It's the middle of second semester, and I probably sound insane. Semester finals being the best times of year? In all seriousness? I must be mixing up ideas in my head if I think that's even true.

But I'm being completely honest when I say this; to me, I find no greater joy than the events surrounding finals. No, I'm not a fan of the testing at all, but just that anticipation of the big seasonal break after finals are over makes everything surreal. Just the idea of finishing that last exam and leaving the building behind is so relieving just to think about.

The test-taking, though, is a complete nightmare. This past midterms week back in December, I stayed up each night until one or two in the morning trying to memorize a semester of information for the classes I would be testing for the next day. After the first day of finals, I remember putting my head down on the desk and feeling my brain fried in my head. Not to mention coming home and not being able to take a nap because I was frantically rushing to study for the next day of tests.

All that aside, there's something about all the late-night Starbucks study sessions you have with your friends when you're trying to finish a 20-page study guide together. There was one night the week before midterms back in December when it was pouring outside, but my friend and I typed away on the Google Doc we had made for our Anatomy final coming up.

In winter specifically, I've always had the best time of year right when finals season takes place because it's the one time of year my friends and I agree to meet up and just get work done. It's comforting and productive to have people you know working alongside you to cram for finals, and when it's blisteringly cold outside, that very ambiance is the perfect remedy.

Yes, second semester finals take place much differently than first semester's, but that's also because AP exams are taking place around the same time. There's so much information crammed into one's head that yes, this may overshadow the fact that there's an understanding among all students concerning stress, but in the end, whatever information is needed for AP exams is what one needs to know for finals.

In a way, second semester finals are like a premature rite of passage into the next school year. Everyone is so giddy to get work done that you can't help but do the same yourself. Maybe it's the fact that my workaholic side feels loved around this time of year that makes me feel happier than usual.

Finals themselves have always been stressed as a big deal when it comes to one's grade at the end of a semester, but when you're taking classes where each test is already weighed the same as a final, there's no point stressing unnecessarily. I guess that little piece of information floats around in my head whenever a semester approaches its end because I have no reason to fear.

All things considered, finals are a lot more fun when there's a whole community of students looking for every opportunity to study, and that's just motivation to work even smarter.