Every college student knows of the emotional disaster that is finals week. You are up all night studying, stressed to your breaking point, and most likely gain five pounds from eating your feelings. That horror is a given. But something that is often overlooked is the craziness that comes before finals week.
April. The whole month should be the calm before the storm, but the reality is that April for college students is far worse than people tend to think. Here are a list of five reasons why April is actually the worst month of the whole year for college students:
1. All the pre-finals papers and projects are due
Remember all of those papers that your professors told you about during syllabus week? No? Well they are all due in the next few weeks. And it is highly likely that you haven't actually started them yet. Three five to seven page papers all due in the span of two weeks means that you won't be getting much sleep at all until April is over.
2. Using all of your skip days
If you have been smart about when you miss class, then you will have extra sick days saved up that you can use when you are completely exhausted and worn out. Yes, technically you should be in class unless it's an emergency but isn't mental health just as important as physical health? At least that's what you tell yourself in order to trick your mind into letting you take a day or two off. But the downside to this is that when you do actually decide to return from your mini vacation you will have missed a ton of work and information.
3. The weather cannot make up its mind
One minute it is 80 degrees and sunny and the next you are forecasted for snow. April showers bring May flowers? No, all it brings is days on end of exhaustion from a lack of sunlight and no drive to get anything done other than laying in bed and watching Netflix. And if you are super lucky, the fluctuation in weather patterns will give you a cold. April strikes again!
4. Trying to get your grades up before the end of the semester
This is it. You have spent a good part of the semester slacking in a few classes and now it's time to make or break. You can tell yourself that Cs get degrees for only so long before you realize that in order to keep your GPA at a decent number, you need to get your grades up. April is the time where you are forced to buckle down, study like crazy, and do as much extra credit as possible in order to get your life and grades together.
5. Trying to get in as much time with your friends as possible
Most colleges finish up for the summer around the first or second week of May. Seeing as the last week is Finals Week, and you will be busy having a mental breakdown, April really marks the end of the part of the semester where you and your friends can do something fun. You will have to try to find a way to balance the piles of work that you need to get done with a bit of end of the semester shenanigans.
But soon enough April will be over, finals week will end, and summer break will arrive. So although April may seem bleak just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the craziness will subside soon enough.
