Oh, yes. It is finals season again. All the seats in the library are filled. People show up at 7am to save their favorite seat in the library for hours by throwing their books all over it. Academic buildings are being used for the excess of people trying to cram for an exam they should have started studying for a week ago. Starbucks is still active at absurd hours of the night and posters saying “24 hour quiet hours” are all over the dorms to remind you that you should also be studying. It's the best of times and the worst of times, honestly. But, here we are again. So, take a break and remember that procrastinating can be so much more fun than studying and check out ten of the most irritating things about the week that probably cause everyone the most stress of the year.
1. WiFi: Maybe this is just me. It seems like every finals season the wifi goes absolutely haywire. You’re just trying to email a teacher because you are so confused but then the computer decides to take 12 years to connect to WiFi and by that point in time you have already picked up the phone and are so far down the Facebook timeline that there is no turning back.
2. Library space: If you want a good table, you truly have to arrive at the library when the doors open. Farrell, the ZSR, and several academic buildings are full to the brim and you certainly can’t study in your room - it's way too tempting to just go to bed. Hovering over people packing up becomes your favorite awkward pastime.
3. When your friends all have essays or non-cumulative tests: They are bouncing around looking for lunch plans after they have finished their rough drafts and your only friend for the last 18 hours has been your loose-leaf cell bio textbook that you still haven’t bought a binder for.
4. In the same vein as #3—Cumulative tests: You have like 4 tests over an entire semester of knowledge that you probably only semi-learned for the original test. You sit down with the textbook and realize why teachers tell you to not just memorize because now you don’t even know where to start. I can’t even remember what I ate for breakfast and you want me to remember stuff from January? That’s really sweet.
5. Realizing it is the end of the year and all you want to do is spend time with your friends: Your exam schedule puts an end to this. The three tests you have next week aren’t really conducive to spending and quality time with your friends before everyone parts for summer.
6. Realizing you shouldn’t have acted like reading for the class was optional til a week before the test/essay is due: Organic chemistry won. I bought an Orgo for dummies book and sat down on the 7th floor of the library and acted like it was a good read.
7. Sleep: Call your parents, they always tell you to get some more sleep: All you can think is like “mom, dad, I’m not sure you get it… I have 12 hours of work and 6 hours until the test—basic math” But then you slide into bed after that last test, room still not packed and a flight on the next day, and it is a feeling like no other.
8. Remembering how much you had before you were actually locked in the library: The weekend before finals always rocks. Hence the cover photo of the article…remember all those good times before accounting ruined your fun? Me too.
9. Any meeting scheduled during the last 2 weeks of school just feels criminal: Like you want me to show up to talk about a club right now? Don’t get me wrong, being involved is great but I can literally hear all of my work calling my name…
10. Your parents scold you about spending too much and sleeping too little: cause let’s be real, if you have food dollars or Old Golds at this point you’re like Daddy Warbucks. I have 6, yes 6, pit swipes. That’s all.
11. Finals in general, let just be real: I mean they don’t call it Work Forest for nothing. But opening your agenda right now is straight scary. Also that there are about 13242 other tabs open in the brain. Gotta do laundry, sign forms, figure out what you are doing next semester, all of the above.
But guys, seriously, we will be fine.