We’ve All Been There: Cramming For Finals

Wait, what subject is this again?

You have four finals in three days – a Blue Book, two exams and a paper. You sit in your last class of the week. As your professor outlines the format of the test, you outline everything you need to do between now and Winter Break. The list is overwhelming (note cards, laundry, annotations, packing, review sessions, research…); you fidget in your seat, anxious to get out of that lecture hall and into the library for the next 4 days.

By Lauren

When the class finally ends, you pack your things and walk home. You promise yourself you’ll only grab a snack and some books and head right back to the library. You make a mental plan of attack; you’ll focus half of the night on that paper,  then jump into all those Psych terms you need to memorize, then skim that book you were supposed to read 2 months ago that you know is going to be on the test.

You find a table in the corner of the library, away from anyone and anything that might distract you, and unpack your bag. Then you organize your books, highlighters and pens on the table. Then you check your email, respond to some friend requests and put up an away message. Then you realize you’ve just wasted 30 minutes and begin to panic.

“Ok. Time to write.”

You open Microsoft Word and stare at the empty page. You read the writing assignment. You flip through your notes. You re-read the assignment. Finally, you begin to write. Though you had a rough start, the ideas come to you quickly and things go well; an hour later you have 2 of the 8 pages done. You sign onto AIM to reward yourself. You bitch with your friends – who are also somewhere in the library – about finals and how stressed you are. You sign off and return to the paper, pumping out another 2 pages. Now, halfway done, your brain goes on vacation. You decide to stop and move on to the next subject.

You pack up your computer – but not before you IM your BFF to complain about your workload  – and bring out the next set of books. You spend another two hours going through the textbook and your notes, making note cards of all the important terms and concepts. You zone out for a minute, staring at the other students doing their thing, and the next thing you know twenty minutes have gone by, your notebook is covered in little swirlies and you have no idea where you left off. Your hand hurts. Your brain hurts. Your eyes hurt. Your stomach is growling.

It’s time for that break. You pull out your planner, cross off everything you have accomplished (ahhh, so satisfying), pack your things and leave. In order to save time, you order carry-out on your way home. You eat it on your bed as you attempt to read a book for subject #3. At some point well past midnight, you fall asleep, books and empty Chinese containers in the bed with you.

You wake up a few hours later and do it all again: the writing, the reviewing, the greasy food, the list-making followed by the crossing off of tasks completed. And then again the next day. By the time your first exam comes around, you’re worn out, your brain is full, and you’re somehow confusing the theories of Carl Jung with the dates of World War 1. You throw on some sweatpants (so what if you’ve worn them for 3 days straight), do your hair in the easy headband/ponytail combo (which conveniently covers up those greasy roots), dab a little cover-up on those zits that have popped up due to stress/being too tired to wash your face at night, and leave early so you can pick up a coffee and have some time review your notes one last time before that Scantron is placed in front of you.

We’ve all been there.
Winter break cannot come soon enough.