Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

11 Things You Do Instead of Studying for Finals

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at American chapter.

Finals are here, and stress is at an all-time high. You know it’s time to buckle down and start applying yourself, but you just can’t seem to focus. Everything and anything is now more interesting than your study guides. Let’s face it, you’d probably even watch paint dry at this point. Here are some of the other things we all do during finals week. 

1. Clean your room… finally

 

Do you have pile of clothes on your chair that has just gotten bigger and bigger over the past couple of weeks? Have you not been able to see your room floor since the semester started? Suddenly that’s the only problem in your life you can handle, and you know you won’t be able to get any work done without tackling that first. Hey, you know what they say? Tidy room, tidy mind. 

2. Do laundry

 

Speaking of that pile on your chair, you can finally wash them! Because even though you know you are going to show up for your exams in your pajamas and then go back to sleep, you’ll rest easier knowing the rest of your clothes are clean. 

3. Make a list of things to do… and then not do them

 

Making lists is great because you think that if it’s all out in front of you, then it’ll seem more manageable. It’ll make you feel more on top of things, even if you aren’t. And, it’s a great time waster. 

4. Cry

 

Because you finally made your list, and now you feel like your life is ending. 

5. Go on Tumblr

 

Hey, Tumblr makes everyone feel better. It’s a black hole of cat gifs, trendy NYC scenes, and celeb pics. How can you justify spending hours on Tumblr, you say? The mindless scrolling will put you in the perfect relaxed mindset to finally start studying!

6. Eat

 

No one can study on an empty stomach, it’s scientifically proven. At least that’s what you’ll tell people who judge you. Tell them that similar to how they say that you aren’t supposed to watch television when you eat, you shouldn’t study while you eat either! Then go take that hour-long trip to TDR, or use whatever Eaglebucks (or at this point Eaglecents) you have left to buy endless snacks on snacks at Eagle’s Nest.

7. Watch Netflix

 

Remember those episodes of Park and Recreation or One Tree Hill that you have been putting off because you didn’t want to finish the series and nothing left to do with your life? Well now is the perfect time to get your binge-watch on! Whether you schedule “breaks” in between subjects or need to take a whole mental health day, Netflix will be there to keep you company. 

8. Snapchat EVERYONE

 

Let’s be honest, Snapchat is annoying. But once its finals come around, all you want to do is take shamelessly ugly selfies and send them to your friends. Then when you run out of best friends to send them to, just start sending them to your entire contact list.

9. Facebook stalk random people

 

Ex-boyfriends, best friends, your mom… At this point, you’ll stalk anyone’s profile if it means not having to do work for a couple more minutes (or hours). Remember that kid from the third grade? The one who used to pick his nose all the time? Even his pictures of his cats seem more interesting then making flash cards. 

10. Take endless Buzzfeed quizzes

 

Ever wondered which Kardashian family member you are, or which pop star is your soulmate? Those annoying quizzes become all you really want to do during finals week, because they all seem so enticing. And the worse part is that there are news ones added every day! It’s like they just know that you are sitting there scrolling through the site, desperate to find out what Disney princess you are instead of making essay outlines. 

11. Sleep

 

When all else fails, you sleep. You curl up into a ball, and decide that you’ll try again tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe a good night’s sleep will help you get your focus back!

 

GIF credit: Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Public Communications Major and Multi-Ethnic Studies Minor at American University. Junior. Free Spirit. Dreamer. Master of tripping over own two feet.