In August, I began taking college classes as a dual enrollment student. I was super excited to be getting this new experience. Now that the semester is over, I can definitely say that high school is incredibly different than college. Being able to choose your professors and timings is probably one of the biggest differences. Overall, my semester wasn't too bad. I had great professors who were always willing to help out and when it was time for finals, I wasn't too stressed out.

When the day before finals arrived, I woke up with a fever. I was incredibly sick and tired and lost all motivation to study. The ironic thing is that I spent the week before finals trying to make sure I didn't get sick. If any of my friends even sneezed near me, I told them to get away because I couldn't survive finals week if I was sick.

Unfortunately, I did have to go through finals with a fever. I lost all motivation and the only thing that kept me from falling asleep during the exams was my Dunkin' iced coffee.

Luckily, my first final was the most difficult one I had to take, and once that was over with, I felt as if I could breathe again. Even though I'm done with finals, it hasn't fully registered, and I feel as if I have to go back to school on Monday. It might just be because high school students still have class which means most of my friends still have to go to school.

To all my friends who's finals week hasn't even started yet: good luck. I'm sending a lot of positive vibes your way. As much as finals suck, we have to get through it. Eventually they'll be over and putting in an extra amount of effort right now will make the biggest difference in the future.

At the same time, don't forget to take care of yourself first. Your mental health should always come before any test because it is way more important than anything else. You all got this!!