It's almost that point in the semester where everyone starts scrambling to study for finals and also prepare for Winter Break. Finals week is one of the most stressful and highly anticipated points in every student's college career. There are many stages to finals week: from study guides to the time of the actual test. Whether we realize it or not, we are all the Grinch during finals week.
When you look at the syllabus and see that the final is cumulative:
When you first find out your final is going to be cumulative you begin to hate the class and your professor. It is common to question if your brain can even hold that much information for multiple classes, but somehow you find a way to make it work.
When you start to study, but then you get hungry (mainly because you're bored):
Although it is inevitable, students often try to avoid studying and snacking. However, snacks fill the void of being a miserable college student who is cramming for finals. Also, most students by this point are all out of dining dollars so they are forced to spend their own money on food. Who studies when the dining halls are open anyways?
Three words: University Reading Day.
Reading day is easily the best day of finals week. It is basically sent directly from God and gives people a day off from finals. So reading day eve is a good day to give your brain a rest and maybe have a few drinks with your friends.
The feeling after you've completed a final:
Usually, after you leave a final you have a sense of defeat and hope. The defeat comes from those five questions you had no idea how to answer and the hope stems from the fact that you're almost done. Finishing finals means that you're getting close to the end.
And don't forget you have to sleep.
Managing your schedule during finals week is the real struggle. It is best to not study anywhere near a bed or couch because sleep is so tempting. It is important to make time for sleep during this week so you are well rested for your finals.
The feeling when all of your finals are over:
The feeling when you walk out of your last final is the best feeling ever. Knowing that it is time for a well-deserved break is very comforting as you make it through finals, so when you reach the end it is common to feel pretty great. That is until the final grades are posted.
Finals week is one of the roughest weeks of the semester and it is hard to get through it. But with sleep, snacks, and friends it is a little easier. Planning for finals is pretty important in the long-run due to the amount of work you actually have to get done. Therefore, plan early and take full advantage of the university reading day.
