Yet more relaxation opportunities for stressed out students
no worries
I’ve posted before here on several occasions about the growth in puppy rooms and other dog-related therapy offers (including Cooper the Shih Tzu at Harvard ) and similar to help students deal with exam stress. But things now seem to have reached a whole new level. Sean Coughlan on the BBC site reports on a wide range of stress-busting offers from universities around the country including micro pigs (eh?) at Exeter, knitting at Huddersfield, a ball pool in Plymouth and, a Shetland Pony at Bath Spa. How the pony is deployed to relieve exam stress is not revealed.
Leicester Students’ Union has an astoundingly comprehensive offer ranging from an egg and spoon race to free massages as well as the now traditional dog offer and petting zoo. Leicester also hosted an inflatable assault course which seems to be doing the rounds of universities and has this week appeared at the University of Nottingham too. Whilst it is all about flogging an “awesome” yet nutritious breakfast drink it does look like great fun as this video of bouncing student shows
Bouncy Fun
Bristol University is late to the party but nevertheless enthusiastic about its puppy room offer:
The university said research published in Japan suggested pictures of “cute things” such as puppies or kittens can help improve concentration levels and performance.
Jo Woods, from Bristol Students’ Union, said: “While I’m more of a cat person myself, I’m really excited that the university is providing this for students.
“It’s really important to do fun and different things to de-stress during exams and cuddling a puppy is a perfect way to release some endorphins.”
Newcastle University too seems to be focussing on the basic puppy session but what is also clear is that the Guide Dogs charity is benefiting from the fundraising opportunities this offers all over the country.
At a recent puppy de-stressing event though at the University of Central Lancashire the puppies themselves were provided with their own “chill out room”, presumably in case they too got too stressed.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design offered a “barnyard bash” to its students which included piglets, baby chickens, and kittens: “It was the first time they had turned to farm animals to offer students relief.”
So what new creative solutions to student exam stress will we see next?
