Collegiate Times

He said:

Exam week is approaching and students everywhere are gearing up.

We all have our pre-exam traditions like emailing professors, stocking up on coffee or finally getting that Adderall prescription filled. But there isn’t anything that I love more than reading day.

Now, I realize this can hardly be considered a tradition, since it is imposed by most universities, but for the sake of this article let’s just consider it one.

Throughout the year, my body rebels against the routine that accompanies school. Between classes, weekly meetings and rigorously outlined activities, I get worn out.

I like to think that I live my life on the edge, and doing the same thing every day is pretty much the definition of draining. For this reason, I love reading day.

Although it is scheduled and technically routine, you never know what reading day has in store.

All-male breakfast at IHOP that lasts a few hours? Check. Watch an entire season of “Dexter”? Maybe. Go home on a quick day trip? Probably not. No matter what you choose, the possibilities are endless on reading day.

Sure, some studying should probably be done, but when you’re a history major, pretty much all of your exams are essays, which have been under construction for weeks. So no cramming is really needed.

That’s why I enjoy exam week and reading day. Routines and schedules go out the window and for a short period of time I get to experience an almost mini-vacation, with the exception of editing for grammar and content.

There’s only one thing I really hate about exam week: everyone complaining about taking their exams. Facebook is filled with mindless chatter complaining about how in your anatomy class, you have to know which bones go where.

I know I can get an occasional academic gripe in now and then, but it’s pretty illogical if you consider it. We’re paying to go to college.

If you don’t want to memorize what the medulla oblongata is, then don’t. No one is forcing you to take exams, so try to tone back any ill-conceived soliloquies you’re just raring to blast all your social media friends with.

At the end of the day, exams aren’t the end of the world, and we all chose to be here, so suck it up and hit the books.  

On that negative note, try to join me in looking on the bright side. Experience exam week this year in a new and crazy way. Instead of dread and loathing, look forward to exams with optimism in your hearts and a song on your lips. It will make the week a lot more enjoyable for everyone and yourself included.

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A version of this article appeared in the Dec 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.