Stress is escapable

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The November burnout has begun.

While school should remain a top priority for students, stress has many impacts on health that are worth paying attention to.

Laurier, unlike some universities, has no fall reading week, which means that the semester is crammed into a quick, overwhelming 12 weeks.

On top of the pressure to just keep on top of the various assessments thrown in front of them, students also have to deal with external pressures that can come from family, coaches, employers and scholarships, which enforce high expectations.

Stress is also furthered with unrealistic late penalties. Even though some students do take advantage of lenient professors or โ€œdoctorโ€™s notes,โ€ many just want to hand in something better that would be possible to complete with more time.

Some professors have an earlier due date that guarantees comments, or a later due date where only a mark is received. This allows students to work within their own time frames, depending on the rest of their academic schedule.

It can often appear to be impossible to juggle school with work, extra-curricular activities and day-to-day life. This can become a daunting situation with no escape, but at the end of the day, it is imperative that students value their physical and mental health.

Laurier offers counseling services that can help students cope with anxiety, depression, personal crises and post-traumatic stress, among other things.
Professors are also usually sympathetic to the challenges of student life and may be willing to make accommodations.

The Writing Center also offers valuable advice with essays for those that are struggling.

It is part of university to learn how to manage everything and evaluate what kind of student you are, but it is also important to recognize when you need to use the resources on campus that make the November burnout a little less overbearing.


Serving the Waterloo campus, The Cord seeks to provide students with relevant, up to date stories. Weโ€™re always interested in having more volunteer writers, photographers and graphic designers.