Being midway through the semester with a stacked workload, extracurricular activities and other commitments makes it difficult to study and prepare for midterm season. Students said the company of friends has been pivotal in making midterms less stressful.
Junior Shea Dauphinée said it is nice to study in Payson Library with her sorority sisters because she can relax with them while studying.
“It’s nice to find people in the library, especially since they are both a part of my sorority,” Dauphinée said.
Dauphinée said studying in the library with others has fostered a sense of community.
“After being abroad, one of the main ways I’ve connected with people back on campus is the library and study sessions,” Dauphinée said.
Studying helps students connect with one another on an intimate level, whether that be through taking breaks and chatting or simply being together during the week.
Junior Breanna Patterson said coming into the library and seeing familiar faces helps promote a supportive environment during such a stressful time.
“You’re really stressed with midterms and everything, so it’s nice to know you’re in it together,” Patterson said.
Dauphinée said when she is studying at the library, she likes to walk a lap around when she taking breaks from studying to find people to converse with mid-study session.
“I take a lap around and kinda just see if I know anybody, and then I go and just chat with them or I get a coffee,” Dauphinée said.
Junior Ali Rehm said studying with her sorority little, Blaire Bodenheimer, has helped in having moments to step away from her workload and find comfort in being in her friend’s presence.
“It’s helpful studying with a friend because you’re always able to take little brain breaks,” Rehm said. “You don’t get lonely, and you’re always with someone.”
Rehm said when studying, it can be painful and hard to concentrate, so she has found working with Bodenheimer makes the process a little more pleasant.
Dauphinée said communicating her emotions with her study buddies has helped alleviate stress.
“Being able to kind of talk through my emotions instead of sitting in them and dwelling, it is definitely very much a plus to being with people in the library,” Dauphinée said.
Dauphinée said she cherishes having a supportive and kind environment to be around.
Bodenheimer said she finds it helpful to study with a friend because it helps her stay focused when having someone studying next to her.
“I think having someone there beside you can hold you accountable so you don’t get distracted and can really focus on what you’re trying to get done,” Bodenheimer said.
Rehm and Bodenheimer said they study the most together in Payson Library and try to make their study sessions enjoyable by cracking jokes to one another.
Rehm said as a commuter, studying with her sorority little has deepened their friendship because of how consistent they are with study sessions.
“It has strengthened our friendship because it allows us to spend more time together,” Rehm said.
Midterms can be extremely stressful for students. However, with the company of friends and others in the Pepperdine community, they have been able to find the silver lining among a time of stress and cherish their close-knit relationships through study sessions.
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Contact Viviana Diaz via email: viviana.diaz@pepperdine.edu
