Exam season putting pressure on Lethbridge post-secondary students

A stock photo of a student studying. (pixabay/@jarmoluk)

Final exams for the fall semester have begun at both the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College, marking the start of a commonly stressful time.

University of Lethbridge Student's Union (ULSU) president Maleeka Thomas says she's already hearing from students who are anxious.

"We're seeing a lot of our assignments that are heavily weighted are now assessed during this time, during the final part of the semester, and now we have final exams which are weighted very heavily," Thomas said.

Students aren't the only ones feeling the pressure.

Members of the wellness services team at Lethbridge College say they are dealing with an influx of students looking for support.

Intake coordinator Corrine Janzen says they see approximately 17 per cent more students during exams.

"We do have a lot of students reaching out, reaching out for stress, for mental health concerns, even physical health concerns," she said.

"In wellness services, we support mental and physical health, so we are seeing a lot of students reaching out for those things."

Despite the added work, Janzen said they are happy students are contacting them, adding that more students reaching out for help means fewer are struggling with their mental health alone.

"We're seeing more students, which means there's more demand for our services.

"It can be very stressful, but it's really great to see how many students are actually reaching out and getting the support that they need."

The University of Lethbridge is also working to help students this exam season by offering free breakfast coupons and snacks in the library to ensure students are eating.

Thomas says it's a good start, but the student's union would like to see more support.    

"What we've noticed is that it's gotten harder for our students to access counselling services on campus. It's a three to four week wait period for these students to see a counsellor, which is a big issue and we're hoping the university can put more support in terms of that," she said.

Exams will run until the15th at the Lethbridge College and until the 19th at the University of Lethbridge.