"College update round two: midterms are upon us yet again, and I thought I understood what to expect. It is safe to say that, in comparison to last quarter, I am enrolled in significantly more challenging classes than I had been two months ago. Not only have I found myself consumed with hours of homework, but I have also found that my levels of stress have reached an all-time high."

This passage was written on February 7, 2018 as part of the series discussing my never-ending struggle with midterms. I remember sitting down to write this piece earlier in the year, as I had just returned from a trip to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I spent the entire weekend visiting with friends instead of studying for my upcoming rigorous tests.

Looking back on it I often laugh, realizing I had another trip to the same location planned for the following weekend. I had noticed that, during my first round of midterms, I had planned a weekend road trip to visit friends at the University of Iowa. A wave of concern rose over me after contemplating why, at this point in every quarter, do I feel the need to take a road trip and avoid all responsibilities. I told myself that it was likely not a major deal - that it was just an odd coincidence. That is, until I ended up at U of I this past weekend, also known as the weekend I should have been studying for fall quarter midterms.

There is nothing that I love more than visiting my friends who are studying at different colleges than I am. Yet, my timing continuously seems to be off in this regard. This is not to say that I do not pay for it, though. After driving home on Sunday afternoon, I mustered up the courage to log on to D2L and dive into my midterm reviews. Being the procrastinator that I am, I told myself that there was nothing to be overwhelmed about, and that I could easily hit the books for a few short hours and excel on these tests. What I opened my laptop to that Sunday afternoon I will never forget. I found discussions upon articles upon papers with deadlines rapidly approaching. I stared solemnly at the screen and found myself riddled with anxiety. But, did I regret my road trip? Not in the slightest.

I tell myself that next quarter will be different, but in actuality, I am more excited to see where I will travel to next.