Finals week in college as a freshman comes out of nowhere. It catches you when you’re down and it hits you like a bus. It’s like a train wreck, you can’t look away. One minute you have one assignment due for two weeks and you’re taking naps in the middle of the day, and the next you have at least three assignments due for every class and you’re running on more cups of coffee than hours of sleep. Here is the progression of the last 2-3 weeks of the semester told by one of the best TV moms to date.
When you party for the last time before entering the flames of finals week.
Everyone has to have their “final hurrah”, aka the last time they’ll be partying together until the next semester. This is the big one where you dance the most and regret the least (maybe). This is truly the time to shine before hiding away in an isolated corner in the library, which is essentially your place of residence for the next week.
When every single professor assigns multiple essays and unnecessary quizzes in the span of three days, disregarding the fact that we have their finals to study for.
Seriously, why? I would have been happy to do these assignments back a month ago when we had NOTHING rather than the worst time possible when every single professor does THE SAME THING. It bodes well for no one and should never happen.
You to yourself in the mirror when you inevitably save every single assignment until the last possible second:
Guilty as charged. This is practically a lifestyle. You spend your time re-watching a show that you’ve seen seven times and get into the art of making friendship bracelets because your motivation to do work is simply non-existent, not to be seen again until 45 minutes before the assignment is due and you need to boost your grade up to a B+.
When you start to bargain with yourself about how much work you actually have to do.
What needs to get done for tomorrow? What can I push off and hand in a day late? Which professor will be the most understanding if I go to their office hours sobbing? All valid questions that we all ask ourselves during the process.
When the directions say, “Write in your own words” and you have about 6 other papers to do and no time to do them.
You have a word count to meet and other assignments to get done. Do what you have to do.
When the insanity hits.
Mixed with the unnatural amount of caffeine intake and the abnormally low amount of sleep, this is bound to happen.
When you finally finish your assignments, but then you remember that finals are still a thing.
You thought you made it to the finish line after all of the research papers and presentations and annotated bibliographies, but alas, there is a final enemy to defeat: final exams.
On top of everything else: It’s April/May.
If you’re somewhere that gets warm in the spring then this is a harsh reality to deal with. Yes, it is beautiful outside and the birds are chirping and you want to enjoy nature, but you have things to do. And of course your room is A THOUSAND DEGREES making it harder to sleep and to concentrate, so best of luck there!
When you walk out of your last final, free for the summer.
As impossible as it seems, finals week does end and this freedom begins. Mozel tov to everyone for making it through. See you again next year!