“College update: it is midterms week, also known as the week where one completely gives up on putting any time or effort into their appearance, sleep schedule, or anything that does not require your nose to be in a book. Rooms across campus are rented out with students that are fully engaged in preparing for exams, and classrooms fall silent at the start of each midterm. Stress levels are intensified, and it becomes hard to find anyone in a pleasant mood. Thankfully, DePaul students have another five weeks to enjoy college life before actual finals hit us like a truck. Let the countdown to winter break begin.”

The passage above was written on October 17, 2017, also known as DePaul’s most recent week of midterms… also known as a time where I was somehow still managing to keep my sh*t together. I distinctly remember sitting down to write this piece after I had just returned from a trip to the University of Iowa, subtly laughing at the thought of how one week of simple examinations could truly be the one-way ticket to college students not caring about how they look, pulling all-nighters, and even picking up a physical textbook. However, with this round of midterms coming up ever so quickly, I can successfully say that I knew nothing. Now, on to business.

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.

The spirit of procrastination haunts me once again, and it seems as though my only place to escape from this demon is at the nearest Starbucks with a Venti Red Eye and a double shot of espresso (emphasis on the double), or, in this case, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I have spent the past two weekends visiting friends as I casually “forgot” that I needed to study for midterms. As a result, I have officially become the college student that has given up on putting any time and effort into my appearance, sleep schedule, and anything that does not require my nose to be in a book for the week. Though I have yet to visit one of the various study rooms that my sorority has rented in the library, I foresee that day coming in the very near future.

The worst part? I experienced the entire “classroom falling silent at the start of each midterm” trauma the day that my math class opened the midterm review guide. If this is any indication that my success is not off to an optimistic start, then I don’t know what is. Surprisingly, though, I’ve found that I have been remotely capable of keeping up the entire “pleasant mood” façade. I want to believe it is because I know that I am more than capable of achieving my goal of passing each midterm, but truthfully, I think it’s just the coffee speaking. At this point, my only hope is that, by the time quarter three midterms approach, I will not feel compelled to write a follow up article on the further intensity of my levels of stress that await me in the future.