finals week has officially arrived for us hokies. a lot of other schools are already done or are in the middle of finals week. compared to most of my friends, my week really isn't that bad. 5 online tests and only one in the classroom? i can totally deal. even though my finals week schedule is easier than most, it is still a week that i don't look forward to. so much of my grade is riding on these exams, and there is nothing else i can do to improve my grade after this. and that is intimidating. we have been accustomed to dreading finals because of social media and what older people tell us. but i don't think it has to be all bad. yes, i want this week to be over so i can be home with my family and celebrate the holidays without any homework or grades to worry about. but...i think we are becoming so focused on the future that we neglect to embrace the present. yes, i know you have to ace this final, so you can have an a in the class, so you can get in to grad school, so you can get a job. (i know this is cliche) but when you look back on your life, you're not going to remember what grade you got on your organic chemistry test. so take a second to look around and enjoy the time you have with the people you are with! that is so crucial to do. there are too many ways we can tune out from the world, don't let finals be one of those ways.
1. you will never be living with 4 of your best friends again. so take an hour from studying to be silly and laugh with each other. enjoy this moment because it is fleeting. remind yourself that you won't remember your organic chemistry grade. you will remember late night snuggles with your roommates. you will remember being so tired that everything is hilarious. you will remember bonding over your hatred of this week.
2. you will never have this much freedom again. my parents haven't been able to just take a break from being a parent in 24 years. my friends who have graduated have full time jobs and are tied down by that. so screw finals, and just take a break. go to starbucks for an hour. indulge in an episode of netflix. take a nap. do whatever you want because you can, and enjoy it.
finals week is brutal. but try to enjoy it. these are the moments you will wish for again. i never thought i would want to go back to high school (and i don't really want to), but i miss being surrounded by so many of my friends for so long. we are lucky to be able to afford to go to college. we are lucky to be stressing about finals. so, while you're hating your life during this week, don't forget to be thankful for awesome roommates, interesting classes, starbucks being open 24/7 during exams (yes, that is a thing!!!), and the freedom to do whatever you want with your time.
