As the end of the semester nears, you are likely emotionally, physically and intellectually drained. At this point, you have probably taken the turn from energetically pursuing your degree to simply trying to maintain your sanity long enough to get through the multitude of tests, papers, quizzes, group projects, finals, etc., that are dubbed the end of the semester -- or as I personally like to call it -- hell on earth. Here are 14, some rather desperate, things we do in order to survive the end of the semester. No shame, we’ve all been there.
1. Play the number game
Based on my current grade, if I make a 92.5 percent on this paper then I can afford to make a 60 percent on the final exam and still pass this course with a C. Isn’t it funny how we suddenly transform into mathematical gurus when it comes to calculating grades toward the end of the semester? Who ever said we would never need algebra in real life?
2. Count (and recount) the number of days until classes are over
If you are like me, you are very conscious of exactly how many more days, or even hours, you have to spend sitting within the confines of the classroom. Speaking strictly from experience, no matter how many times you recount the days, they will not get shorter.
3. Contemplate whether or not you really need school
During the trying times of the end of the semester, I find myself trying every possible way to convince myself that I really don’t need school. After all, there are plenty of jobs in the world in which you don’t need an education; plus, I am going to be drowning in student loans when I graduate so I won’t really be making any money anyway. If you check my recent searches on Google at any point in the semester, you will probably find something along the lines of “good paying jobs with some college experience.”
4. Cry
No need to hold it in. In true Lesley Gore fashion, it’s the end of the semester, you can cry if you want to! Lock yourself in a room and empty those tear ducts for a good 20 minutes. It’ll make you feel much better, I promise.
5. Stalk your planner
I have no explanation for this, but I find myself tracing and retracing every inch of the month I have outlined in my planner. I think I find some kind comfort in it, considering it’s the only organization in my life at this point.
6. Re-read your syllabus time and time again
You know, just to be sure you didn’t miss something in the last four months you have spent enslaved to it.
7. Pep talk yourself out of bed
With my conscious knowledge that the days of the semester are dwindling down, getting myself out of bed for school has become a real feat. I have to take myself to a different place mentally prepare myself for the day to come, usually with a strong pep talk.
8. Sniff out any extra credit opportunity possible
Extra credit opportunities are more like social functions toward the end of the semester. Everyone is there. For a lot of us, those few extra points are our last saving grace to get that grade we have been working for all semester, whether that be an A or just a grade high enough to pass the class. No shame in the extra credit game.
9. Pull way too many all-nighters
If you are a college student, all-nighters are nothing new to you. I remember being a freshman, it was the cool thing to do to pull an all-nighter -- hanging with friends, taking “frat laps” around the lib and endless amounts of laughs and junk food. It was a fun time to socialize with friends, not to mention, I actually still had the energy for it. Toward the end of the semester, all-nighters become more of a necessity in order to get all of your work done because there are most definitely not enough hours in the day. Also, the “frat laps” and laughs morph into tears and falling asleep drooling on the table.
10. Find affirmation in others’ lack of success
Admit it. We all experience some degree of this warped sense of comfort in hearing that someone else is even more behind in school than we are. Whether it’s hearing that someone hasn’t even started that research paper that you have been slaving over yet still feel so far behind on, or that someone made a worse grade than you on a test, it is good to know that you aren’t at the very bottom of the barrel.
11. Drink more than our fair share of Starbucks
How much coffee is too much coffee? Refer to Lindsay Lohan meme above. Starbucks is the saving grace for nearly all college students just trying to drag through those last trying hours of the semester. Don’t feel ashamed to get that extra shot of espresso and rock the rest of your day/night.
12. Live in the library
The atmosphere, the people, the sounds, the smell. These things become all too familiar to you toward the end of the semester, because if you are like me, you live in the library at this point. You have likely picked out your favorite area and have a direct routine as to how you approach the library. The table becomes your bed, the vending machines become your refrigerator, and the sounds of copying and printing are your new radio. Face it, the lib is home.
13. Pay for procrastination
Procrastination -- you do it, I do it, we all do it. In fact, you probably stumbled across this article while procrastinating. You haven’t realized how many things you actually put off this semester until you get hit by the procrastination train, as I like to call it. This is the glorious time when all of the procrastination you have done throughout the semester decides to get together and throw a party, which will most likely leave your life in shambles. It is enough to make you reevaluate your life practices and vow to be a better person if you can just pull off these last-minute assignments. That is, until next semester rolls around and you are back to square one.
14. Realize there’s no place like home
Lastly, the end of the semester -- the tears, stress, anxiety, procrastination, assignments, tests, finals -- brings you a whole new appreciation for home. It makes you reminisce on the days when you were just a mere high-schooler who thought they had a lot of responsibility on their plate. Looking back, you realize you had it made then. Oh, what I would give to be back at home, with my parents, in my cozy bed, snuggled up watching "Degrassi."
