It’s that time of the year again -- and no, I don’t mean Christmas. Although, you may also spend the night before this major event lying awake in bed and trying to shut your brain off. That’s right, I’m talking about midterms. This is the point in the semester where you realize how much you know (or don’t know). This is also the time that you decide you’re going to start studying more so that you never have to feel any of these things again…

1. You’ve been expecting this, but never imagined it would happen so soon.

All of this tends to sneak up on you. It seems like just last week you were taking your test on chapter one, and now you have to remember chapters one through seven… for six different classes.

2. You’re going to dominate this exam, nothing can hold you back, and all of your dreams will come true.

I kind of start with the mindset that if I do well on this midterm, then I don’t have to worry so much on the final. Doing well on the final usually means passing the class, and that just makes you feel like you can conquer anything.

3. You’ll lay out a schedule and start being productive... in your head.

This is where you haven’t fully wrapped your brain around all that needs to be done, so you think, “Just a couple hours here and a couple hours there." We all know that doesn’t happen. Mostly because in the days leading up to the midterm we also think, “I’ll just study longer tomorrow,” until tomorrow turns into the night before the test, and you’ve been in the library for seven straight hours.

4. It’s shocking that your professor could think someone can fit so much information into their brain at one time.

There aren’t enough hours, and aren’t enough days, and you don’t have enough space in your brain to fit all of these things. When this stages hits, we pretty much start to shut down, which is super counterproductive, but our brains are only protecting themselves from information overload.

5. Isolation.

Well, you’ve realized you have to cut off all contact with the outside world and basically become a hermit if you want to make this work. It’s just easier this way. You don’t have to change out of your pajamas, you can eat whenever you want, and nobody is going to tell you that its really probably time you took a shower.

6. You think you need someone to teach you how to learn and don’t think you will ever be smarter then you are in this moment.

Once you’ve contemplated the massive amount of information you need to refresh yourself on, you attempt to start studying. In attempting to study, you realize that no matter what you do to try and make this information stick, it just doesn’t. So maybe this is the end, maybe this is as good as it gets for your education.

7. Contemplate the benefits of dropping out and living with your parents for the rest of your life.

We all hear about those 30-year-old bachelors or bachelorettes who still lives in their parents' basement. And you know what? Maybe we were too quick to judge them. It isn’t a completely unreasonable thing, you know? I mean, they are definitely experts at taking care of you at this point. And it’s not like you didn’t try.

8. Sleep deprivation and delusions.

The uncontrollable laughing, crying, singing, whatever it may be, it is your breaking point. Shaving a couple of hours off of your nightly sleep isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But we take it to the extreme during midterms week, and we pay for it.

9. Panic.

As the hours before the exam approach, you get this sort of adrenaline rush, but not in a good way. It’s like your brain is warning the rest of your body about what is coming, and it's screaming at you to just lock yourself away in your room and hide for a couple weeks.

10. You feel so much lighter, and you don’t have a care in the world.

When you finally finish your last exam, you pretty much feel like you’re on top of the world. No responsibilities, you can sleep at a normal hour, or go out and actually be social again. You survived, you feel good, and you completely forget that in a couple more months you’ll be right back where you started, for finals.

11. OR, major regrets…

Number 10 may or may not apply to you. If it doesn’t apply to you, it is most likely because number 11 does. So you messed up: you didn’t study enough, you got a little lazy, or just blanked… Whatever it was, it is not the end of the world. Over half of the people you interact with every single day have lived through college. They’ve lived through (at least) eight midterm weeks, and so will you. Now you know how to work hard and prepare yourself for finals. Don’t stress it -- go eat some cheese fries.