Picture this: You are in college and you just got back from spring break. You feel so refreshed and relaxed. A little R&R never hurt anybody. You get back on campus and see all your friends who you’ve missed for the past eleven days. Everything is going swell! Then, classes start. Don’t get me wrong, I think education is very important. It is necessary. I am in no way criticizing the need for education. Are we clear? Good.
You get to your first class. Let’s say your first class is General Psychology. I’m just spitballing. This does not connect to my life in any way. Yeah right. Lies! Anyway, you’re feeling on top of the world walking in. You think to yourself, “I am so ready to learn!” The professor starts his lecture and you take notes like you always do. It’s casual. But then the truth hits you: finals are happening soon. At the end of class, the homework is assigned. Papers, reading, study guides, etc. You do all the work while thinking, “Finals are a month or so away. I have time.” Tick, tick, tick.
Suddenly in a flash, you get to a point where there are only two weeks of classes before finals week. What you thought was busy before, that is nothing compared to how much work there is now. There are papers for English, Communications, and Psychology due, you have readings with questions due for English, you have sit down final exams to study for, and you’re balancing that with making sure you get some food, some exercise, and enough sleep. Let’s not even mention your social life. That’s hard to fit in but some people choose to fit it in because life is about priorities. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words. You feel like this:
Well, guess what, the person who I just described is me. It’s everyone in college right now. If you are feeling like this, believe me, you are not alone. Finals are stressful and it is so easy to feel overwhelmed. I will be posting an article next week about how to cope with all of this work, so keep an eye out for that. But just remember now, every college student is dealing with this same struggle. Keep your head up, work hard, and remember that when you finish your finals strong, it’s summer time!