It’s that time of the semester again. Finals. Our favorite time of the school year. But no matter if we like them or not, we’ve got to push through the hellish end of the semester to make it home for winter break. Like the stages of grief, there are multiple stages of emotions we go through during finals week. They can happen in any order and can recur many times before your finals are finished. You might have already gone through some of them!
1. Freak Out
Usually the first step in this sequence happens after getting back from Thanksgiving break. Before break, we have total confidence that we’ll have enough time to get everything done. But surprise! We usually dramatically underestimate the amount of work we actually have to do and also the amount of time we have to complete it. On top of that unwanted wake up call, professors seem to add more work on top of what they had already assigned. December hits us like a ton of bricks!
2. Mental Breakdown(s)
After we accept that fact that we have a sh*t ton of stuff to do in a crazy short amount of time, our mind starts slowly going crazy. Trying to cram three months of material from five classes into two weeks doesn’t sit well with our mental capacity. These breakdowns manifest themselves as:
Uncontrollable crying at everything and anything…
…hyperventilation or panic attacks…
…napping anywhere you can and whenever you can…
…or trying to cope with the stress however you can…
3. Cramming
Once we get a couple breakdowns out of the way, it’s time to crack down and hit the books. The key is to stay awake and work like the wind!
Coffee is a must.
No sleep for you! You need to study.
No free time either! Studying is now your life until finals are over.
When it’s 11:55 p.m. and it’s due at 11:59 p.m.
4. Giving up
At this point, you have done all you can do. You accept the fact that you probably won’t do so hot on your final exams, but you don’t care anymore.
You’re unable to feel any emotions because you’re drained.
You sit in the shower just contemplating the choices you made in life.
All you want to do is lay down and do nothing.
You don’t understand any of the material, but you don’t care enough to figure it out.
You don’t care about doing well on your finals anymore. What happens, happens.
You will probably repeat these stages multiple times throughout your finals preparations, but remember this nightmare is almost over! There’s light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going. This is for your future! You’ll be done before you know it. You can do this.