by Author Name Withheld 145

Created on: August 01, 2008

Magazines are often filled with, what we refer to in the industry as, "How-to articles." It turns out that creativity was invented after journalism.

Anyway, these articles give simple steps or advice to accomplish a certain task. They may teach how to program a VCR, how to train for a marathon or how to not get caught harboring a cat in your apartment/dorm. Most of these articles have long lists or many steps that, even if you do read through the whole list, you would be so worn out from the brain activity you wouldn't have the strength to actually do anything.

But this how-to article is different. It's just one step. And it will teach you everything you need to know about how to not be so stressed about school.

College is a difficult time. Not only are there the demands of academia, but also of friendsia and churchia. On top of all that, tests and projects seem to congregate into the same weeks, which is most likely because all of your professors hate you. As the stress builds, you wonder what you can do to overcome the burden.

So here is the one-step answer to a stress-free college experience:

Stop caring.

Most college students have a misconception that if they work hard, they'll have a better future. This is usually because they have been raised by parents who value "commitment" and "hard work" and "children who don't waste the tuition money we're giving you."

An even greater misconception is that getting a degree will make a difference for your career. In reality, plenty of people have made it in the real world without college degrees. And many who have college degrees never use them. Life is pretty much the luck of the draw, so you're either going to make it big or you're doomed to forever clip coupons, watch Maury Povich and any other poor-person stereotype you can think of.

And deep down inside, no one is really THAT committed to education. People just convince themselves they care about their schooling because they think that's what they should do. But there's no point in pretending to be someone you're not.

Don't pretend to be smart if you're actually stupid. Don't pretend to be diligent if you're actually a slacker. Don't pretend to be a math major if deep down inside you're actually a musician or something ridiculous like that.

So with all this in mind, school should be a lot less stressful for you. You won't need to study for tests, you won't bother with projects and you won't care what your final grades are.

But I suppose there are some who disagree with this mindset. Fine. Here are two other suggestions to limit your stress level, specifically during the most stressful part of the year: finals week.

Usually by the time finals roll around, everyone is already burnt out, so try convincing your professors to have finals at the beginning of the semester, before everyone reaches the "I hate everything about school" level. That way, it won't be such a rough experience.

The other idea is to take all your finals the first day of finals week. Go to the testing center and take one right after the other. Get your professors to let you take any in-class tests early. Just get them all out of the way. Then you'll have an extra few days with no classes, no tests and you can just sit back and relax, entertained as you watch all of your roommates stress out as they continue to study.

So now that you have this great advice, enjoy your new stress-free life!

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