Many students around the world are experiencing Dead Week this week. (Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_week for a definition of Dead Week.)

For those students who have been working steadily to get big papers and projects done in increments, Dead Week can be a relatively painless and somewhat amusing time. But for those who have procrastinated or let other priorities get in the way of the big projects, it can be a very stressful time including sleep deprivation, caffeine overloads, hair pulling, nail biting and anxious thoughts.

Each college and university has its expectations and traditions for this week. At my school professors do not assign large projects to be due this week and classes do not meet this week. It is a time to finish work and study for exams. At other schools a scheduled or unscheduled campus-wide Primal Scream allows students to release some tension.

Most schools offer quiet spaces for study during this week. In some schools the quiet space is the library only while other schools make quiet in the dormitories and living residences the rule.

The key to successfully surviving this week is to know your own best study practices. Some students need quiet, whereas others need some background noise. Some prefer to study individually while others find that their memory is better when group discussion is involved. Typically, large projects are best accomplished by working through them one stage at a time. However, there are always those students who do their best work when under pressure. Knowing your own learning style, taking care of basic needs (food, water, and rest) and then building in some tension reducers like a walk about campus or a Primal Scream session will help you get through this difficult week.