I'm not the first to say it, and I most definitely won't be the last, but finals suck. There's very little to be excited about when you're so exhausted that you ask your friend, what bed she went to time last night. This is a thing I actually said last semester during finals week.
Personally, it's a time of caffeine dependencies, mental fatigue, and spending so much time writing papers that you find yourself slipping academic language into everyday conversations. Everyone gets close to, or meets, their limit during finals and the few weeks before, which can lead to some pretty interesting reactions.
The All-Nighter
Whether it's burying your face in a textbook or trying to meet a page limit, we've all stayed up too late. If you're like me, that means you probably aren't going anywhere without a cup of coffee. No one needs to know how much you've had.
Motivation In Many Forms
Right now, I'm listening to "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado on repeat. I think it's been about 15 minutes, but maybe it's been longer. There just comes a time where you need something that let's you feel like you're absolutely unstoppable and that song does it for me. What else would I be listening to while writing a Shakespeare research paper?
No One Talk To Me
When I'm tired, I'm grouchy and constantly on the verge of snapping. Honestly, I feel sorry for anyone who has to talk to me during finals week because I'm so crabby. I think this is pretty unanimous. I'll be out with my friends and we're all a little short with each other. Sleep deprivation is ugly.
Naps Are Precious
My body clock is usually pretty spot on. I never nap for more than an hour. Finals week? Not the case. The other day I took an almost two-hour nap. I do my best to get enough sleep every night, and normally I do, but it's hard to feel well-rested when you wake up and remember you still have papers to write.
"Why Do We Have Class?"
There's nothing more aggravating than the week before finals when you still have class and get assigned homework. It's not that I don't like my professors and value what they teach; it's just that I don't have time to enjoy class because I'm thinking about all of the other stuff I have to be doing for that very same class. Please don't assign projects if they aren't going to be part of the final.
The Library is a Second Home
Odds are, you spend more time in the library studying and writing than you spend in your actual room, or anywhere else. The hours I spend sitting at the same desk, working on a paper, is beginning to get alarming.
Finals week, and the weeks leading up to it, seem to last an eternity. At least, when this is all over, we can wash our hands of the semester and summer can start.
Good luck on finals.
