Thanksgiving break is upon us! Well, almost. Actually, we have to endure, like, the longest 5 days of the year before we actually get Thanksgiving break. It seems that every single year, the week before Thanksgiving feels longer and longer. One reason for this is due to the anticipation of the break, which is much needed after having 13 or 14 straight weeks of classes. The other reason that this week seems to drag, is due to the nature of the week. As a senior, I have come to the conclusion that there are only 2 types of pre-Thanksgiving break weeks; the incredibly busy, or unfathomably boring.

Quick logic may tell you that it is better to have a very lax pre-Thanksgiving week, but there is actually an argument favoring the busy week. If you have 3 exams, a paper, and sprinkle in a project for good measure, you will be busy the entire week. However, if you spend the whole week studying and thinking about whatever your paper is on, you are not spending the week counting down until you get to head home. So although the week might be unpleasant, it will actually move rather quickly, and that week long reprieve you’ve been looking forward to will be here before you know it.

The pre-Thanksgiving week where you have absolutely nothing to do, because it was all due the past week, is deceptively horrible. Although it may sound great to essentially have an entire week off before actually having an entire week off, it’s not. Instead, you spend the days trying to find a way to cure your boredom as everyone else slaves away (they have the first type of week). You just wish you could go home already, but are tethered to your classes by petty things such as participation grades, or clicker questions. Dedication is the only way to get yourself through this week. You will have to set new personal records for number of Shameless episodes seen in a day. You will likely find yourself even bored of Netflix, and may experiment with new forms of entertainment such as reading a book, watching cable TV, twiddling your thumbs, taking walks, maybe even working on homework that isn’t due by the end of the day. If you find yourself with 5 days of utter boredom ahead, just persevere.