As winter break approaches, so does the last week of classes before finals. Students should be celebrating the fact that they had survived another semester of college, or start to make winter break plans with all the friends back home. However, for college students, this last week of school is almost always the worst week of the whole semester. Here are 6 reasons why:

1. Every single unfinished assignment/project/presentation falls in this week

It’s almost as if all the professors get together and decide to assign the most important assignments of the semester all in this last week of classes. These assignments are either worth about half of your grade or requires 20+ hours of research done in advance. Other professors who fall behind on lectures end up cramming 3 weeks worth of material and homework into this one last week, increasing that stress level even more.

2. Some classes still have MIDTERMS

It’s the week before finals, yet some classes still have midterms up until finals week. For poor pre-meds and engineers, as if four midterms a semester isn’t enough, they have to study for one in this last week of classes along with all the heavy course loads of other classes. Props to these students for not quitting on the spot.

3. Motivation levels are at an all-time low

After 14 weeks of hard work and dedication, it’s inevitable for students lose at least some motivation by the last week. We’ve all seen it with our own eyes. Attendance in that 200 person 9 am lecture probably dropped from 200 students at the beginning of the year to a mere 50 by now. Instead of taking notes in class, a good 80% of laptops probably have a shopping site or Facebook open. Paying attention in class is now a physically difficult and draining thing to do.

4. For students living in dorms, meal plans are running low, and there’s no time to cook

For students without unlimited dining meal swipes, this last week is brutal in and out of class. Running out of meal swipes means having to actually cook for yourself in the busiest week of the semester, and cooking takes up a lot of time. Students have to allocate up to an hour per meal to cook, yet that’s precious time that cannot be lost. Instead, students pick up a healthy diet consisting of rotations between Chipotle, Subway, and Panda Express. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

5. Later sunrises = less motivation to go to class

It seems like even mother nature is trying to prevent students from physically going to class. With days so short these days, how can students maintain the motivation to get to class? That’s like asking a bear to come out of hibernation in the middle of winter. When it’s dark outside, we should be sleeping, not dragging ourselves to a lecture where we’ll most likely be on Facebook anyway.

6. Half the school is sick

Transition seasons mean that half of your class if probably sick, which may explain why half the class no longer shows up to lecture (definitely not because of the lack of motivation). Colder days and dorm living bring inevitable plagues and sicknesses to the campus, and even with proper hand washing techniques and vitamin gummies, it is still possible to get sick. The last thing you need in such a busy week would be to be sick while having to get through all these assignments.

7. Libraries and all study spaces are overly crowded

For the few who still genuinely have the energy and motivation to stay on top of all classes, this week is still a nightmare. All the library private rooms seem to be occupied all times, even at three in the morning. Quiet study spaces become loud and crowded, and your usual study spots keep getting taken by someone who probably studies once a semester. How are you supposed to maintain your productivity if you can’t study in your usual spot?

Despite all these obstacles standing between you and your long anticipated winter break, at the end of the day, you will pull through using the same methods like you have always done in all the previous semesters: coffee, sugar, and working til the sun rises. Who needs sleep anyways?