Finals week, as every good or bad student knows, is an experience all its own. There is really nothing to compare it to except itself...and also possibly running through a bee farm while covered in honey. It is madness, it is Sparta, it is a whole mess of things. I have attempted to capture just a few of those experiences here.

1. "Finals Week Amnesia" sets in.

This is basically when you forget every single scrap of information that was being uselessly stored in your brain the entire semester. All of that knowledge that has been accumulating just kind of "information dumps" and disappears off to who-knows-where. You find yourself unable to remember barely a single thing you learned or recall that crucial detail when faced with the exam in front of you.

2. The amnesia spreads to other areas of your life.

It starts with losing academic memory, then you begin wondering if you left your car keys in the fruit bowl, on your car dash, or, in all likelihood, your sock drawer of all places. Hours of studying and lack of sleep have turned your brain to mush. You are well and truly losing your mind. What's your name again?

3. Sleep deprivation is your new constant companion.

Late nights studying, long school hours, and other responsibilities piled on leave little time for adequate sleep. All-nighters are frequent and they sap your energy levels like no other.

4. You raid the fridge constantly.

If you're not sleeping, then what are you doing at all hours of the night while you're studying? Eating. Everything. You're not even hungry, but the fridge has a powerful and tempting hold over you and it calls at all hours of the evening for you to binge while you study.

5. Every morning is a struggle to go back to school.

Let's face it. Your motivation has vanished. It's the last week of school. You are basically fighting tooth and nail to not go back every morning. You are going to have to be physically dragged there. This symptom is made all the worse if you happen to be graduating after this semester.

6. You're pretty emotional.

Every little thing seems like a crisis this week. Between your stress levels and lack of sleep, you are a ticking time bomb of tears. Just take it slow, nice deep breaths, have one good solid cry, pick yourself back up, and keep plugging. Buck up, buttercup, the week's not over yet.

7. Your tolerance levels plummet.

If you're like me and your tolerance for people usually sits at a low level, it's about to truly hit rock-bottom. Charming lengthy tales from dear friends become annoying epics you can't escape. That girl in class that grates on your nerves slightly begins driving you not only up the wall but straight on through the ceiling as well. You are stressed out and on edge, and it's showing.

8. You become a little unapproachable.

With all of these emotions and attitudes flying around, just keep in mind how you are coming off to others. You may catch yourself in a mirror and not like what you see attitude-wise. Be mindful of how much stress you're giving off before people start keeping too much of a distance. You want to make sure people understand that right now you need your space, but that this isn't the permanent "you."

9. It feels like all of your responsibilities are flying at you at once.

It seems like everything will try to grab your attention this week. On top of schoolwork, all sorts of other obligations will pop out of the woodwork and it will be a mad dash to get it all done and study adequately in time.

10. Procrastination will reign supreme.

If you are anything like me, which is to say the "Queen of All Procrastinators," you have a difficult time keeping focused on an average week. In this panicked crunch time, however, your procrastination instincts will kick into overdrive and you will find yourself desperately seeking out any and all avenues of distraction from the studying you should be doing.

11. Your self-esteem may drop a bit.

In the middle of the mad rush to the end of the exams, you might forget that this is your chosen major because you're good at it. In fact, you might just wonder what you are good at, or if you are good at anything at all. Just remember: there is a reason you have come this far and chosen this field of study: it's your strength. Don't let all the stress cloud your mind and distract you from the fact that you got this!

12. You will find yourself making countless phone calls to your closest friends.

Part of this goes back to the procrastination. You will be looking for any way to put off that take-home final essay. You will spend hours a night going back and forth on the phone with your bestie, talking in circles just to not be writing it, just as she does the same on her end of the line. For the sake of your grades, you both need to hang up and get to work. Part of this is also for support though. Sometimes you need to chat (briefly) with someone who understands your Finals Week struggles. Plus, you'll be missing your friends at this point in the week.

13. You will be starved for human interaction.

You will pretty much forgo a social life in the week leading up to your finals. It may be tempting to run off and party with your friends (those Facebook statuses can really suck you in), but you really need to put your head down, focus, and get your work done. Your friends will still be there after your finals are over. Plus, it's always good to remember that most of them have finals of their own that they are probably studying for, so you're really not missing out on much after all.

14. You might take out your aggressions on those closest to you.

With all of that stress building up, it's tempting to take it out on the people in your life, particularly those that you know won't abandon you if you have a freakout or two. Just remember that they are dealing with similar stuff. Try bonding over shared stress and solutions rather than biting their head off. If that doesn't work, maybe take a little break for this week (there will be plenty of time to hang after). Maybe it's a good thing that you have space from your friends after all.

15. Your friends will be there at the end to celebrate.

Once you make it through the end of this perilous week, your friends will be the ones to cheer you on, as well as celebrate your accomplishments afterwards. This is a perfect way to release all of that pent-up negative emotion and channel it into something fun. This is where you realize they were on your team the whole time.

16. You tentatively make peace with the Finals.

You resign yourself to whatever fate awaits you in that lecture hall or classroom. You realize that you've studied and prepared all that you can and that you've got this! Everything is going to be just fine. You know what you know, and what you don't know doesn't matter. You're gonna do great!

17. You embrace confidence, no matter the outcome.

You walk out of that final with a sense of completion and feel pride in all the hard work you have done this semester. The final could be a win or a loss, but all of the work you have accomplished amounts to more than this one last silly grade. You are a scholarly rockstar! Strut your stuff!

18. All of that sleep finally hits you.

You get home and realize just how much this week has drained you. The collective effects of all of that sleep loss hit you full force. A veritable truck of deep sleep is about to hit you. Sweet dreams are headed your way. You've earned it.

19. The grades come in.

There is that final terrifying moment afterwards when you get to see the fruits of all of your labor. Whether they are good or not-as-good-as-they-could-be, you worked hard for them, so take pride in showing them off. You earned it. If they're not that great, you'll do better next time, or just jot down a life lesson from it. At least it's over.

20. You can finally rest easy.

Take a load off. Pamper yourself a little. You have earned the right to a well-deserved reward. Relax. All of that stress is over.

Until next semester, that is...