Written by Tyler Schendel | Archived Nov. 10, 2020

With final exams coming up next week, college students around the country are feeling the pressure of the end of the semester. Luckily, UMD students have access to a number of stress relieving activities and study areas to help reduce stress levels and feel prepared going into the semester’s final week.

Here are five activities and places around UMD that can help students prepare for finals week.

Stress-Less Week at the library:

From Dec. 3-8, the Kathryn A. Martin Library will be the host of Stress-Less Week, a week of planned activities in the campus library that are meant to alleviate the burden of finals week. Library staff and academic advisors will hand out free coffee and hot cocoa Monday through Friday starting at 8 a.m. in the library entrance.

Stress-Less Week will also include an activity table with board games all week in the library atrium, and students will get a chance to make their own stress balls on Thursday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. One of the most popular parts of Stress-Less Week is PAWS (Pet Away Worry and Stress), in which representatives from Animal Allies and Humane Educators bring animals on campus on Dec. 6 for students to pet and play with.

College Finals Relief Night:

On Sunday, Dec. 10, The Vineyard Church will host a 24-hour finals relief night that will include free professional massages, live music, free food and coffee, therapy dogs, karaoke, video games, dodgeball, silent study rooms with Wi-Fi access and even big screen movies. Students that attend will have the option to study and prepare for their finals or to relieve their stress with the list of activities provided.

This free event takes place from 4 p.m. on Dec. 10 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 11 and will take place at the Vineyard Church on 1533 W. Arrowhead Rd.

Tutoring Center and Writers’ Workshop:

Students looking for last-minute tutoring or writing advice can stop by the second floor of the Kathryn A. Martin Library, which features the UMD Tutoring Center and the Writers’ Workshop. The tutoring services at UMD provide free drop-in tutoring for biology, business, chemistry, computer science, engineering, languages, math, statistics and physics. The tutors are comprised of high-achieving undergraduate students who are dedicated and knowledgeable on their subjects.

The Writers’ Workshop provides free consultations from graduate students or faculty writing consultants for any stage of the writing process, no matter the subject. Located in the Securian Learning Commons on the library’s second floor, the Writers’ Workshop is available to anyone looking to improve their writing skills, including undergraduate and graduate students along with staff and faculty.

Greenhouse:

UMD features two greenhouses on campus that are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. throughout the year. While these facilities are often utilized for a number of classes, many students don’t know that these greenhouses are places to find a quiet, relaxing study space. The greenhouses at UMD feature over 450 species of flowers, orchids, ferns and fruit trees, and is often used by biology researchers, but students are welcome to sit down in the greenhouse for a quiet study area as well.

The Underground Lounge:

Located in the Kirby Student Center, directly beneath the Kirby lounge, the Underground Lounge is one of the most hidden and unnoticed study areas on campus. This quiet, uncrowded study space features a number of study areas, pool tables, occasional music and games, and more. Students can visit the Underground Lounge both for its stress relieving activities and for its quiet study environment.