Now that Fall semester is over, finals are being grades, nerves are recovering, beds are occupied, pillows are no longer soaked with tears and the nervous bite marks are slowly fading, here are the different stages that every college student goes through.
First 3 weeks are amazing, you have the whole squad on one campus again, living on your own, partying like there is no tomorrow, and having no worries at all! Everything is going so well until that harsh realization hits...
Midterms come as fast as the last shot you took, strong and you know you will be paying for it in the morning. How could it be midterms week already? Did I sleep through the first half of the semester? Where did it go?! The pain and struggle become real when the Professor announces the homework that has been assigned so far and you question if your class had switched rooms. From this, you begin the all-nighters that are not the same as the ones you did over the summer. And as that amazing tan you worked on for 3 months fades away, the zombie mode begins to take its place caused by the all-nighters that are the horrible, dreadful, painful, coffee induced that causes dark circles that will remain until winter break.
Thanksgiving break rolls around causing so much excitement to leave this dreaded campus that is a constant reminder of the large pile of papers that is labeled as homework, but it's not that easy. Professors assign more assignments since they believe we don't have a life or family or need a break, resulting in a full-blown meltdown when your mom asks you to pass the cranberry sauce.
Returning to campus and the leaves are all gone on the ground, you look at the bare exposed trees and whisper, "I feel." After handing in the 2 trees worth of work, everything seems to settle down. Everyone is adjusting to living in the library and not in their dorms, forming a real-time sleepover that consists of no sleep, no movies, no snacks, and the Rudolf effect brought to you by the lovely chilling performance by winter wind.
Last 2 weeks of the semester, everyone is on constant alert, maybe due to the disgusting amount of coffee consumed or the fact no one has slept for more than 5 hours, but feels will get hurt, remarks will be said, and arguments are on the rise, unlike our GPA. The library is even more packed with students, which was considered unimaginable, yet it is finals week and everything we thought possible is proven wrong.
The territorial person comes out when you notice the seat you have sat in since midterm week is occupied by someone who you have never seen, proving that they don't go to this school. Before the eyes widen and you are unsure if you want to yell at them or cry or a little of both, the wonderful friends direct you to the area they are in and have saved a seat for you. Everything settles except that ball of every emotion imaginable still rolling in the pit of your stomach that finally gets released when you spot the librarian aid handing out snacks and water. Unable to control facial muscles, saying thank you to them comes out in the form of gibberish, but they all know what you meant to say.
Finals week comes and goes with a blind of an eye, just as quickly as the exam testing time does, but once everything is handed in, signed off on, packed up, it's time to go home for the holidays! The relief and comfort found in your own bed is just the security you were missing; missing so much you stay there until the nerves have repaired, eyes aren't dilated and you are able to see straight, the circles under your eyes fade since you got 16 hours of sleep, and can finally smell again since the stuffy nose from finals week is gone, everything is right again in the world. Until you are notified that professors have submitted grades, but you have a whole month to cry and sob and collect yourself before we do it all over again!
