Even though the school year is drawing to a close, it is not yet time for celebration as the anxiety of finals week catches up to students.

Some sit huddled in the Booth Library, surrounded by mounds of books and papers.

Others bunker down in their homes or lounges across campus.

Still others took advantage of Monday’s warm, dry weather and worked outdoors, sitting on the Doudna Steps or laying out on the quads.

For some students, the end of the semester means cramming sessions and late-night rushes to complete projects and other assignments.

Kara Feeney, a senior communication studies major, said she has a lot of projects due this week and is working on putting the finishing touches on each.

Her strategy for handling stress is to being productive and keeping track of what work has yet to be done.

“Try to plan out your week so that you don’t leave too many assignments to the last minute and you can keep on top of them,” Feeney said.

She said she de-stresses by spending her lunch breaks jogging on treadmills at the Student Recreation Center.

“I was probably more stressed out about my (general education) finals,” Feeney said, adding that she does not care about math or science. “Once I got done with the classes I didn’t like, I would say I got less stressed.”

Feeney is not alone in working out.  Clifton Moore, a senior marketing major, also exercises to relieve stress.

Moore works part-time, though, so he does not always have the opportunity to go to the gym when anxiety hits.

“(I) sit back, take a couple deep breaths, try to balance everything,” he said.

Moore said he has struggled with “senioritis,” or a lack of motivation generally associated with upcoming graduation.

“I procrastinate a lot,” he said. “I realize that the earlier I prepare, the less stressed I’ll be towards the end, which hasn’t always been the case this semester.”

A key stressor for Moore during finals week will be finding time to spend with his friends before he graduates and leaves Eastern for a job he has lined up.

Moore and Leo Altamirano, a graduate student studying biological sciences, agree that group projects are less stressful.

“It takes the pressure off a little bit,” Moore said.

Selena Castillo, a senior management major and a friend of Moore’s, said she has gotten a handle on her stress since arriving at Eastern as a freshman.

“This time a couple years ago, I was ready to pull my hair out,” Castillo said. “What’s the use of stressing if you know you have to do (your work) anyway?”

Despite upcoming exams, Lindsay Spitz, a senior biological sciences major, remains calm.

“I’m not stressed at all,” Spitz said.

Spitz, who transferred to Eastern in the summer of 2016, said she took four classes this semester.  Two of them were half-semester courses ending at midterm time, Spitz said.

With two finals left, Spitz said she feels more at ease.  She has completed every project, eliminating her greatest source of stress – multiple assignments due at once.

Mikayla Willoughby, a junior communication disorders and sciences major, said she is taking five classes and tends to get sick around finals week.  Regardless, she said she has a lighter load this year, owing to presentations instead of exams in two classes.

“I don’t mind tests, either…as long as you’re smart about your time,” Willoughby said. “We’ve had the whole semester.”

Mallory Kutnick can be reached at 581-2812 or mbkutnick@eiu.edu.