Finals week at Iowa as told by The Office

Sometimes, Michael Scott DOES know what he’s talking about

Finals week at Iowa is regretfully upon us, and with that comes the struggle that is making it through a week that sets you up for failure. It can be pretty tough to explain the difficulty of finals to people who have never experienced it, but luckily Michael Scott, Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute and the rest of The Office can do the job pretty well.

When the registrar schedules your final for Friday at 5pm

We may find out three months in advance, but there’s nothing worse than getting to finals week and realizing that you still have that test Friday night. While most of your friends are home by Wednesday night, you’re still studying through Friday afternoon. Keep your head up, the end is near.

When you go to your last review session and still don’t understand the material

It seems like no matter how many review sessions professors have, there always seems to be something brought up at the last Q&A you don’t remember learning. As if not having a study guide wasn’t bad enough, there will always be more notecards to make.

When your professor asks you to stay after lecture to finish ACE course evaluations

Ever since Iowa classes moved from paper teacher evaluations to the online ACE system, professors are getting responses at an all time low. If you end the last class twenty minutes early so we students can take the time the review your course, don’t expect me to actually stay.

When your friends send you snaps from Union on Friday before finals, but you’re stuck at the library

As much as you’d like to forget that hundreds of your peers are just up the hill from the Main Library having a much better time than you are, it’s pretty hard to do that when all the snaps you receive and all the stories you see are your friends up at the bars. Stay strong, it’ll pay off when you’ve finished those Quizlets.

When your friends ask if you want to hang out but you’re not done with exams yet

By the time finals week comes around, most of us have probably been pulling all-nighters for the past week straight. Still, there’s always those few friends that text you wanting to do something before we all leave for break. Sorry, everyone, we’re a little busy at the moment.

When you try to find a study spot at the Main Library, but there isn’t a single seat open

No matter how hard you try, finding a seat at the library is as impossible as some of the tests you have this week. Your best bet is to scout out someone who has nearly reached their breaking point and wait them out to take their seat. And admit it, we’ve all wished there were less students on campus at one time or another.

When you’re trying to finish your final paper an hour minutes before it’s due

It’s 11pm, you’ve only finished eight pages of the 10 pager due at midnight, and at this point you’re just writing things down hoping something makes sense. Let’s all hope the gallons of caffeine start kicking in soon…

When your friends make fun of you for getting a C- on your final

As much as we’d all love to get A’s or B’s in every class every semester, that’s simply not possible. Don’t worry, though, Michael Scott still loves the three quarters of us that finish in the 70% range.

When you’ve been in the IMU for 18 hours straight and there’s no end in sight

Running on three hours of sleep over the past five nights combined takes quite the mental toll on a person. Whether it’s because you realize that there’s an entire page of notes that you forgot to make flashcards for or because there’s always that guy sitting next to you with a sniffle, everyone has their breaking point and it’s just a matter of time before you hit it.

When you’ve forgotten to eat for the past three days and turn to drastic measures

If there isn’t enough time to study for all your tests and write all your papers, there certainly isn’t any time to make food. You’ve already been on your laptop for a while, might as well watch some Tasty videos on Facebook, right?

When you wake up for your final and it’s -10 degrees outside

One of the only downfalls of being a Hawkeye – first semester ends the same way second semester begins: freezing. There’s snow on the ground, it’s ten below, and you still have to walk to your final. Put on your coat, hat, scarf and gloves and go pass that test!

When you realize how impossible this week actually is

No matter how hard you try all semester, finals week is literally made to crack your sanity. Sometimes, there isn’t enough free coffee and donuts from UISG in the world to get you through the week.

When you turn in your last final and smile for the first time in two weeks

There’s nearly no better feeling in the world than realizing that you are actually done with yet another week of finals. Going home and passing out for 12 hours never felt so great. Good luck and congrats, Hawkeyes – have a great break!

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