By: Gabriella McClellan | Guest Contributor
LYNCHBURG, Va. — As the spring semester comes to a close at the University of Lynchburg, the HornetCare team implores students struggling with academic burnout to confide in the university’s mental health support system.
End-of-semester academic burnout can feel isolating for students, despite being a nationwide obstacle that university students face.
College students across the U.S. echo these frustrations, with a Gallup-Lumina Foundation study finding that 54% of university students cite emotional stress as a reason for dropping out.
On the University of Lynchburg’s campus, Christina Olsen, the director of academic advising, charges more than just final exams as being academic stressors. The pressure of fall registration, housing, and graduation requirements is a major culprit of student stress.
“One of the difficulties is all the information that we send out is through email, which also creates a lot more stress and burnout,” Olsen said. “With just new systems popping up all over the place, it’s sometimes just difficult to figure out how to balance it.”
As Lynchburg works to support students experiencing academic and administrative fatigue, the HornetCare team deploys digital resources such as TimelyCare to help students with inflexible schedules.
Courtney Zongrone, director of counseling services, urges students to utilize the campus support networks available to them through the university.
“It’s been a nice way of actually expanding services,” Zongrone said about TimelyCare. “I think what it does is just opens gates for students who don’t have as much flexibility in the schedule.”
To avoid entering a psychological crisis, Zongrone also urges students to address their basic physical needs first. She recommended a simple drink of water and a meal to significantly curb stress.
Students who feel burnt out can schedule a consultation with the university’s HornetCare team.
