1) Having Long Breaks Between Exams
It’s so nice when Queen’s decides to drag out your exam season as long as they possibly can. As if exam season wasn’t bad enough, you now how have to study for 2 weeks longer than you want or need to. This can only get worse if you have all your exams at the end because you have a few weeks of studying, only to end it off with a few days of sleep deprived madness.
2) Sleep Deprivation
Everybody knows you’re supposed to get a full 8 hours of sleep every night during exam season. But, reality is, nobody does, which is why you can walk through the library and spot at least 4 people at any given time taking a quick cat nap. I guess it’s better than taking a nap during your exam.
3) Stress
To say stress levels are at an all time high during exam season is an understatement. Some people can’t eat, some people eat too much, some just go a little (or a lot) stir crazy. I don’t think there is a single person out there who doesn’t crack just a little during exam season.
4) Ruining Pre-Christmas Hype
The most wonderful time of the year (Christmas, obviously) is a time of joy and family. BUT, the time before (exam season) is a time of books and focus. It’s hard to get hyped for Christmas when you’re A) still 4 hours away from your family, B) drowning in PSYC notes, or C) you still have 3 exams between you and a Christmas movie marathon.
5) Procrastination Across the Nation
The #1 downfall of all students is procrastination. There are 2 forms of procrastination: productive and unproductive. Productive procrastination includes doing things like laundry or making yourself dinner; things you actually have to do in life (that you just stretch out WAY longer than they would usually take). Unproductive procrastinating is when you sit on your bed scrolling through Instagram for “just 5 more minutes” or when you watch “just 1 more YouTube video”. (This article is actually twice as long as I normally would make it, due to this very reason.)
6) It Ruins Hanging Out With Your Friends
Hanging out with your friends can be a great time, except when you can’t actually talk and you’re all just sitting in the same room reading different books. It really sucks the fun out of seeing your friend when the only times you talk are on your 5-minute study breaks and when one of you needs a cathartic outburst somewhere along the lines of “WHY AM I EVEN IN UNIVERSITY?!?!”
7) Feeling Guilty When You Take a Break
You know how doing things like Christmas shopping or going to the gym are enjoyable? In the moment, they may be, until you realize you just lost 2-3 hours of prime studying time and the guilt smacks you in the face. I am here to say that it is okay to not study sometimes, no matter how much you might need to. Take a break for your mental health, go buy a scented candle for someone – your grades will survive.
8) Having 2 Exams on One Day
The relief I feel walking out of an exam hall is so nice and the only thing that can ruin it is knowing I have to walk back into one in 2 hours. It’s just inhumane to make people do this. It’s a study schedule nightmare that I hope nobody ever has to go through.