Finals, a word that many of us know all too well. It is one of two weeks in the year that you wish would disappear so you can start your break and forget everything you spent countless hours trying to remember.
Going into this finals week I decided I would have a new outlook because I was tired of being burned out halfway through. Instead of focusing on all of the negative aspects, I chose to see the midnight study sessions and 5 a.m. coffee breaks in a different way.
Although finals week was still jammed packed with flashcards, highlighters, and wishful thoughts of winter break; it was also filled with laughing, friends, and dance breaks. The week that I once dreaded became a time for me to learn more about my friends, reflect on the past semester, and smile a little more. Slacking off was not an option and I still had to study harder than ever but I let myself have more fun. Finals week taught me a lot this time around and those are things I will not forget anytime soon.
Midnight dance sessions are totally acceptable.
Maybe I had to stay up an extra two hours to get through all of my notes but dancing to Justin Bieber made it worthwhile.
A good butt workout can really reenergize you.
It seems a little strange to stop studying long enough to do an entire workout but it definitely gave me motivation to finish. I am still sore from the hundreds of reps of donkey kicks but my brain was very appreciative. I think it may have even improved my grade.
You learn more about your friends at 2 a.m.
Everyone knows that after midnight is when people get weird. After studying for hours, they get even weirder. I learned more about my friends while studying than I ever thought imaginable.
True friends are ones who will order pizza with you after you just ate an entire medium fry.
Studying means snacks. Studying for 7 hours means eating everything in sight. After spending hours upon hours staring at a computer screen, it was nice to have friends who would scrounge up change just to make sure we could eat for the tenth time.
The people who stay up to quiz you on your flashcards at 1 a.m. are the best kind of people.
The ones who could have been in bed 4 hours ago but stay up to make sure you pass are the people you want in your life. I am glad I have friends who give up a good night's sleep to go over notecards with me one last time.
You won't remember the definition of that one word in geography but you will remember the snap stories that took ten takes.
Sometimes I wonder why people would even want to study alone. There would be way too many missed opportunities for the perfect snap story and a good laugh.
The best way to manage stress is to laugh.
The only way I even kept my sanity was by allowing myself to laugh. Taking studying seriously is important but who wants to spend every minute of a 6-hour study session being serious? My guess is that the number is pretty small.
My friends are awesome.
This one is pretty plain and simple. Finals showed me all of the reason why my friends are great.
I am incredibly thankful for the friends who made me laugh when Spanish II made me want to cry and I am happy I have friends who made studying for geography exciting with intermittent dance breaks. Finals week is supposed to teach you all of the things you did not remember from the beginning of the semester but this finals week taught me so much more. So here's to late night laughing and 30 cups of coffee to make it through the week, I would not have had it any other way.
