These are the five stages of a library study session every Lincoln student will understand

It’s November so you know what that means; deadline season is upon us. With exams right around the corner, students from across campus are cramming in last minute study sessions at the library. But as the days grow colder and the workload piles higher, a short study session in between lectures can quickly descend into madness. Here are the five stages of a library study session you’ll experience this semester.

Optimism

You’ve decided that enough is enough. It’s about time you stop procrastinating the two essays you have due in December and you’re feeling optimistic. So, with five different layers on and a coffee from Starbucks in hand you make your way to the library for a study session. You’ve actually remembered your student ID for once and so you slide through the gates with ease and make your way upstairs. You plan on being here a while, so you settle into one of the last remaining booths and make yourself comfortable. Tesco Meal Deal on the table and your laptop at the ready, it’s time to begin.

Focus

You’re half an hour into your study session and your fingers are tapping away at the keyboard. Your brain is whirring with ideas and your heart is racing (mostly because of the Red Bull you’ve just finished). You’re already 100 words into your first essay and you’re reading journal articles at the speed of light. In your mind, every other student sitting in the library is applauding you. It’s you against your deadlines and now that you’re focused and feeling like an academic weapon, there is absolutely no stopping you. Well, that’s until…

Confusion

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You start analysing an article for your essay and no matter how hard you concentrate, you don’t have a clue what’s going on. Why do research papers always seem like they’re written in Latin? Half the words you have highlighted you didn’t even know existed and you cannot explain how the author has reached their conclusion. You’ve been sat staring blankly at the computer screen for 10 minutes now waiting for the words on the page to rearrange and finally make sense; alas they do not. You’re more confused than a fresher in the Minerva Building and you’re losing focus fast.

Boredom

Before you know it, your laptop has been pushed to one side and you’ve been scrolling through TikTok for the past 20 minutes. It’s usually around this time that you dig into your meal deal so that you can gaslight yourself into believing you’re only taking a break so that you can have something to eat. But the reality is that boredom has officially kicked in and once the urge to procrastinate starts, it’s hard to ignore. Maybe you’ll write a couple more sentences before you decide to call it quits but if you’re anything like the rest of us, then you’ve probably already agreed to meet your mate in Towers for a pint.

Regret

So, you’ve spent a tenner on a meal deal and a coffee just to leave the library after an hour, we’ve all done it. Defeated, you save the work you’ve done and start packing away your stuff. It’s time to give up your booth to a more worthy student, someone who might actually write more than just the introduction. The post-study session depression hits hard and you’re probably sat there regretting even dragging yourself out of bed in the first place. But hey, look on the bright side! You made it to the library, and you managed to complete a 200 word introduction so now you only have 1,800 words left to write. Go treat yourself to that pint, you deserve it.

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