It's that time of the year. If you're a rising sophomore, congratulations on surviving your first full year of college! But regardless of what stage you are in your college journey, the onset of spring means you're one step closer to the ultimate form of freedom: summer. Whether you're excited about the prospect of being happily situated on a beach or on your couch in front of the TV, these last few days still must be conquered. No, it won't be easy. It will require gallons of lattes, heaps of motivation, towers of flashcards, and hours of expertly crafted playlists. But in times like these, it's important to excavate the caves of the past and pull out a glistening gem from our childhood: Arthur, the PBS show. 'Tis true; the aardvark is more relatable now than he ever was.
1. Well, the impending finals are starting to take a toll on you mentally, and...physically. You start visiting Frank more frequently, eating ungodly amounts of food. Finals will always be there, but the desserts aren't forever.
2. So you go to class, one of the six days of classes you actually have left. Furiously take notes as if you were an ancient Egyptian scribe. You know the drill.
3. And even in the middle of the night, when it's 2 a.m. and you just slaved over two hundred chemistry practice problems, you trudge through the tornado of clothes and papers that has manifested itself in your dorm room, and you find the mini-fridge: a haven of feasting without any judgment whatsoever from dining hall onlookers.
4. A new day. There's only one place you can go if you want to make any progress at all: the library. Amidst the persistent coughing and chewing sounds from other students going through the same thing as you, you know that the hours spent in this building will surely pay off. As long as you stay off Facebook.
5. The work is becoming too much. The binge studying on Sundays has worked for you all year, but you're losing steam. Wi-Fi is free. Wi-Fi is your friend.
6. But as you use the realm of the inter-webs as a valuable source, you notice that the anonymous-user-uploaded summary of the book you just read might not be entirely true. So, that's the Godot that they were waiting for?!
7. But, alas, you must focus. You can't give up now; it's the final stretch. You bang out an outline for a seven-page masterpiece, listen to that song you always rely on for inspiration, but--but...what's that word? The "p" word: procrastination. It's slowly wrapping its tentacles around your fingers on the keyboard. A valiant war ensues between your ideas and your motivation. Ideas must win.
8. You handed in the paper. The worst is over--no, wait, it's not over. You check the syllabus and remember that there are still over sixty pages of the two-ton anthology of English literature that you have to read and analyze. You reminisce the easy days of homework's past. You can never go back.
9. "That was so easy, lol, why did you get such a low grade? Is it really taking you three hours to work on that? I finished that a day ago and--"
10. Wait, I should probably email that person back. Or should I do laundry now, then go to the library later? After I make my bed? I'll probably never make my bed. Maybe I'll reply to the text about dinner first. And then I'll submit that thing. I guess I could stop by for fifteen minutes. Well, after I--
11. As the last few weeks dwindle down and you continue to push your productivity limits, you recall a handful of memories from Spring Party Weekend in all its glory. A foam party, a sunburn, a...wait, seventeen Slices?!
12. And the money. What money? You're broke, penniless. All you have is a backpack full of lecture notes, a few bucks in GateCash for a final load of laundry, and an amazingly exciting (but unpaid) summer internship. This is your time of need, my friend.
13. You frantically check the exam schedule again, reveling in the fact that your last exam is on a Wednesday--no, a Tuesday! Wow, too good to be true. Heh, too bad some of your friends won't be leaving until Saturday. Oh well; every man for himself out here.
14. Ugh. You then realize this won't be like any ordinary break; you're moving out of your dorm. You need to pack up literally everything and either store it or bring it back home. Ha, like you'll have the energy for that.
15. One test down, two papers to go. Your friends are still there for moral support. The end is near, young grasshopper. Summer is so close you can see it [in the swarm of students on the quad at all times of the sunny spring day].
16. As you sit in the window cubicle at Case that you so proudly woke up early to claim, you gaze outside at the setting sun and think of the summer days that await you. Pools, shorts, old friends, ice cream, long car rides with the windows down. Yes. So much yes.
17. Finals week arrives. Soon, it'll all be over. You'll finally get the GPA you worked so hard for. You'll be in your bed at home, not having to worry about setting an hour's worth of alarms, getting more than a mere six hours of slumber, sleeping like a baby. Soon.
