Finals week: the week we all have a love/hate relationship with; the week that separates us from a much needed vacation, yet also the week that puts our mental and emotional stability to the real test. We all know the stages of finals week. We've been through them all before. But the real question is will you crack before you make it to Phase 5 this semester?
Phase 1: The "OK I got this, I'm prepared" phase.
The first phase of final week—the one that fools us all. You study for a few hours the week prior and then just to be sure, you study a little more on the weekend, but still continue on to maintaining what's most important: your social life. And then the first day of finals week comes, and you're feeling like you're ready to conquer the world.
Phase 2: The "never mind, time to cram a semester's worth of information into three hours before my exam" phase.
Then reality hits. This phase gets a lot of us. You think you're ready to go and then a few hours before your exam time, you realize you actually know absolutely nothing and you should probably go attempt to re-teach yourself what you were supposed to learn all semester long. This is when you're probably starting to regret pulling all-nighters because you went out, not because you were studying.
Phase 3: The "is it too late to drop out" phase.
Now, after a few late nights, due to cramming and some crying, when all you want to do is go to sleep/think happy thoughts, you start to think to yourself "do I really need to graduate college to work in the fast food industry?"
Phase 4: The "no sleep, barely breathing" phase. Also what I like to call the "Britney Spears 2007 mental breakdown" phase.
This is when you're going to feel like you got ran over by a Mack Truck...over and over again. This normally occurs toward the end of finals week, when you have one or two more tests to go, and you just wish you could snap your fingers and go home. The infamous mental breakdown has officially taken place once or twice, and there's just no fighting it. You can just see yourself getting crazier and crazier as the stress keeps piling up. You just have to fight the urges to go completely insane because... you're almost there!
Phase 5: The happiest phases of all: The "is this real life? Did I make it? Am I about to go home?" phase.
You made it! You didn't go entirely mentally insane and you are still breathing, so that is always a plus. Now you get to pack up your car and hit the road with a smile on your face that hasn't been existent all week long. Now, you get to enjoy your time home with your family and friends and start to pretend like you're semi-preparing yourself for the pain next semester's finals week will bring.
