It’s the exam season, with students facing the angst of revision and pre-exam nerves. But in a growing tradition, universities and student unions are making increasingly elaborate efforts to tackle stress. Here are some of the de-stressing tactics.
- Bouncy castle at the University of Leicester can shake off their exam anxiety with an inflatable castle.
- Micro pigs: Students at the University of Exeter are being offered small pigs to help ease their exam fears.
- Knitting at the University of Huddersfield and it’s a good cause, supporting Age UK!
- Shetland pony: Bath Spa University is backing a Shetland pony as the best way of cutting stress.
- Adult ball pool: It’s not just children in shopping centres who can loll around in pits filled with brightly coloured plastic balls. Students at the University of Plymouth want something similar during the exam season, in a Stress Less Ball Pool. They want to raise funds for a ball pool big enough for 50 students at a time
- Primal screaming: This is a tradition for students in the United States. Harvard, Northwestern, and Columbia all have sessions of stress-busting primal screaming. At Northwestern in Illinois students howl on the Sunday evening before finals week.
- Bearded dragons: Students at Reading University have opted out of fur and feathers and gone for reptiles and creepy crawlies.
For more information go to www.bbc.co.uk/news/education
by Sean Coughlan, Education correspondent
