Freshman Catherine Liu
Students鈥攅specially those in high school鈥攌now that academic work can be overwhelming, difficult to understand and downright stressful. Freshman Catherine Liu is no different, juggling multiple extracurricular activities with schoolwork.
Liu鈥檚 stress comes mainly from homework, studying and afterschool dance classes, along with pressure from her parents to get good grades. In terms of schoolwork, Liu finds that biology gives her the most stress because logic-based thinking is not her suite. 鈥淎ny other class is easier to figure out than biology,鈥 she said.
Despite her stress from schoolwork, Liu has found ways to cope with the challenges thereof. 鈥淚f I finish one thing, I take a break, and if I finish another thing, I take another break,鈥 she said. 鈥淥therwise I lose my mind.鈥
Liu finds dance to be a source of pressure because of its vigor and inherent competitiveness. 鈥淏allet teachers push you to your limits鈥攕ometimes even beyond your limits鈥攁nd you end up feeling like [you] don鈥檛 want to do this,鈥 she said. 鈥淸Ballet teachers] don鈥檛 show it, but they compare you to other [dancers].鈥
However, identifying the elements that create stress and managing them can be an effective way to reduce it. She also emphasizes the importance of having structure when getting tasks done. Liu uses a planner or calendar to plan commitments out. 鈥淚 try to break down homework into pieces,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 get the main ideas and work [from] there. I leave the harder topics for the end.鈥
Being a freshman, Liu doesn鈥檛 think the stress will go away any time soon. She plans on continuing to find ways to work around difficult subjects that cause stress. 鈥淭he next three years, I鈥檒l be taking more advanced courses, so stress will continue to increase, [but] I鈥檒l probably hire tutors to help me [learn the material] and relieve stress,鈥 she said.