And so it begins: the last full week of class followed by, for many of us, a week of constant cramming for finals, scrambling to finish papers and mental breakdowns. It is the time of year when our endurance, and caffeine-intake limits are at once tested and surpassed.
We have all experienced, excluding the first years among us, the stress that the end of the semester brings, and we will all either succeed or fail.
We must now own up to the work ethic we have employed all semester. If we’ve stayed on top of the constant stream of work, finals week may seem less daunting.
For those of us who made the “it’s not due till the end of the semester, I’ll go out tonight” excuse one too many times, these next two weeks will be hell.
Facing my own mountainous pile of homework and projects, there is one thing that gives me hope in light of my dire situation: no matter how much I have to do, the end will inevitably come.
Next Friday will roll around in due time and, along with it, the end of deadlines, finals, and papers. This is, at once, both the gift and curse of time.
Although for some, the knowledge that time will continue to tick away—regardless of whether you spend it productively in the library or procrastinating on Facebook in the library—is terrifying enough to make you give up right then and there.
For me, I like taking stock in the inevitable outcome that I have come to rely on. Maybe it’s because I work best under pressure.
Maybe it’s because after seven semesters I feel like I’ve finally gotten the hang of this whole college thing.
Or maybe my optimism stems from the fact that this is my last time doing this as an undergraduate; whatever the case may be, I’ve started out these last two weeks strong and encouraged, despite the ever-ticking internal and external clocks I daily face.
The wonderful thing about the end of the semester and the inevitability of time is that break is just around the corner. This is a time to catch our breath, catch up on sleep, and hopefully take a few days to just relax before we’re back at the grind again.
Break can become everything that we wish our lives had been like this semester. From reconnecting with old friends and those family members whom we’ve ignored due to work and being away from home, to taking time to process everything that has happened this semester, break offers a time for rejuvenation.
Although many of us have obligations, work or otherwise, during the month-long break, it’s important to use this time to refuel so that you can come back in January prepared to do it all again.
So just remember when it’s 1:59 a.m. on Wednesday night and this is your seventh consecutive night in the library, there are only so many more minutes left until it’s all over.
Hannah Walker can be contacted at
hwalker@keene-equinox.com