Avoid Unnecessary Stress: Finals Week

Finals Exam Week comes around twice a year in a student’s life. At the end of the first and second semester. It has to be one of the most stressful times you will ever experience. The grade from your exam will either make or break you. It’s almost like your entire life depends on the outcome of your test. You could be doing great in all your classes the entire semester and one exam grade will ruin that for you. This is why most students, if not all, don’t seem to be the same carefree, easygoing students we once were during syllabus week.

The entire campus looked sleep deprived and exhausted. The library was also packed. Students were either studying or sleeping with their legs kicked up on the coffee table and using their book bags as pillows. You couldn’t walk by without hearing someone discuss how they think they either passed their final or failed it. The week felt like it would never end.

I could not sleep or think straight. My mind was constantly in testing mode. All I thought about was how to convince me professors for extra credit even though they made it quite clear that they do not offer it. I thought about all the times I could’ve kissed up to my professors throughout the year and all the free tutoring sessions I should’ve attended. The papers and projects I procrastinated doing were piling up and were all due at the same time. It was definitely crunch time. I had to get my life together and I had to do it quick. I studied and prayed to God that I would come out on top.

My parents did not send me to college just to find out I was trying to pull my grades together at the last minute when I should’ve been doing that all semester.

Not only did I have to make sure I finished all my work and see to it that I passed all of my tests. I had my parents continuously asking me how was school and how was I doing in school. If it’s one thing I know about my parents, it’s that they do not play when it comes to school work. My parents did not send me to college just to find out I was trying to pull my grades together at the last minute when I should’ve been doing that all semester. So I smiled and told them everything was going just fine. Deep down I was crying, panicking, hoping and wishing that I would get everything done in time with excellent grades.

After an extremely long, sleepless, gruesome week of memorizing formulas and going over significant dates in history it was time. It was my turn to see how the rest of my college career would play out. I felt like I was ready, but I was also nervous. As a student you already know which classes are easier for you and which classes you have to put a little more extra effort in. All my history courses were a breeze. History is literally a subject that doesn’t change. You go over the same thing each year so everything was already stuck in my brain. I passed my first two finals so I was feeling good. I even gained some confidence to take on my math final.

It’s important to work hard now and play later.

In the end I passed every single one of my final exams. I even passed all my courses with A’s and B’s. The week that felt like it would go one forever finally ended ..for now. I made myself proud, and I made my parents proud. I reached the light at the end of the tunnel. The sleepless nights were definitely worth it. All those assignments I was struggling to complete were finally done. Those late nights when your roommate begs you to go out and the parties won’t pass your classes for you, but there will always be more. It’s important to work hard now and play later. The moral of the story is to get your work done when you are supposed to, take advantage of your extra credit opportunities, and study, study, study. It’s the key to life. When you earn the grade you were struggling all week to get you’ll become aware of the potential you have. Take on finals week with confidence! Get that grade so you can get that degree.

 Aicha Diallo is a freshman student majoring in Political Science. Aicha has been writing stories, poems, and blogging since she was 9 years old. You can find more from Aicha on Instagram (@missaichajolie) or Twitter (@missaichajolie).