ST. PETER, MN — As we approach the middle of the school year, many students interested in continuing their higher education are either considering or filling out applications to graduate school. The Career Development Office is a great place to receive advice and support during the stressful journey of trying to gain a Masters or PhD. However, Career Development recognizes that this process “blows chunks,” as students sometimes put it, and they have risen to the challenge by offering a science-backed alleviating resource for all students: a big ass paper bag to scream into when the going gets tough. 

Studies have shown that sometimes the best release for all the stress we experience has to be pretty guttural, and screeching into a brown bag like there’s no tomorrow has yielded positive results in reducing student anxiety surrounding their graduate applications. “We’ve been handing out paper sacks since the middle of fall term and we go through our weekly supply in about three days, kids can-NOT get enough of them!” states Cynthia Favre, Director of Vocation and Career Readiness Programs in the Development Office.

If you walk through any upperclassmen dorm, you can hear the muffled screams of students writing personal statements, awkwardly emailing for letters of recommendation, or trying their best to memorize all their GRE vocabulary words. Luckily, all those wails of anguish are perfectly quieted in those convenient little baggies. 

“Honestly, the scream bags saved my sanity. I’m applying to three professional programs and two masters and my life was a living hell before I had somewhere to put all this frustration and confusion” shared senior Sociology major Sheridan Meeker, who was actually clutching her slightly soggy paper bag in hand during her statement.

“I’ve gotten into a really good rhythm with my bag” stated Junior Biology major Matt Mattison “I wake up, nab my bag off my nightstand, give a little scream to start off on a good note and use the rest of the morning to study for my entrance exam to med school”. Career Development is considering sharing their resource with the Counseling Center, offering primal relief to even more students across campus.