With 4 weeks left in the semester, I’m sure we’ve all reached the point where we are TOTALLY OVER IT. All aspirations for 4.0 season have been swept away by all-nighters that seemingly didn’t pay off, and classes we leave questioning if we chose the right major. Keep reading to better understand why the end-of-semester blues hit and find out how to handle them.
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At the beginning of each semester, there is hope. Hope for comprehensible exams. Hope for professors that make us believe attending their class will be worthwhile. Hope for a GPA that we can proudly share with our families.
Round 1 of exams is quickly approaching. Countless hours are spent staring longingly out the library windows, rubbing your temples and hoping the caffeine in the Mountain Dew from the vending machine will carry you through the night. You reach your first exam, eyelids burning and heart racing. It’s an hour and 20 minutes spent scratching your head, glancing around in search of worried faces to match your own. The professor calls “Time” and you walk out feeling defeated. So much time spent studying only to feel like it was all in vain. Why was your preparation seemingly just not good enough?
Round 2 of exams is here and you’re taking a different approach this time. The discouragement has already set in so there is no desire to shlump over to the library. You already believe you will do poorly regardless of preparation, so you might as well go out and have fun. Your nights are spent wildly gyrating in a poorly lit basement. Mornings are spent in search of Advil and Pedialyte. Your second round of exams goes just as poorly as the first, but this time the disappointment is different. The questions race through your mind, wondering if you could have improved this time if you actually gave it your best.
Unfortunately, as you progress in your college curriculum, discouragement after an exam is inevitable. They are designed to be unfathomably difficult.
With that being said, it is important to remember the following:
- It is okay to leave an exam and have no idea what just happened. Everyone is in the same position at some point.
- NEVER listen to the kid who leaves the room exclaiming “That was so easy!
- Your GPA does not define you or your quality as a student
- Try your best and take your time studying. But also assign time for self-care, and most importantly, SLEEP!
- Have faith in the curve. I promise it works miracles.
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