Dear exhausted, overworked, discouraged student,
So you have a test coming up. Your flashcards are strewn across your desk and your textbooks are tattooed with highlighter marks. Your fingers are callused, your hands are cramping, and the bags under your eyes are anything but designer. You’re reading the same words over and over again, yet nothing is resonating. Your eyes literally burn from the sting of whatever nonsense you’ll be tested on when the sun rises, which you’ll undoubtedly witness during the all-nighter you’re tempted to pull. But to anyone who is familiar with this feeling of scholastic depression, I’m here to tell you the most sacred of words in the world of academics: you’re not alone, and it’ll be fine.
You’re not alone.
Especially during the midterms season, I’m no stranger to the feeling of walking into a test knowing I’m about to fail. As easy as it is to feel abandoned during this time of utter confusion, you’re very far from alone- and I’m not just writing this for the sake of my article; I have literally sat at a desk and re-read the same words over and over again, without so much as a single moment of clarity. There truly is strength in numbers, and while I wouldn’t wish the stress of failing on my worst enemy, it definitely feels good knowing that I’m not the only one staring into oblivion wondering how I got accepted to college when I can’t even memorize beginner Italian conjugations.
You can’t be good at everything.
The purpose of academics is to diversify your surroundings, and test the boundaries of what makes you comfortable. In my liberal arts college, I’m forcibly exposed to a wide array of classes and topics that I wouldn’t dream of registering for on my own- one of which being my own little sliver of hell, otherwise known as the Italian language. But what I lack in basic linguistic skills I make up in other avenues, just like you. So what if you fail your accounting exam? If you’re not going to be an accountant, who even cares. Go focus on your history class and remind yourself how talented you are in other areas- areas where, believe it or not, other students suffer through the same stress you endure in certain classes. There’s no way in hell that you’ll be good at everything- so forget about the test you’re stressing over and do something that you’re good at- something that makes you happy.
Life goes on.
I’m being entirely serious when I say this: the exam doesn’t matter. This one exam won’t determine your life, and this one grade won’t affect your future. Even if you fail, life goes on. One day, you’ll be living in an apartment in your favorite city cooking dinner for your best friends, not caring in the slightest that you failed your sophomore year astronomy exam. You’ll have a family and job and friends and hobbies and the hours upon hours of studying that you invested in your statistics midterm will all be for null. You’ll laugh at the tears you shed over your Composition final, as you rock being a soccer mom and helping your own children with their academic stresses. Despite popular belief, your future does not depend on your grades.
Clean up your flashcards and shut your textbooks. Get in bed, de-stress, and think about all of the other areas in your life that you excel at. Take it from the most school-obsessed nerd on the planet- I understand your stress. I feel your pain. But I promise you, even if you do fail, this is not the end of the world- no matter how much it may feel like it is. And honestly, your potential failure will make me feel a little bit better about the Italian exam I just walked out of, so at the very least, we’re far from alone.
