It's the end of the semester. You don't remember the last time you had a night out that didn't involve falling asleep in the quiet section of the library. Your days and nights are starting to run together. Summer is days away and all you can think about is how great it will feel to NOT have to wake up before noon for some ridiculous lecture.
Then you remember the place you can find solace, the one real retreat you have in this desperate time: Netflix. Oh, Netflix, The one friend who wont judge you for staying in bed for fourteen hours straight or for crying at Ross and Rachel's wedding. (Don't get angry if I ruined FRIENDS for you. That show is as old as you are; you've had ample time to watch it.)
Your To-Watch list has grown astronomically over the past few months and you've been itching to start a new show. Should I jump on the Grey's Anatomy train? You think to yourself. Try that new Kimmy Schmidt show everyone's quoting on twitter?
The semester is practically over, so that means the next few weeks pretty much don't matter, right?
WRONG.
Even though you think there's no light at the end of this tunnel, there is. The bane of your existence and your grade's saving grace: Final Exams.
So keep on truckin'! Here's some motivation to press pause on your Netflix queue until you are homefree. Okay let's start with something obvious: You need to study.![]()
Yeah, I know. It seems pointless to study and you're telling yourself you're fine with whatever happens, but let's be real: You didn't even buy the textbook for that geology class and your attendance was close to non-existent. Exit Netflix and go to the library. The Office will still be there when you come back.
Think of all the sleep you're missing out on!
Between the all-nighters you'll inevitably be pulling and the last-minute review sessions you'll force yourself to attend, you really don't have time to start a new show. Naps will forever trump How I Met Your Mother. Sorry, Marshall.
You aren't emotionally ready.
The amount of sleep you're getting this week probably adds up to a single digit number and your diet is primarily caffeine-based. You're hangry (hungry + angry, duh), moody, sleep-deprived, and jittery. Do you really want to marathon Grey's Anatomy, a show known to reduce sorority girls everywhere to blubbering messes? Save yourself the heartbreak until you know you won't have to retake College Algebra again next semester.
Finals are happening, whether you're ready or not.
Breaking Bad won't teach you Chemistry. Mad Men won't help you ace your Principles of Advertising final. The Tudors isn't a reliable source for your Brit Lit paper. So bury your nose in the books! These shows will be waiting on you with open arms when you're done.
Bottom line, you need to kick your final's a$$.
Imagine how great it will feel to walk out of that 7:30 AM exam feeling like a champ instead of a burnt out basket case. If you spend the night before binging The Walking Dead, you'll more than likely feel like a zombie yourself.
I know that at times this semester has seemed long and hard, and I fully understand how tempting the red glow of the Netflix homepage can be. I would be lying if I didn't admit that Netflix was playing in the background as I typed this.
But don't succumb to Netflix's siren song. Stay strong. Do not go gentle into that good night that is Finals Week.
