It’s finals week, Dukes. Maybe you’re lucky and done with exams, or maybe you haven’t even started. As studying continues and the stress continues to build, your Starbucks order says a lot about you.
Maybe you’re festive and love the holiday specials. Maybe you’re “basic” and stick to the classics. Or maybe you’ve gone through it all and black coffee is your only solace. Whatever your go-to drink is, it probably aligns pretty closely with how you’re feeling this finals season.
1. PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte)
Let’s face it. We’re well on our way to Christmas, snow is falling, and final exams are heating up. For some reason, you’re still sipping on pumpkin spice lattes, even though the simpler times of autumn has passed.
If this is you, there’s no judgement, but we all know that you are daydreaming about the carefree, shambly nights of Halloween and Homecoming. Instead of focusing on the exams ahead of you, you’re stuck reliving the fun nights of JMU Past.
Your head is in the clouds, and it’s going to take a lot for you to start living in the now. Ah, life was so much easier on a Thursday night at Backcountry, dressed as a cat with eyeliner-drawn whiskers on your face. Good luck, dreamers of the world!
2. Mocha, Mocha, & more Mocha
Whether it’s peppermint, white, or the holiday special: toasted white chocolate mocha, you are caffeined and cozied up for finals.
You’ve cheated finals; somehow, you’ve found a way to have your cake and eat it too. You’re studying and getting things done, while under a pile of fuzzy blankets and surrounded by the Campus Cookie delivery sent from your mom.
With a twinkle in your eye, you accept that life is stressful and everything is definitely not all purple and gold rainbows, but you manage a smile all the same. We all aspire to achieve your level of comfort and outlook on life. Keep it up!
Warning: if you are a seasonal drinker, someone who can’t stick to an order and keeps it festive, this is NOT you.
You have Christmas fever. All of those peppermint and toasted white chocolate mochas have gone to your head and you’re singing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” on repeat.
Winter break can not come soon enough, and instead of studying for your chemistry final, you’re probably watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and making a gingerbread house.
Just try to remember, that the holidays will be a lot more cheery if you ace those finals. Happy Holidays, Dukes!
3. Hot Chocolate
I can relate to this one. You haven’t acquired a taste for coffee, but you need to brave the wind tunnel that is JMU with some liquid warmth. Also, you’ll never admit it to anyone, but holding a Starbucks cup gives you a little extra assertiveness.
Unfortunately, you just aren’t getting the caffeine needed to pull an all-nighter. You’ve resorted to frequent snack breaks, pacing, and the artificial lighting of the library to keep you awake and you’re a little cranky about it.
You’re probably the bitter one during finals week, and you’re holding onto hope that the extra mini-marshmallow in your cup will give you the smidge of positivity needed to go into that exam confidently.
Don’t worry though, once finals week is over, you’ll go back to being the child-like, JMU lovin’ student. You bleed purple and gold; you’re just bleeding a little extra this week.
4. Vanilla Latte
Here we go. This is the most popular drink at Starbucks, mostly because you all have found a way to manipulate and create entirely new menu items through this base.
Iced, soy milk, almond milk, decaf, extra shot of vanilla, sugar free…you know what you want, and you’re not afraid to ask for it.
You are a go-getter and it’s no different for finals. You will knock these finals out one-by-one with your “triple, venti, soy, no foam, half-sweet, vanilla latte.” Baristas have nightmares of your kind…
5. Black Coffee
You’ve done it and seen it all before. Chances are you’re a senior, on the verge of graduating, and you’ve reached full-level adulthood. No more messing around.
No need to worry. You’ve stressed before and you’ll stress again. You don’t need all the sugar or the frills, just a touch of caffeine to start the day.
Finals week? Just another week. This week will come and go like the famous JMU sunsets and Coach Houston. Is it too soon?
6. Green Tea
Here’s the tea. If you happen to be drinking green tea, the source of relaxation, during finals week, I aspire to be you.
While the rest of us are stressing out of our minds, you are sipping on soothing tea and taking it all in one sip at a time. You probably have even found a way to get 8 hours of sleep a night, eat three meals a day, and keep up with your hygiene. Wild.
Do these JMU students exist? I am not convinced.
*Extra shot(s) of Espresso?
I haven’t forgotten about you, although you scare me a bit.
You haven’t slept in a couple of days, your hands have settled into a steady shaking cycle, and your eyes are wider than any eyes have ever been. You’re equipped for finals (because you’ve spent 30 hours in Carrier), although your health is questionable.
But, you’ve gotten through nights like this before: College Gameday, heated trivia nights, and rowdy game nights at Ruby’s.
You embody what life is like for a college student. Always on the grind.