Finals week. Hell week. The worst two words that a college student could ever hear. Some people get lucky (like me) and have to mostly write papers that are due when their final would have been scheduled for. Other people (like those poor, unlucky science majors) have to take test after test. Either way, every single college student dreads this one, horrible week that seems to stretch out longer than any other week. However, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and when it comes to finals week, if one is willing to look hard enough through their exhaustion, there are plenty of good things to look forward to.
1. Study Breaks
The good thing about finals week is that you don't have to go to your usual classes and use any time you're not in class to study. Instead, you have one or two finals a day and you don't have one every single day. That leaves you plenty of room to reward yourself with study breaks that are far greater than the ones you give yourself during the normal semester. A Saturday trip to the mall the weekend before that first awful Monday isn't some frivolous notion that seems impossible to accomplish. Taking a few hours off to go to the movies with your friends doesn't seem like a waste of time. Instead, after hours of studying, you don't mind taking a two hour long study break. Oh, and the study breaks set up by your campus are always worth it.
2. The Food
It's the end of semester and campus is starting to empty out. That means that the dining hall is going to start trying to get rid of everything in the kitchen. And that means that the good stuff, like mozzarella sticks or chicken nuggets or chicken fries or deep fried mac and cheese bites are going to come out. I don't know what it is about Sodexo and the days before a break, but they always manage to hit you up with some of their best meals. And the desserts are always to die for, because the best way to de-stress is to enjoy some amazing sweets.
3. Freedom
Once you take a final for one class, you're officially done with that class. And there is no better feeling in the world than knowing that you're done with some god awful class. Knowing that you're done with that class on the history of religion in America or some stupid math class makes break so much sweeter. Besides, with every final that you cross off of the checklist, the closer you are to enjoying a month long break from classes, homework, and doing your own laundry.
4. Final Exam Care Packages
Getting a box full of your favorite snacks, some gift cards to your favorite coffee place and a bundle of comedies to relieve stress never fails to earn a smile from any college student. Knowing that they can refuel on caffeine without digging into their dwindling bank accounts as well as hole out in their room rather than brace the cold for a trip to the dining hall is the perfect motivator for a college kid to throw on some music, pig out on popcorn and Easy Mac, and power through hours of homework before rewarding themselves with the latest Zac Efron movie.
5. Cancelled Classes
So many professors cancel their last class, especially when the final is a paper. This means that you have more free time and less homework to worry about. When classes aren't cancelled, it's common to just have the actual final to worry about and classes that are review-based or centered around small readings that take up almost no time at all. Either way, you get more time to enjoy yourself and prepare for finals.
6. 24 Hour Quiet Hours
Those noisy neighbors and the elephants that live upstairs are no longer able to keep you up all night. And it's not just because they have to start cramming for finals the same way that you do. It's because for one blissful week, the quiet hours that usually don't start until at least eleven go on all day long. You don't have to worry about anybody blaring music or screaming in the hallways. Instead, there's peace and quiet so that all you and your roommate can hear is your own music and the occasional page turning.
