Sometimes you have one of those weeks where everything is going on and everything seems to be not quite right. This was one of those weeks for me. It was midterms, which wouldn't be all that bad except I had four exams, 2 papers, multiple homework assignments, labs and a whole slew of extra curricular activities to attend.
Midterms is especially heinous because there is no break at the end. After finals there is either winter or summer break but after midterms--there are just more classes. Professors seem to have forgotten what it was like to be in college. That their class is not the only class that we take per semester. Midterms are bad enough but then they go and throw assignments on top them! To make it worse my professors like to wait until the last possible second to finish teaching all of the material that is on the exam. It is just really unfair to lecture material for 3 hours less than 24 hours before an exam and expect your students to understand all of it.
In college you are supposed to get involved, participating in as many clubs and organizations as you can, get remarkable grades, have a job, have a social life, eat well and sleep sufficiently. And sometimes this just feels completely unrealistic. There is so much pressure on students to succeed and to stand out. That pressure gets to be too much sometimes and a student can feel like they are going to break.
It doesn't help when things don't go well during the week either. Whether it was getting a lower score on an exam than you thought, forgetting an assignment, getting stuck on a particularly difficult homework problem, getting into an argument with a friend or family member, even having a disappointing meal can just set you over the edge when your stress level gets high enough. It is hard to focus on getting through the rest of your week at that point, with no drive to get work done or motivation to study for an exam.
This week was so rough. By the end of the week I was so burnt out, felt just absolutely fried and didn't want to focus on a thing. After the absolute chaos and stress of so many exams, assignments and activities one can use a break, I know I could!! But yet we must press on...with more exams, quizzes, labs and assignments. Its important to remember that its just one week, just one class and that everything will work out in end. So take a breather every once in a while and keep pushing forward, you can do it.
