COLUMN: Finals Week through the eyes of a CMU freshman
Red Bull is my saving grace, and Final Exam week is hell. It’s the last card to play after 15 weeks of essays, procrastinating, group projects, quizzes, procrastinating, lectures, note taking — did I mention procrastinating?
This is my first college final exam week and I’ve spent approximately 10 hours Saturday afternoon doing homework, not studying. Why is this week so much worse than the rest of the semester?
I never thought teachers would assign work right before exams. Hold on — I need another Red Bull.
Being the staunch procrastinator I am, it never occurred to me that exam week is just as stressful for teachers, as well. It makes sense for them to assign that essay, or a blog post, or a few extra quizzes before exams.
But for us freshmen, how could we have known? I did not plan time for extra homework; I only planned time for sleeping, eating and studying.
Upperclassmen and college graduates warned me to pace myself, to get ready in the months prior for this treacherous week.
Did I listen? No.
I believe the saying “a chicken running around with its head chopped off” fits well as I sit here. I regret taking those naps throughout the semester. I regret not listening to the advice that was given to me.
It’s too late to turn around now. My Final Exams will not defeat me. These Red Bulls will allow me to soar right through them.
To all my fellow freshmen: yes we are stressing, but just remember after this mad dash — no matter what our grades are — we completed our first semester of college, and that’s what counts.
