Students are Experiencing Educational Burnout this Semester

As the semester comes to an end, stress levels are high among St. Thomas University students. Professors are piling on last minute assignments, causing the students To-Do lists to only get longer.

This semester has been anything but ordinary for students. The added stress from the COVID-19 pandemic along with completing their semester online is causing a lot of students to experience educational burnout.

The transition to online learning this semester has been a learning process for all students. Even though classes were moved online for the last month and a half in the spring, there was still an adjustment period at the beginning of the semester. Students were trying to figure out how to schedule their time, how to operate the programs the professors were using and what was expected of them for the term.

“I think that there’s so many more stresses involved with this year, whether that would be travel plans, being able to see your family or whether you’re on campus or not. There are definitely more stresses involved with school that are outside of academics. So, I think burnout might be more inevitable for students,” said, STU student Ethan Nylen.

Another STU student, Ashley Thornton, agrees, “For educational burnout, I think a lot of students are suffering from that this year, especially with the pandemic.”

Students are scrambling to pass in their assignments on time but also trying to put forward their best work. Most professors have been very accommodating to students if they need extra time or help with assignments. However, emailing professors or meeting with them over Zoom or Microsoft Teams doesn’t compare to the in-person interaction that a classroom can provide.

Even though the process leading up to the completion of an assignment can be dreadful, there is no better feeling than checking things offyour to-do list or hitting the submit button on an assignment after you’ve put everything you have into getting it done.

“A lot of students are dropping classes, handing things in late or not doing things at all. I think that students are under a lot of stress and anxiety, and it’s just more than usual this year,” said Thornton.

To make matters worse, Fredericton moved into the Orange Phase due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the region, which meant that masks had to be worn inside and out, and students were supposed to have one household bubble. This left many students to study in their homes and apartments for the last two weeks of classes. While studying on campus may be a nice change for students who are stuck at home, it may not be worth the added risk. Campus buildings are now a ghost town.

Turning to caffeine to combat educational burnout has become a daily routine in some students as they try to get through the last week of classes and exam week.

Christmas break is so close yet so far for some students; the only hurdles in the way are the remaining assignments and exams they have yet to complete. However, once they are completed, the Christmas break will be well deserved for these students.

The break will allow students to relax, recharge and visit with their family so they can be prepared to start the winter term on January 11, 2020.