This time of the year isn't exactly smooth sailing for your average college student. If you're anything like me (struggling to study for back-to-back chemistry and biology exams because of a strange and sudden inability to wake up to even the loudest alarm), it can be really hard to find a silver lining. But even if your legs are cramped from sitting criss-cross in a library chair for hours, your fingers are twitching from too much coffee, and the words in your notes are all blending together after a while. There are still so many reasons to sprint across the finish line.
1. Summer is here
At least those late night treks to and from the library aren't in the snow anymore! Once this week or two of stress is over, you can look forward to falling asleep on the beach, seeing your friends and family back home, making money at your summer job, and maybe even beefing up your resume at an internship. The only thing standing between you and relaxation is a few exams.
2. Everyone feels your pain
If you've never stopped what you're doing and looked around the library before, I would recommend it. Chances are you'll realize that every single other person in the room is as close to a mental breakdown as you are. I've seen a girl set a timer for five minutes, cry for that duration, and then pick back up writing a paper. One of my friends lays across three chairs under her jacket for a few minutes and counts that as her sleep for the night. Personally, I'm a big fan of putting on "A Drop in the Ocean" by Ron Pope and sitting at the table with my face smooshed into my textbook (CAUTION: do not do this if you've just gone through a breakup). Regardless of your quick stress-relieving methods, everyone struggles to cope with the looming anxiety of finals, and everyone is going through it just as you are.
Oddly enough, there's comfort to be found in knowing you're not alone.
3. Remember why you're even at college, to begin with
Do you dream of curing cancer? Teaching third graders how to write? Counseling people with mental illness? Even if you came to school unsure of your niche in the world, you're one step closer to finding it and loving it. Remember your goals and what will one day make all this studying, stressing, and lack of sleep worth it. Sure, it's a pain that I have to take Calc to be a dentist (because when are derivatives ever going to come up when I'm pulling someone's tooth out?), but my career aspirations make even the hardest courses worth working hard for.
4. Your mom wants to brag about you at family functions
It's always awkward when your aunt has her son's lengthy resume memorized and ready for flaunting while your mom is just glad you scraped by for another semester. If you can't seem to motivate yourself for your own gain, think about how proud the people who love you will be if you study hard and do the best you can. Of course, everyone has a bad exam or even a rough semester but showing how much you're capable of will definitely give your mom something to reply with around the dinner table.
5. Your grades don't determine the rest of your life
Read that again. Even if this round of finals doesn't pan out as you had hoped, even if all that studying didn't get you the A you wanted, even if you're going to have to retake a class, one difficult learning experience doesn't mean you won't have the life you've dreamed about. College is an amazing experience that often routes people to where they want to go but a degree doesn't directly correlate to living comfortably, finding happiness, or even just getting a job. I'm not saying you should give up on school because you can't seem to wrap your mind around the laws of thermodynamics; but the point is, you shouldn't be discouraged by the failures you'll inevitably encounter along the way to where you want to be.
