Midterms heighten Bruin angst

Midterms heighten Bruin angst

By Allyssa Lee

With the advent of fifth week, UCLA students have undergone
somewhat of a metamorphosis.

Bright eyes and cheery faces are being replaced by heads
despondently buried in books, bloodshot eyes starved of sleep and
prostrate bodies strewn across various grassy knolls.

To many students, the onslaught of midterms was a rude
awakening. No longer are there the freedoms accompanied with the
beginning of the quarter.

"When midterms come around, I spend a lot of time trying to
catch up on what I missed during the first couple weeks," said Luke
Lee, a second-year civil engineering student. "It seems like I’m
cramming everything."

Others said they had to alter some aspect of their lifestyle to
prepare for the upcoming invasion of papers and exams.

"I was supposed to go skiing last weekend but I had a midterm
Monday," said Adam Feldman, a third-year business/economics student
and member of the UCLA Alpine Ski Team. "But that’s school. I am
here, I guess, to study. But I (study) around my social life."

Indeed, many students declared they tended to stay in more often
to study. Even so, some Westwood businesses have not seen a
significant decline in their business.

"They come and go, they ebb and flow," said Dan Snook, manager
of Stratton’s Bar and Grill. "(The amount of students) doesn’t
really fluctuate that much, only the demographics of the people
change. But students don’t come here as much as they used to. I
think the caliber of the student has gone up. I know I like to hang
out at coffee shops myself."

Coffee shops have become somewhat of a shelter for students,
providing them with both caffeine sustenance and a place to study.
Linda Walewski, assistant manager at Borders Books and Music, said
the store is a popular hangout for studying Bruins.

"We certainly promote education and we’re close to the
university for that atmosphere. We don’t have as many students back
in (the rotunda) area because of the change in the structure of the
store. But certainly (we have a lot of students studying) in the
cafe."

Studying Bruins who have not escaped the campus complained of
noise problems in the dorms.

"Living in the dorms is kind of stressful because the people
around you are so loud," Lee said. "A lot of times for me it’s my
neighbors because the walls are so thin."

Others said midterms have caused them to be preoccupied with
their academic status. Danielle Forlano, eighth-floor resident
assistant at Dykstra Hall, said she has noticed increased
concerns.

"People are coming to me as an RA with concerns about their
academic careers. Stress levels are higher than usual. I’ve just
had people come to me and say that they’re stressed or have
procrastinated."

According to students, procrastination seems to play a big role
in students’stress levels.

"Usually you flake around all quarter and you get all
panicky,"said Mi Kyung Kim, an anthropology student. "But I’m a
fourth year (student) now, so I’m trying to improve. The fear of
having to pay for being lazy motivates me. It stops being funny
when you have to pay for your consequences."