| Time
to stock up on caffeine - finals are just around the
corner
By Jamee
Hutton
As the semester gets close enough to finally see the
end, finals also become a part of that vision. Before
the celebrations can begin there are days upon days
of all-nighters and students living on pure caffeine
for a week straight.
Finals would not be nearly as bad as they are if they
were not crammed into one horrible week at the end of
the semester. College students deserve more credit than
they get for surviving such a week. Even for the student
who has stayed completely on top of all the readings
and assignments for all of their classes it is no easy
feat. There is no need to even get into what the week
brings for the slacker that realizes in order to pass
they must miraculously receive one hundred percent on
their finals.
Not only is finals week an incredibly stressful time
for students it also has some unique health issues attached.
We have been told since we were young that in order
to be completely rested for the upcoming day's event
a person must get eight hours of sleep. For college
students they learn early on how to function with an
average of four to five hours of sleep a night. For
the most part such sleeping habits are harmless, once
the holidays roll around there will be time to catch
up and recover. Proper eating habits are another area
that has been stressed since childhood. While some college
students make an attempt to maintain a healthy diet
the majority do not do so well. When foods like Top
Ramen and nac-and-cheese are so inexpensive it is hard
not to buy them in bulk and live off them for the rest
of the semester.
When finals finally roll around you have a somewhat
sleep deprived student who no longer knows what fruits
and veggies are. When four to five cumulative tests
are all thrown at you in one week it is easy to see
how things can rapidly go down hill from here. A typical
finals week will go something like this scenario. Before
beginning to study student decides which tests will
be studied for first and how long to study for each
of them. Time is precious during this week and you also
need to leave enough time for sleep and proper meals
since you know such things will only aid you in your
studies.
As you begin to study for the first test you realize
there is a lot of material you have forgotten and you
are not going to stay within your time frame. No problem,
a quick stop at the gas station for some energy drinks
and chips will get you through the night. You will get
back on track tomorrow. As the week progresses you find
that you never did get back on track and to compensate
ended up pulling all-nighters the entire week. Even
for a young college student multiple all-nighters in
a row take their toll, so you resort to your new best
friend, caffeine. It does not matter if your new friend
comes in the form of a soda or energy drink or multiple
cups of coffee; they both do their job which is to keep
you awake and alert.
The week finally comes to an end. The semester is over
and you have successfully finished all your tests and
feel good about them all. It should be a time of celebration.
Letting loose with friends and not going to bed until
the sun comes up. As the caffeine buzz starts to wear
off and the headache hits, reality sets in. There will
be no celebrations in the near future. What you need
at this moment is a bed and a dark room where you can
disappear for the next week undisturbed. As you lay
in that welcoming bed you instantly fall into what some
might call a mini hibernation. The last thing you remember
is your phone ringing but you don't even have enough
energy to answer.
This kind of lifestyle and stress is not for the weak.
Luckily college students are perfect for such a lifestyle
and lucky for them they only have to endure such trauma
one week a semester, if they're lucky.
NW
JJ
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