Which type of finals week student are you?

Finals week is different for everyone. Whether you are writing copious amounts of final papers, studying for five exams, preparing for presentations or all of the above, stress levels are rising among college students everywhere. Not only does everyone’s week look different when it comes to various assignments and exam formats/ schedules, but each student deals with the pressure differently. There’s the organized, wellprepared students who have been waiting for this week since the beginning of the semester. There’s those that get through the week in a breeze, not worrying about the material they have absorbed fairly easily this semester. There’s students that radiate stress and students that have mastered the art of procrastination. Which type of finals week student are you?

The prepared student

This is someone with a student planner full of assignments, check boxes, and reminders to study. Not only is this person not stressed out, but they are fully prepared for exam week. This may come as annoying to some, as it seems unfair to hold such qualities. Are they faking it? Are they really just good students? Not fair.

The Stressed student

This person may have things organized like the prepared student, but either way they are constantly studying and complaining about everything that still has to get done. After copious amounts of coffee and a lack of sleep, they work and stress and work and stress until they are completely depleted of all energy.

The master procrastinator

I feel that this type of student can be underrated. There is immense skill and planning that goes into procrastinating. Just because this person is not getting their assignments done in a timely manner, or preparing for an exam weeks in advance, does not mean that they do not know how to perform well come exam week. They may even find a way to enjoy it along the way. First, when someone pictures a procrastinator they think of someone watching Netflix or laying around doing nothing. While this may be true at times, the true procrastinator finds ways to do things that are anything but what they are actually supposed to be doing. They would become stressed by sitting around, because this personality type does not equate to laziness. They do become stressed by exams, but this coping method is different than the rest. Rather than study or become overly worried, the procrastinator strategically distracts themselves by doing things that feel productive or worthwhile (other than studying). This may include fun activities such as Christmas shopping, planning a holiday party or baking. It very well may also include more productive things such as actually doing laundry and folding it, cleaning one’s room for the first time all semester, or deciding it’s the perfect time to plan one’s whole future. I mean, when else would you do this? I think you get the idea. Second, the procrastinator has advanced skills when it comes to turning in assignments seconds before they are due, or studying just enough days (or hours) before the exam. They are really thrill-seekers. Why waste time when you can be more efficient in a time crunch? Why study weeks or days before the exam when it could be fresh in you mind by studying right before? This is obviously a sarcastic way of viewing such a person, and time management is a real skill for which everyone should strive. However, when motivation is lacking, nothing compares to the intensity of grinding away at an assignment or study materials at the last minute.

No matter which type of student you are, remember to take a step back and breath every once in a while this coming finals week. Study hard and write some great papers, but also remember to take care of yourself with adequate sleep and nutrition. Good luck to all. May your professors be ever in your favor.