Maxi France
Connector Staff

As the end of the semester approaches, anxiety is an issue that many UMass Lowell students contend with. According to the Winter 2025 Healthy Minds survey, 32% of UMass Lowell students reported having had an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. This information suggests that as midterms rolled around this October, UMass Lowell students may have experienced increased stress and anxiety.  

Additionally, a 2024 survey by MentalHealth.com revealed that 31% of college students identified finals and midterms as their top sources of stress.  

This statistic reflects the perspective of senior Margaleet Katzenblickstein, an English major. “I would say typically it does increase my stress levels,” she said of the midterm season. This displays how colleges must address ongoing test anxiety to improve overall well-being. As students juggle exams, projects and tight deadlines, the growing discussion around mental health has become central to campus life. 

Amy Lam, a senior public health major, also recognized the severity of the problem. “I don’t have that many midterms, so it’s not stressing me out too much,” she said. But she also mentioned that her perspective might not align with those who have more midterms.  

On the positive side, a 2024 Talkspace article recognized that some types of anxiety are situational, which can apply to midterm anxiety. And research has suggested that seeking help for anxiety can make a difference. In a 2022 study by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) at Penn State University on the effectiveness of college counseling centers, the researchers found that 52.6% of students showed improvement in at least one area of mental health, such as anxiety or depression after receiving counseling services.  

Both students recommended seeking out similar services on campus during the midterm season. Katzenblickstein said that UMass Lowell offers group therapy programs for students experiencing anxiety. Lam said that students could visit the Wellness Center, a calming on-campus resource located on the third floor of University Crossing. 

Additionally, communication with professors could help alleviate anxiety during midterms.  

“Make sure you’re telling your professors how you feel,” Lam said. “Shoot them an email, like, ‘I’m feeling unsure about the midterms. Could you clarify some questions?’” 

Katzenblickstein demonstrated why this is important, telling a story about the days before an exam. 

She said, “I just hadn’t been taking very good notes … so, because I was nervous about how I was progressing, I did make a specific office hour to meet with my professor and she helped me with making a good system for taking notes.” Her instructor emphasized using bullet points and subpoints for her notes. 

“I would say after that I definitely felt better in the class,” she said.  

In addition to counseling, both seniors shared practical study habits they rely on. Lam would practice spaced repetition and would study notes for five minutes and take a one hour break. Katzenblickstein would engage in active recall by making herself practice quizzes. Research has supported these methods: a 2014 study by Pastötter et al. found that recall testing reduces both test anxiety and the mental effort that students perceive during exams. 

For helping with anxiety about papers, Katzenblickstein said that she has shown her work to professors to identify problem areas while Lam said that students could meet the professor during office hours. 

When asked about how to help stop midterm anxiety from affecting students, Lam proposed a collaborative solution. She said, “I feel like open discussion can help. For public health classes, in one of the classes we held a debate … eventually people were having conversation and that kind of broke the ice … so having in-person discussions about anxiety in class, maybe forming a circle would help.”  

Katzenblickstein was confident that academic anxiety in students can improve over time.  

“I would say the more I’ve gotten used to it, the more I know what to expect. I don’t have much anxiety about tests at this point, especially compared to freshman year,” she said. 

All in all, anxiety during the midterm season can be challenging for students to deal with, but hope is not lost—with coping strategies and healthy habits, students can manage their stress and perform at their best.