As a college freshman studying for midterms, I’ve come to realize how different college exams are from high school. College is a lot more difficult than I expected, and midterms are a large percentage of your grade for many courses. For most of my fellow college freshman, this is the first time that we are living on our own without the help of a parent to remind us to stay focused and actually study. We are on our own, which is good and bad. The freedom is amazing, but at the same time, the procrastination and the distractions are difficult to resist. There has to be a balance to having a social life but also studying. Learning to put studying for exams first is an important part of college that I have realized. Finding the right environment is the key to success, whether it's in the dorm or in the quiet section of the library. Studying for exams is painful and exhausting. It's an emotional roller coaster, but in the end, studying for exams is worth it.

Here are a list of GIFs to explain the emotions a freshman feels while studying for exams:

Trying to figure out what you're even studying.

Wondering how everyone else seems to understand the class.

Wanting to nap until graduation.

Depending on caffeine to function.

When you take a break for five minutes.

When you have multiple exams in one week.

When you have an exam before noon.

Wondering when will I ever need this information in the real world.

Wondering if you should drop out of school or switch your major.

Sometimes it may be very stressful and overwhelming.

When the information you're studying FINALLY makes sense.

But at the end of the day, you have to study for your exams. Do your best and don't give up.

Because there is nothing better than that sense of accomplishment when you do well on an exam.

To everyone taking exams, like myself, I say to you, “May the odds be ever in your favor.”