Its that time of year again on colleges all across the country. Final Exams before everyone goes home from Christmas Break. This year more then any other year grades are weighing very heavy on students minds. With a job market so competitive that only the top students will be hired to work in the career they went to college for they are more stressed out and it is showing. Colleges and Universities have long had extended library hours, study rooms open late, study break snacks, and school therapist available during final exams.
This year Tufts University has decided that is just not enough and they needed to break out the big dogs to deal with the stress in their students. Quite literally the dorms are going to the dogs this year. For the first time ever Resident Advisers have borrowed a few dogs to bring on campus to help calm students. As animal lovers we all know that having pets around is calming and that a good belly rub can help release stress. Tufts is counting on that to help their students get through finals with a smile on their face.
Therapy dogs have long been used to cheer up the sick and elderly. But more colleges are embracing the idea as a stress reliever and a way to engage students, said Brian Van Brunt, president of the American College Counseling Association.
Ohio's Oberlin College, which also uses therapy dogs, allows students to dance for five minutes in the library during exam time. "These events help students acknowledge the fact that you have to put these more stressful times in perspective," said Lori Morgan Flood, director of wellness and health promotion at Oberlin. "You'll get through it."