This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.
Your birthday is supposed to be the one day a year where you’re entitled to do anything you want. It’s your day after all, so you should be allowed to celebrate it, right? For those of us born in late April and early May, however, our birthday dreams are dashed by the fact that our day falls during finals week. While this time of year is stressful for all college students, us Tauruses have to push through the long hours of studying knowing that the week robs us of our birthday aspirations. This seems depressing, but don’t despair yet fellow Taureans! As bad as the situation may seem, there are hidden perks that result from it. Here are my top six reasons why it actually rocks that your birthday falls during finals week.
1. People feel bad for you and go out of their way to make your day special
While I’m usually not one for pity parties, I secretly appreciate that people remember my birthday out of the sympathy that they have for me. Without that sympathy, my birthday would be easily overlooked due to the stress that everyone’s under from finals. I personally feel that the people who go out of their way to wish me a happy birthday are the ones that truly care about me. This may sound dramatic, but think about it this way: these people are willing to sacrifice time that they need to spend studying in order to brighten my day and make my birthday special. This lets me know who my true friends are, as they are the ones who voluntarily make me a priority despite the craziness of finals week. Whether you’re willing to welcome a pity party with open arms, or you want to make sure your true friends know about your dire birthday situation, celebrating your day during finals week is a plus because mostly everyone remembers your pain and wants to help you take the stress out of your day.
2. You have a legit excuse now to lose it over studying for exams
Okay, so you probably would have lost it anyway because it’s finals week, but having your birthday during this time makes it even more acceptable for you to openly freak out over everything. I’ve found that no one judges you once you loudly rant about how you have four essays, two projects, and three finals on your birthday, with the worst one being an 8 am. If anything, the people around you are mentally thanking their lucky stars that they’re not dealing with your situation, and they’ll feel more sympathetic toward you since they’re assuming that you won’t have time to party it up afterwards. Now don’t worry, Tauruses, I promise you that we will get to party; my point in saying this is to encourage you to take advantage of others’ sympathetic presumptions. You’ll feel better actually having permission from others to outwardly rant about how life just hates you.
3. Everyone will remember your birthday on Facebook because they’ll all be procrastinating
Finals week brings on massive stress, and most people deal with that stress by procrastinating online for several hours at a time. This coping mechanism actually works in your favor because most of your friends will log onto Facebook to de-stress and see reminders about posting on your wall for your birthday. This is a pro for those who love having pity parties, but even if you hate people pitying you, think about it: you’ll be stressed out of your mind come finals week, so wouldn’t you want people to remember your day to make you feel better? For me, people remembering my birthday on Facebook is both an extremely kind gesture as well as a great coping mechanism for myself to come to terms with the fact that I’m celebrating my birthday during finals week.
4. Your situation is a potential way to play to your Professor’s or TA’s sympathies
Okay, so this doesn’t work on everything, but bringing up that it’s your birthday to your professors and TA’s in classes that you’re struggling in may evoke their sympathies enough to scale your final grade a bit. In some classes, it’s wishful thinking, but I know several friends of mine with birthdays during finals week who have been able to successfully grade grub in the past because they mentioned this unfortunate fact to the right professor or TA. For all you know, your professor may take pity on you, so it’s worth trying if you feel like your finals didn’t go nearly as well as you hoped.
5. You have reason to spontaneously buy too many gifts for yourself for your birthday
Many Collegiettes relate to using shopping as a coping mechanism for stress, and since your stress level’s going to be at an all-time high due to finals week and not getting to celebrate your birthday the way you wanted to, you have a reason to justify spending a crapload of money on gifts for yourself. It’s your birthday, so treat yourself to online shopping sprees during your study breaks. I’ve already bought a Modcloth dress to wear on my birthday as I take my finals, because I know I’ll only do well if I look and feel good inside and out.
6. If your birthday falls on May 4th like mine, you’re sharing your day with Star Wars
The majority of Tauruses that are forced to celebrate their birthdays during finals week are those born in early May, and I’m among them as my birthday is on May 4th. For me and my other May 4th babies, our birthday seems more bearable to face since it’s on National Star Wars Day (may the fourth be with you, peeps). Hearing my friends shout this at me at all hours of the day is a funny way of brightening my day and lightening the stress that I’m always facing at this time. It’s also just pretty freaking cool that I share a birthday with a holiday celebrating the Star Wars franchise. I mean, who doesn’t feel happy knowing that their birth date is universally associated with one of the best movie franchises of all time?
