope with and avoid late-semester burnout.
Some of the best ways to cope with or avoid burnout are to get sufficient rest and sleep, eat healthy and to learn when to say no.
The end of this semester should mark a brief renewal until the first classes of fall semester in August.
For those with summer classes and internships, a brief break, some rest and self-care will hopefully alleviate some of their burnout.