3/3/2023
Hi everyone! I hope you are well! In this week’s blog, I’m going to give you an overview into what a week at Amherst looks like outside of classes, and some of my thoughts on stress management and mental health. Please email me if you have any questions at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu.
This week at Amherst
The biggest topic of discussion on campus this week was the presence of a new social media app called Fizz. For a week, students sat at tables at the front of our dining hall and gave out donuts to people who downloaded the app. This proved to be very effective, and in a week, more than 1000 students had downloaded the app and made accounts. Fizz was created to create social media communities by college campuses, so the only people on my Fizz feed are people with verified Amherst email addresses. It reminds me a bit of Reddit, and while I don’t think we need any more social media apps, people can be very funny on it. The student newspaper at Amherst wrote an article about Fizz: here is the link.
Snow day and stress management
A big non-event at Amherst this week was the lack of snow day on Tuesday. Monday night saw about eight inches of snow, and we were all hoping for a snow day on Tuesday, especially considering this week was a peak week for midterm exams. Unfortunately for all of us who wanted a day off, Amherst staff were up plowing snow and salting walkways (very very loudly – everyone woke up) from about 4 AM onward to ensure we could all go to class. I’m glad I don’t have any classes to make up, but I really would’ve liked a snow day.
Just like in high school, sometimes schedules just work out so that you have what seems like dozens of tests and assignments due during the same week. That was this week for me – the combination of several assignments, labs, and exams made it unpleasant and overwhelming (and left me wanting a snow day). Talking to my friends and going on runs helped reduce my stress and make me feel better. I highly recommend finding stress-management skills and coping mechanisms for those tough, overwhelming days before you get to college. I find I am much happier and my mental health is improved since I nailed down what helps me handle stress.
In general, Amherst tries to emphasize the importance of mental health and well-being on campus. There are often events showcasing the importance of sleep, exercise, and hobbies for students. Also, Amherst’s counseling center helps students handle stress management, among other difficulties. They have several therapists that students can meet with for free, which I recommend if you ever feel like you could benefit from therapy.
Thank you for reading!