Finals week: A time period that evokes immense joy and the most frustration that anyone has ever experienced. A time period where even if your professor just breathes the wrong way, you will lose your mind. You no longer want to think about anything.
These next seven days are what stand between you sitting at home with your brain turned off for five weeks.
You’re covered in eraser shavings and your hands are stained with ink. You’re not even sure if these eraser shavings are yours. The bags under your eyes rival the size of a small country. You might as well as hook yourself up to an IV drip of caffeine; you haven’t slept normally in days.
But certainly, you can’t study without the right tunes. Sometimes you need mellow sounds to help you focus. Sometimes you need an upbeat song that reminds you that you have a pulse and haven’t morphed into the library chair. Whatever it is, I’ve got you covered.
“(What A) Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke, off of his album, The Wonderful World of Sam Cooke.
A slow, soulful song to open up your textbooks to. Sam Cooke accepts the notion that he doesn’t know everything academic, and you should, too. There are bigger things to life than your grades, but that’s no reason to slack off entirely.
“Jacqueline” by The Coral, off of their record, Roots and Echoes.
An acoustic song with a steady beat to turn pages to.
“Winters Kiss” by Blossoms, off of their single, Blow.
A mellow song to have on in the background while you fall deeper into your studies. It’s quiet enough to not be a distraction, but just loud enough to keep you going.
“Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service, off of their album Give Up.
Remember that you are not one and the same with the chair you’ve been glued on for the past couple of hours. Get up, move a little bit. Try not to dance on the way to the bathroom or on your excursion for Starbucks.
“Together” by Sam Smith, featuring Nile Rodgers, Disclosure and Jimmy Napes.
You. That cubicle. Together. Forever, or at least the duration of finals week, which certainly feels like forever. Let the smooth jazz-esque guitar coax you back into your studies. Everything’s significantly cooler with smooth jazz.
“Shout” by Tears for Fears, off of their album, Songs From The Big Chair.
“Shout, shout, let it all out. These are the things I can do without.” You mean, all of my finals? Sometimes you have to let loose and express all your frustrations. It’s only human.
“Heaven” by New Navy, off of their single, Heaven.
Atmospheric vocals to bring you down from your recent shouting. With a melody that’s similar to floating on your back in the ocean, ease your way back into your problem sets. A couple more hours, that’s all.
“Got My Favourite” by Jack Peñate, off of his record, Matinée.
A voice laden with that oh-so-coveted British accent. A song that will surely wake you up if the coffee hasn’t already. Tap your pencil, pen, foot, whatever to the beat. Get some physical exercise while you rack your brain for that dumb formula you could have sworn you just memorized.
“O Lilac” by Wild Nothing, off of their record, Gemini.
Wild Nothing, one of my favorite groups, created a dreamy sound that still makes you want to jump around and dance. While you’re absolutely free to do so in O’Malley, just know that you’re going to get some weird looks. But hey, it’s finals week. Stranger things have happened before.
“Silhouettes” by Colony House, off of their album, When I Was Younger.
This song is perfect to inspire you to keep going, memorizing all of those facts and theories. I just wish the song was longer.
You’re going to do just fine on your finals. Remember to breathe and maybe shower. Hygiene is always key.