I spent my Saturday “study hopping,” beginning at the Williamsburg Public Library and then moving to Aroma’s and then back to my dorm. I used the constant relocation as a chance to clear my head and change the scenery, but even on my walk to my new destination, I would find myself absorbed in thought over what I had left to do and what I should do first, as if I was recreating my planner again inside my head.
Finals have not even started yet. But for me, this last week of classes is more daunting than the final exams themselves. I am currently swimming in papers and projects. I will deal with finals later, as right now I’m behind on almost everything, and while I mostly blame myself, a part of me would like to blame the timing of Thanksgiving break.
I spent Thanksgiving break at home, relaxing with my family, and while I intended to do work, no part of me believed that I would follow through. I have a track record of being lazy over breaks, but this was also my first chance in a while to spend time with my family and I wanted to make the best of it.
Therefore, I did absolutely no work over break and arrived back in Williamsburg stressed, feeling as though I was being thrown back into something that I was not prepared for in the least. The busiest weeks of the semester were upon me and I was coming back to campus already behind. Although it had only been a few days, I was already accustomed to doing nothing all day. While this was entirely my own fault, I feel confident assuming that the same thing happened to many other students who wanted to spend their break fully enjoying the holiday and not worrying about work.
Because of this, I think it would be helpful to have an extra week of classes after Thanksgiving. A wider gap between Thanksgiving and finals would give students a chance to slowly get back into the swing of things and to be able to wrap their heads around and prepare for the business of the last two weeks.
However, now that I’ve spent the last week struggling to catch up, I am officially in work mode, ready to tackle finals season. Two weeks of finals is the perfect length. It is long enough that my finals are somewhat spread out, giving me time to study. But it is still short enough that I can look forward to being home soon to enjoy a real break that won’t be plagued by worrying about all the work I should be doing. I’m willing to buckle down for the next two weeks, as long as the end is in sight.
Email Caroline Wall at cewall01@email.wm.edu.