Attack on Finals

If finals were giant monsters, it would be appropriate to say I was under attack. I thought I was doing so well, pacing myself and getting ahead on all my assignments. Yet, despite what I thought was careful planning I find myself inundated with multiple research papers due at the same time and the worst of the worst: Final Exams. How did things get so out of control?

It all started about a month ago. The benign month of April when I thought I had a firm grasp on my work. I have a full (slightly overfull) load this semester, all part of an ill-conceived decision to finish this degree early.

However, I figured I could handle it as most of the classes were in the humanities, and only one class, my Chemistry course, was going to require me to follow the timing and pace of the syllabus. All the other classes I could work ahead which would leave me more time to work on my Chemistry. Good plan! I kept to it apparently, until April.

By April I had reached a point of brain overload and general boredom. Pushing myself hard to stay ahead I burned out.

So I took a break. I was slightly ahead in all the other courses, so I slacked off and did some personal reading. Oops. That was a good idea, except I kept at it longer than the week that I had originally planned.

Then by May I was not behind but only on schedule. Not good. So here I am, running on caffeine and junk food, tired, lacking sleep, pulling all-nighters to finish ahead of the game.

I am not one of the lucky few who gets to finish a week early. Damn those chipper folk as they exclaim that they have just taken their last final days before I have even finished writing the last paper I need to turn in, and week before I can even claim to have taken my last exam. I can’t fault them though, I doubt they are taking five classes like me.