Midterm week is a stressful time of the year; in fact, it may even be more stressful than finals when you really think about it. Midterm week requires a student to put in all the effort he/she would during finals week, but also still demands that you go to class, learn new material, and do all of your other homework on time. On top of this, the idea of Spring Break is all you can think about, and the more you’ve got to do during midterm week, the more Spring Break seems to distract you. It is a lot that is asked of students, and sometimes it’s hard not to crack under the pressure. Seriously, the infamous meltdown of Brittany Spears in 2007 is way more understandable and relatable when you’re seven days deep in midterms, and have maybe seven hours of sleep to match. So, here is a typical college student's midterm week (or maybe just mine), as told by my favorite lawyer, Elle Woods:
Saturday (Prior to midterms)
This is the Saturday prior to when the hell that is midterm week ensues. It is misleading; as maybe you don’t have much going on today and you feel as if this will be the tone of the week once Monday rolls around. Maybe you’ll study a little bit today so as not to feel unprepared, but for the most part, life is good, you feel good, and you’re just like:
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Sunday (Night mostly)
Chances are, you spent the morning in a similar state of bliss as you did on Saturday. However, as the day turned to night, the panic and doubt set in on whether or not you have prepared enough for the week ahead. This night was spent cramming, worrying, and multitasking. You probably spent the night in a state similar to this:
Monday. Day One: The honeymoon phase
Though you worried much of Sunday about whether or not you were prepared for your exam, once Monday arrived you felt calm, cool, and collected (this was probably the only day of the week you felt this way). You were able to prepare enough that not only did you do well on your exam, but you were prepared for your other lectures as well.
Tuesday. Day Two of hell week
You walk into class with a look that can only be described as similar to what you look like after a wild night out, though all you did was stay in and study. Maybe your shoes match and maybe your hair is brushed, but basically you’re looking like a Grade A hot mess. Overall, you’re nervous about the exam, but you make it through and feel confident you did well. So you set your sights on Wednesday's exam with the hopes that you might get four hours of sleep versus the three you got prior to Tuesday's exam, all the while knowing this idea is very unlikely.
Wednesday. Day Three: The end is no longer in sight
If you’re anything like me by this point, Friday feels like an eternity away and Spring Break feels even further. You’re no longer focused on anything that isn’t midterms, and find yourself trying to remember if you fed yourself that day. Your motivation is draining, and you’ve still got two exams to get through. So, you go to your Wednesday midterm and even though you’ve studied the best you could given the circumstances, when you get the test/see the material, you find yourself second-guessing your abilities to do well on this exam.
Thursday. Day Four
You wake up today with a new found positivity towards midterm week, and your last midterm of the week feels like nothing compared to everything you’ve dealt with prior to it. While you may be tired, sleep deprived, and potentially hungry (have you been remembering to feed yourself?), the week is coming to an end, and soon enough you will be on break with no worries other than what time you want to take your nap each day.
Friday. SPRING BREAK.
You get home and your parents have a million questions about how the semester has been, how midterms went, how you’re doing in your classes overall, if you have applied for internships yet, and if you have been accepted for an internship yet. And while maybe your week was stressful and maybe you had a few mental breakdowns, you successfully made it through the first half of the semester. So, you’re just like:
