The first few weeks are nice because there are only a few assignments and most activities are just starting back up. Class makes sense and the syllabus is still in perfect condition sitting at the front of your binder. You’re organized all your pens and pencils are in the same pocket. You don’t feel bad for going out Saturday night.

Now we are at the point where everything picks up and nothing makes sense. About 4 weeks into the semester we hit the stress of our first exams and the first deadlines of everything. It feels like we were just blindsided by a hurricane of due dates. It happens every semester no matter how hard we try to stay on top of things. This is where you look at your calendar and see there is a lab practical in 2 weeks and you haven’t started studying and you can’t for at least another week because you have 3 exams this week and a paper due next week. Now we feel the guilt sink in for watching the Super Bowl go into overtime on a Sunday night when you have a lab report due that week. Here is this point of the Semester as told by Lady Gaga!

1. When you get a bad grade on your first exam back

You still have time. You were just adjusting to the course because you don't know how the professor gives exams. You can pull your grade up.

2. When everything just keeps piling up

You have an exam Wednsday but there's an exam Friday and a lab report Thursday and a required seminar Tuesday night. It doesn't end.

3. Getting everything done on time

Somehow you manage to complete everything. It may be 2AM but it's all done and ready for class.

4. When you don't know what is happening in class

Nothing makes sense and you doubt your professor even understands what they're talking about.

5. When the professor decides to add more assignments that aren't in the syllabus

You wrote the syllabus for a reason. Why are you going to add more things. You're giving yourself more work plus you don't even grade it in a timely manner. The assignment doesn't help if I don't know I got things wrong after I've taken the exam.

6. When the professor thinks it's a good idea to change deadlines

Sometimes I like the deadlines because I have other classes with exams surrounding it. Everything fell just right and now it's scheduled on the same day as my exam or my concert.

7. When everything is falling apart and you just keep going

It's the begining of the semester and everything feels like a disaster but we have to push through because it just started.

8. Trying to still look decent

We all have hit the laziness wall. I don't think anyone wants to wear jeans when we can rock some sweatpants but we can't do that everyday. Or can we?

9. When half of campus starts to get sick and you know you're next

The plague has hit. People have the stomach flu, pneumonia, you name it. No one has time to be sick so here we are forcing roommates to take medicine disinfecting things and taking extra vitamins so we don't die.

10. When all you want to do is nap

I probably answer every "how was your weekend?" with I slept.

11. When you get your first exam and don't understand anything

Some of these things were never said in class. How do people pass when nothing makes sense. It's just time to guess your way through.

12. When the whole class passed but no one knows how

We're all geniuses that's the only explanation.

13. When you still have ten more weeks left

Can it at least be spring break?