We've done it! We're in the home stretch. After Thanksgiving break ends, all we have standing between us and winter break are three short weeks. Surely, they'll fly by. We'll tuck finals beneath our belts and head home for the holidays.

Wrong. These three weeks after Thanksgiving break are hell. As soon as you arrive back from break, you hit the ground and take off running. Here's why these three weeks are torturous.

1. It's the home stretch.

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Knowing that winter break is on the horizon, all you're thinking about is finishing finals and submitting those projects and papers—regardless of the grades you get. Your motivation plummets, and it definitely shows in your coursework.

2. You get a taste of freedom—only for it to be snatched away.

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Thanksgiving break is a breath of fresh air, the one chance you finally have to sit back with your family and not have to worry about assignments. Just when you start getting used to the freedom, the week is over, and you're thrust headfirst back into classes. This is confusing, and frankly, tiring. I just want to be able to wake up late without having to worry about my 9AM class, thanks.

3. Every paper and project is pushed into the last week.

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Remember that final project you laughed about knowing that it wouldn't be due until the end of the semester? Time's up, honey. You've spent all this time procrastinating, and now, you have to put together something to get this final grade. And don't forget about the million other papers and projects from your other classes too.

4. You just want to be able to celebrate Christmas. 

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Yes, all I want is to be able to marathon Christmas films on repeat. But I can't do that if I have finals to study for. Ugh.

5. Dining hall food feels lackluster after that Thanksgiving meal.

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If you're lucky enough to have leftovers that last, good for you. If not, you have to deal with falling back into the habit of eating dining hall food night after night. It's a major difference from home-cooked meals, and from my experience, I always seem to run out of snacks right around finals season which always makes everything worse.

If you've never experienced the period between Thanksgiving break and winter break, then brace yourself. It is quite literally one of the worst stretches you'll ever have to do but hang in there. It'll be worth by the time you walk out of your last final and realize that you're finished with this semester.