It’s all college students’ most favorite time of year: finals. The amount of work we have due during this tight timeline we call “finals week” is quite possibly some ridiculous form of inhumane punishment all professors scheme up in order to make our lives absolutely miserable. There isn’t a whole lot that motivates us to keep pushing through this week, not even the gooiest bunch of cookies, free pizza, or the promise of hibernation after it’s all over can get you to keep working. If you’re like me, putting on a group of good tunes while you work can sometimes get the mojo going. But it has to be the right group of songs, no sappy Adele or Kelly Clarkson. You have to find some tunes with a bit of punch and energy that make you wanna jump on your feet and move. Here’s a few of the songs you might find on my finals playlist:

1. “Just Lose It”- Eminem

Slim Shady himself and this crazy as all get out song is definitely number one on my finals playlist. Not only can you scream out all your frustration, report to the dance floor, and let one rip with Eminem but you can just lose it in typical finals week fashion. All the people watching you through the window of the study room will think “you must be up out your mind.”

2. “Comfortably Numb” - Pink Floyd

Every single lyric in this song could prompt a finals-appropriate response.
-“Hello? Is there any body in there?”
-Well, that all depends on if you’re looking for my sanity because I’m not sure where it is at this point in time.
“Now I’ve got that feeling once again,”
Yea, that feeling I’m going to fail all my exams and just drop out and learn to deal poker instead.
“I have become comfortably numb” to not giving a flying f*ck if I pass or not.

3. “Another One Bites the Dust” - Queen

You may think this as you down your twentieth cup of coffee in 10 hours, turn in another garbage paper or exam you’re sure you flunked, or see another student asleep in the library with an open book under their head. Finals week ain’t no joke, ladies and gents; each bit of your sanity bites the dust one bit at a time. On a lighter note, you can also proudly play this song as you check off an item on your one thousand item to-do list.

4. “Get Up Offa That Thing” - James Brown

If the Godfather of Soul can’t shake a little funk into your soul, I don’t know who can. This song is perfect for exam week when you need a little push to get you moving. Take the man’s advice, “get up offa that thing, shake it till ya feel better.” During one of the most tense weeks of the year, you have to get up and let loose a little bit.

5. “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2” - Pink Floyd

The ultimate anti-establishment song and the culmination of how each student feels about their education at this point - “we don’t need no education.” By the time you’re elbow deep in a paper you barely researched for, desperately searching for more material to meet the length requirement, you accept just being a mediocre student and forget about getting that A. When the end of finals week finally comes, each of us is just another brick in the wall held together with the papers, projects, and exams we’ve hopefully survived to get there. After all, "you can't have any pudding if you don't eat your meat." In finals week speak, that unfortunately means you can't not study and pass.

6. “Nobody Speak” - DJ Shadow, Run the Jewels

Every time this song comes on, I feel like I could own the world. In the midst of finals when all hope for a good GPA seems lost, that’s an important feeling to cling to. You could put this song on, walk up in the library with your shades on like you own the place and finals week itself because why the h*ll not? But let’s be real, you’re just hiding those massive dark circles from the back to back all nighters you’ve pulled to dominate all those exams like a boss. You might also be inclined to write, “Nobody speak, nobody get choked because I’m about to show you how it’s done,” as the opening sentence in your paper *Tilts shades*

*I feel like I should warn you this song contains strong language. If that ain’t your cup of tea, steer clear of this one.

7. “Careless”- Royal Blood

The title alone sums up how all of us feel; we could care less about making A’s, writing another friggin paper, presenting another powerpoint, relying on caffeine instead of sleep for your energy, and all the other baggage finals week comes with. Also, this song could make for the perfect song to dramatically throw all your perfectly organized notes in the air and walk out of the room.

Royal Blood is a kickin’ band. I highly suggest them if you like this song.

8. “I Wanna Be Sedated” - The Ramones

I think the title speaks for itself here. “I can’t control my fingers, I can’t control my brain.” Sound like finals week to anybody else? Yea, I thought so, too. One of the only things that gets many of us through this never-ending week is the hopeful promise of sleep at the end because let’s be real, nobody sleeps during finals week. This song could also be good for a spontaneous dance break during your study- time. Why not procrastinate a little longer?

9. “Stayin’ Alive” - The Bee Gees

Most of us are barely staying alive during finals week. If we’re being real, the majority of us wander around like sleep-deprived zombies running on the fumes of their last coffee or energy drink. It’s like “The Walking Dead” only it’s more like the “The Sleep-Deprived, Almost Dead.” Why not celebrate your zombie-like state with a little disco? It’s sure to make you stay awake just a little bit longer, maybe even long enough to make it to a good night's sleep.