Exams. They are everything that Buddy the Elf is not. I associate exams with negative adjectives and Buddy with the positive ones. So, to add a lightness to our heavy, exam burdened hearts, as well as recognize the JOY that is the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being exams), here is what finals week looks like as told by "Buddy the Elf."

You sit down to start studying and realize no amount of coffee can truly get you through all of the material you need to cover.

Not even the world’s best. I think I have collected coffee to-go cups from about 7 different coffee shops and taken pictures of more latte art than I know what to do with. Not only does coffee lead to mega productivity, but your local coffee shop becomes a meeting place for all of the stressed and sleep deprived students crawling their way to more caffeine...this means you're sure to run into all of your friends. Coffee, man...it just is such a defining part of finals week.

Whether it’s 2 a.m. or 4 p.m., you are hungry. Or stressed.

Or both. Who knows, but you are probably stress eating whatever mess you can create without having had time to make a grocery trip. Honestly, sometimes you just forget to eat all day during finals. There's just too much to do, so little time to make it all happen, and all of a sudden it's the middle of the night and the Elf food groups of candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup sound like great spaghetti toppings. Here is where I feel the need to insert my bit about the importance of actually eating well during exam week and trying to keep yourself well and healthy. Take deep breaths...like Buddy in the gif above.

The professor says the exam will be just like the review, but when you show up, you swear the exam is in a foreign language.

And it’s definitely not a foreign language class. All semester long, you have memorized review answers and studied the material. Your brain has been fried and marked with equations, vocabulary, and concepts. You have known this information. You have made it your own. You have trusted your professors and have learned what they have told you. Then...you walk into your exam...all confident and stuff...and the final...covers material...that you have NEVER SEEN BEFORE. Then you panic.

You show up on exam day and see all of those kiddos who ignored attendance credit, or simply didn’t know it existed, but decided to at least show up for the final.

We have friends that we have classes with. Then we have class friends. Those people whose names you don't even know, but you guys are in for the ride together. Then there are the people you see everyday but don't talk to, but the real kickers are those students that you have never even seen before until the day of the final exam. Do they even know what this is going to cover? Do these kids even care? So many questions for the stranger sitting next to me with wandering eyes. Sorry, bud, but I worked for this grade.

You finish your last exam and get to go home for break!

Welcome to probably the best day of your life. The anxiety, the sleepless nights, and the weight of the world are all lifted off your shoulders at once as you hop in your packed car and drive off for some rest, leaving finals behind. It's the light at the end of the tunnel so just keep on swimming...you're almost to this pure joy!!!

Happy finals week to all, and to all a good all nighter!