How to Help Your Student Worker Prep for Finals

By Lorena Roberts on December 5, 2017

As the semester comes to a close, finals are upon us. This time of year brings added stress to college campuses around the country, and if you’re a student, you dread the few days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break. All of a sudden, everything seems to be due at once, all of your grades are much lower than you remember, and your dining dollar balance is exponentially approaching zero. Students have trouble keeping themselves together, and more than likely, they’re living off back-to-back cups of coffee.

If you have a student worker and it’s time for finals, there are some great ways to support them! Working while in school is tough, and at the end of the semester, balancing work responsibilities while studying for finals (and feeling like your entire life is on the line) can be overwhelming. If you’re in the holiday spirit and you want to support your student worker during finals, here are some ideas that would be much appreciated:

via Pexels

1. Office treats.

College students rarely turn down food. Imagine walking into the office and seeing treats to snack on during work. You’d appreciate it, wouldn’t you? So would they.

Sometimes finals week overwhelms students with the need for foods that are sugary and meant to comfort. However, sometimes finals make students crave granola bars and water! Upperclassmen usually opt for the healthier choice because they’ve had sugary finals foods for years now. Maybe consider stocking the office with lots of options for treats instead of just the typical candies that we all know college students enjoy.

2. Flexibility.

Without implying that their work duties come second, most students appreciate being able to multitask while at work. If there’s anything that can wait another few days to be complete, treat your student worker with the flexibility to focus on studying for their finals before they focus completely on their to-do list at work.

However, some students prefer being able to take a break from studying and work on something else. If there’s anything you can give your student worker that allows them to be creative and relax a little, finals week is a good week to assign them that task.

3. Care package.

Care packages are easily the greatest part of being in college. Getting a big box from someone who cares about you with all the necessary food items to make you feel comfortable is the preferred way for college students to feel loved. If you’re feeling extra giving and you want to make your student worker truly love you, a care package is FOR SURE the way to go.

Some things to include in a nice care package:

- Anything microwaveable.

- Fuzzy socks.

- Homemade treats.

- Gift card(s)

- Cookies

- A handwritten card about how proud you are!

4. Pay attention to their mental health.

Discussions about mental health are on the incline. It’s just as important as your physical health and we’re finally taking notice of how many people truly struggle with staying mentally healthy. In fact, 1 in 4 adults between 18 and 24 have a mental illness.

If you notice your student seeming to struggle to stay afloat, ask them how they are doing. Genuinely showing concern for their mental health will allow them to breathe a little bit, just knowing they are cared for. Plus, if they really are having trouble getting through everything, you’ll have opened the door for them to confide in you.

5. Make them laugh.

Giving college students a reason to laugh is the easiest way to help them relieve stress. By sending them funny YouTube videos, or leaving them funny jokes on sticky notes, you’ll give them a moment to breathe, even if it’s just a moment.

6. Give them a hug.

If you have any kind of personal relationship with your student worker, offer to take all the stress off by just giving them a hug. It can feel so daunting to walk into finals week, especially if you don’t feel prepared. If your student worker has been putting in hours at a job instead of studying, it could be possible that they are feeling even more overwhelmed than their peers. It’s especially tough to go through finals without an immediate support system around you, and while that is usually their group of friends, those friends have also been thrown into the whirlwind of finals. If you can be the light of their day by offering to just give them a hug, I’m sure your student worker would appreciate it.

All in all…

Anything you do to attempt to make finals a bit less stressful will be appreciated by your student worker. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get it just right, even trying will mean the world. As a college student myself, I know how it feels to go up against what could determine your life path. While it may or may not be true, finals week makes it feel that way.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get College Recruiting News Monthly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format