It is safe to say this has been a stressful semester, but now, finals week is upon us. Though this pandemic-era of college courses was rough on all of us students, there is a way for all of us to support each other in these last couple weeks while also maintaining safe social distance: a silent treatment. We need silence or quiet hours to be respected because noisy neighbors can be unnecessary added stress and a distraction.
It is not fun to be bombarded with annoying noise while trying to study or trying to get the rare nap. Be mindful of those around you during this time and make a healthy study space for you and those in your building. Silence is a main ingredient for a healthy and productive study space, especially for final exam week.
According to Kayla Hedman’s article published in The Washington Post, “Do not just start studying anywhere. Find a quiet, orderly place. Unfortunately, your dorm room is probably a bad place to study.”
Going to the library, campus or a coffee shop tends to be where college students live during final exam week, but that is not the best idea during this pandemic. It is safer for us to stay in our dorms or apartments to study, so we should work together to make our buildings quiet. It is disrespectful to ignore the fact our neighbors and roommates will need silence to study.
If you are someone who is having trouble with the noise levels wherever you live, do not let your grades and mental state suffer. Try to peacefully come to an understanding with your neighbors about their noisiness. Both sides should understand each other. To the noisy neighbors, they may not realize how loud they really are at all hours of the night. However, to the person who lives below them, it may sound like elephants are tap dancing while beating a drum and practicing wild banshee calls. It is probably safe to say too many of us have experienced these types of noise levels at 2 a.m., either in the dorm or an apartment. But this begs the question: how can this issue be resolved?
According to Cora Jordan with the Los Angeles Times, talking to your neighbors should be your first step to solving the problem, but you might have to report them to either the person in charge of your residence or even the police. The latter option is for when the situation gets serious, of course, and I hope the case does not reach that level to where you cannot resolve the issues on your own.
Lastly, it is not all your neighbors’ faults for why you cannot focus on your studies. You can help yourself with the noise levels around you by turning off the television or playing instrumental music if you need some non-distracting noise.
According to Brian Witte with Time, “Turning off your social media for an entire week may not be realistic or achievable for every student. Do, however, consider using it as a reward … As most people know all too well, checking news headlines can lead to an entire afternoon of watching hilarious cat videos and reading celebrity gossip.” Take responsibility for the noise and distractions around you as well, and turn off social media for a few minutes to study. The Kardashians will still be there after you pass your finals.
