Whether it’s the looming fear of graduating or the loss of motivation, I’ve noticed that April is the most exhausting, taxing, and brutal month, especially for a college student. April sucks.
According to the Frontiers in Psychology article “Academic stress and Mental Well-Being in College Students: Correlations, Affected Groups, and COVID-19,” academic stress is one of the main stress factors affecting college students.
California Lutheran University’s Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Anna Guerin said in an email interview that burnout comes from the pressures of doing well academically, whether external or internal. However, Guerin also stated that those are not the only reasons behind burnout, and that it can also be caused by other factors.
“More signs of stress and anxiety may appear as students head closer to finals due to the potential psychological and academic stress that can occur,” Guerin wrote. “For some students, there may be fear or concern of ending the semester with very high or ‘perfect’ grades and this can add to burnout.”
Junior Chain-Yow “Amber” Wey said that she has mixed feelings about reaching the last stretch of the semester because she is not as confident in her academic performance, especially for certain courses.
“That’s killing me right now because it’s really hard to study for the class [Organic Chemistry II]. So, I’m stressing about the final, and the last exam of the class, which is exam three, like it’s just very close together,” Wey said.
I work to manage and plan out my day accordingly, but the end of the spring semester just feels like everything is piling up. It’s suffocating. I don’t have sufficient time to do everything that I need to do, especially if I want a passing grade.
A TikTok video created by the user @bluemarinebae was reposted by several of my mutuals. Whether it be the blatant truth or simply just a feeling, the video sparked some sense of relatability for many college students.
Perhaps it’s the pressure of being a first-generation college student, the internal pressure to make my parents proud, or the desire to want everything to be perfect, but it’s just too much. And it takes a toll on my motivation, both academically and personally.
“Fear of failure can lead to perfectionism or avoidance. I think we need to remember that as humans we learn from mistakes and to not internalize a mistake as, “I am dumb, I am not good enough.” Instead reframe it as, “I just had the opportunity to learn, although the feeling is uncomfortable I can grow from this,” Guerin said in an email interview.
A study from Frontiers in Psychology found that higher levels of academic stress were linked to better mental well-being among college students in the United States. This suggests that the factors for academics, like expectations, workload, grading, and how students see themselves academically, are significant for their psychological well-being.
In other TikTok videos, users show how students work through the lack of motivation while expressing their emotions through music or captions.
In one video, user @syllenias_s wrote, “2 more weeks #fyp #studytok.” She received over 190,000 likes and over 9600 shares. The video was posted on April 22, 2025.
In another video, user @josiehhirschman captioned her post, “It’s pathetically true.” Her video received 1 million likes and over 67,000 shares. Similar to the previous example, the video was posted on April 21, 2025 and received thousands of reshared. Clearly, there is a common theme that is relatable to many students.
Guerin said there are various resources Cal Lutheran offers its students, including CAPS services, TimelyCare, Health Services, the campus ministry, and activities provided by Wellness Resources.
Finals and the end-of-year stress are universal feelings that everyone experiences differently. However, at the end of the day, no one is alone. April sucks, but the least we can do is remind ourselves to take breaks and take care of ourselves.
