Every semester ends with mental breakdowns, thoughts of dropping out, and panic attacks of not being able to get all your work done in time. For me, this semester is no exception. The last two weeks of school are always the hardest, most jam-packed of the semester. Every professor keeps telling you to stay focused and be sure to continue working on and preparing for your finals. However, I would like to argue that the last week of classes is so much worse in terms of stress and anxiety than finals week itself.
For one, a handful of professors assign projects instead of tests. In turn the projects are (most of the time) due the last day of class– not the day of the final. This means the student loses an entire week to work on the assignment because it needs to be turned in before the semester is even over. The stress intensifies when you have more than one project like this to submit. For example, during my last week of classes this semester I needed to create, write, and publish a blog of at least ten posts, as well as write a ten-page paper. I would also have had to submit a third final project before the week was over, but thankfully, I got started on that one a little early and turned it in at the beginning of the week. Shocking, I know.
My second point is that although finals week isn’t always a breeze to get through, it’s still a lot less demanding than the last week of classes. During finals week there are no classes, meaning that the majority of your day can be spent doing work. Of course, final exam times (normally allotted for two hours) get in your way of doing homework, but most students don’t have a final every single day of finals week. This semester I only have two final exam times and only one of them is a test. The other is just sitting and watching presentations. So, essentially, my finals week is allowing me to work on the two final projects I haven’t submitted yet on my own time at my own pace. I don’t have very much to worry about. I feel like this is the case for a great deal of students.
Finally, I think the last week of classes is way worse than finals week because on top of all your stress about your classes, you have to say goodbye to your friends for a month and a half. While some people don’t really get as emotional as others, I still think this is a sh*tty thing to have to do. When you look at the big picture, your friends at college aren’t just your friends. They’re your go-tos, your partners, and essentially, the people helping you through your major. Without my friends at school, I’m not sure how I would have been able to get through some of my classes physically, mentally, or academically. Having to say goodbye to them not only each semester, but every day (since I am a commuter student), sucks a lot.
Although the end of the semester takes at least 5 years off your life from all the stress and anxiety it brings, just continuously remind yourself that it’s one less semester that you have to get through. Before you know it, graduation will be right around the corner.