When you finish up a semester you are both excited and exhausted. Expectations for summer flood into your overworked brain and anticipation overflows your entire being. That is, until you remember what a pain it is to wait for final grades. If you're a worrier, like myself, the anxiety can be overwhelming, especially if your professors did not post grades throughout the semester. Listed below are 12 things every student who worries about their coursework will experience while waiting for final grades to be posted.

1. Final grades? Slow down.

You literally just finished your semester. You need time to detox and relax before you get all worked up again about final grades. Give it a week or two before the panic starts setting in. Right now you're just excited about summer and all the things you're going to do this summer.

2. Beginning to think and overthink about your grades.

Your mind will begin to flood with questions regarding any possible scenario that could happen. What if you studied the wrong material for the final? What if you had actually dreamed up everything you thought you learned? What if you weren't even enrolled in the class you just took that final for and now you've just wasted money?

3. Remembering how hard you worked this semester.

You poured your heart, soul, and sleep schedule into this semester and you know that somewhere, deep, down, inside, you are going to drive yourself insane with all of these thoughts. You put in so much effort this semester, and final grades can definitely prove whether that effort was sufficient or not. This will also keep you up at night.

4. Thinking about what you'll tell your parents if you didn't do well.

If you worry about grades, telling your parents may be one thing that makes you super nervous. If you did well, no problem. If you did not do as well as you thought, well, maybe you'll just pack your bags now and leave a nice note instead of facing your parents.

5. Realizing that GPA doesn't define you and wondering why you care so much.

GPA does not define your worth or who you are, so why do you care so much about final grades? You can't really explain it except that you want to know if all of your hard work paid off and if these grades will motivate you to accomplish more next semester. That and, you actually do care about your grades and doing well in school.

6. Fooling yourself by attempting to think that you don't care.

You're so tired of waiting that you actually give up for a little bit. Now that you're aware that GPA does not and will never define you, you ponder the point of getting so overworked about these grades. Who needs grades? Not you.

7. When you can't wait any longer.

You have been waiting for a couple of weeks tops but it does not matter a bit because you are so tired of waiting that you cannot wait a second more. Final grades better be posted soon and if they are not, you are willing to write a very long letter describing your worries.

8. Getting super excited and scared when they're finally posted.

Then grades are posted and all of sudden your cares have returned! Take a deep breath! You have been preparing yourself for this moment this entire time. Fingers crossed you are able to log in right away!

9. Freaking out when the website the grades are posted on freezes.

Remember that every student is attempting to check their final grades at the same time as you. Don't get emotional! Just keep reloading the page and logging in. You'll get through eventually. When you finally get there, look at your grades, screen shot, and log out, so someone else can have a turn.

10. Preparing yourself to view the grades.

You've finally gotten through and you're ready to view your grades. You've been waiting all day (most likely) for this moment. You can do this!

11. Realizing you did better than you thought.

So you answered more questions correctly on your final than you thought and it really paid off. Be thankful for your expert skills and be thankful that you worried for nothing! You had this in the bag the entire time!

12. Remembering you can relax now.

Now that the grades are out, you've seen them, and realized you can't change them, relax. Unless you're enrolled in summer classes, you have the entire summer to forget that grades even exist and that you have to return to all the stress college holds. Enjoy your summer, live free!