It is the most horrible time of the year: Finals week. Patients, sleep, coffee, and printer ink have all run dry, and yet we are expected to excel on our final exams. There is no one better suited to describe my fellow students across the nation during this time than the wonderful Gordon Ramsay. From Hell's Kitchen, Hotel Hell, Kitchen Nightmares, and so much more, Gordon Ramsay is the king of keeping it real, which is exactly why he becomes everyone's spirit animal in some way during finals week. Finals week brings out everyone's inner Gordon.
When you overhear that overachiever telling everyone about how long they studied for this exam
No one other than you cares that you spent 13 straight hours studying for one class. You are not impressing anyone. I hope you pass, but please don't destroy the curve.
When your professor is running through the content of the final to help "prepare you" and you are the only one lost
What is that formula? I have NEVER seen that word before! How am I going to pass this class?!
When you are so fed up with a member of your final project group just not pulling their weight and is goofing off instead
Take off you jacket and leave. If you aren't here to work, don't bother. We have a Google Doc for a reason, slack off on your own time, not everyone else's.
When you know you are never going to pass that exam and you just accept it
C's do get degrees, and that is your mantra for finas week. It's ok if you don't pass this exam.
when you start to question ever decision you have made thus far in the semester
When you pull out your notes from the first class because your final is cumulative
The notes from your first class look as if they are dinosaur fossils stuck in amber, if you even still have them.
When you finally understand everything after hours of studying
Yes! I got it! I'm going to ace this exam!
And then you have the exam on your desk and don't remember a single thing...
Well that excitement was short lived.... Happy hunger games.
When your professor makes eye contact with you during your exam
This is not going to be fun for you to grade. Have fun.
When you are finally done with your exam and never have to worry about that class again
Good-bye! Have a good rest of your semester/life/teaching career.
Happy finals week everyone. Remember that it is almost over and all that struggling that you have done during this week, it's all for that degree at the end of it all. Hang in there. This is just the hard part. There is always some struggle to get anything that is worth getting. Gordon Ramsay may seem angry, but he is successful and happy with his family. Just keep swimming!
Photo by 
