Wellness Center Helps Students Shake Off Exam Stress

Students aren’t the only ones with hectic schedules during exam time at Columbia University Medical Center.

Through its Relax Renew Recharge program, CUMC’s Center for Student Wellness is also busy in the weeks around finals helping students cope with the stress.

And as befitting an academic medical center, all the stress management techniques available to student are evidence-based. This semester, along with offering a steady supply of snacks and study aids, the center helped students learn how to make their own herbal tea bags, meditate, and chant. They also were offered mini containers of Play-Doh.

"Studies in adult learning indicate that having something to play with while studying increases focus for learning," says Jane Bogart, director of the center.

Relax Renew Recharge events attract hundreds of students each semester; about 80 made their way to Bard Hall last week to build their own snow globes.

The Center for Student Wellness provided the materials – including jars, plastic figurines and multiple colors of glitter – and the students provided creativity. One shake, and snow globes were born.

The Center for Student Wellness is active year-round at CUMC, organizing wellness activities and providing “one-stop shopping” for students seeking support for a variety of personal and academic issues, including roommate conflict, anxiety, and nutrition advice.