Finals week is undoubtably the most stressful week of the semester. We have deadlines that we cannot seem to even remember in addition to all of the studying and at some point, it makes us question whether or not we are actually academically capable of succeeding. For me personally, studying for finals makes me feel as if I had never learned any of the material in the first place. Right when I think I am on a roll and I have gotten a couple practice questions right in a row, I start to second guess myself and end up doing worse.

After struggling through piles of work and staying up for hours on end, I start to think that there is no possible way I could get a good grade on the final, therefore having a bad grade on my transcript, and ultimately I will never get a job. But, that thought process is actually not the case at all. We have to remember that the final grade, if it ends up being worse than you had hoped, is not by any means a measure of your success in the class. Asking us to study an entire semester of information in a week or so is unreasonable and does not determine whether or not you understood the material, but solely if you were able to retain it all in a short period of time and remember how to apply it.

Final grades are still important and obviously as students we are all striving to do our best work and reach the potential that we know we all have, but that grade does not define you as a student overall. This week is a test in itself, and just being able to make it through is the real goal.