Well, it’s that time again. That sleepless,
over-caffeinated, pajama-pants-during-the-day, primal-screaming time of the
quarter: finals week. And if three years of working at an on-campus convenience
store has taught me anything, it’s that during finals week students want
bluebooks, cigarettes and energy drinks — the faster the better, and without
any small talk please.

But why so suddenly sour, Tritons? Finals week may mean
painstaking all-day library sessions followed by exhausting all-night cram
time, but consider the positives.

1. Fewer Responsibilities. There aren’t regular class
periods during finals week, which means you only have to show up to class for
about four chunks of time. Additionally, if you work, most employers are pretty
cool about adjusting to your finals-week schedule. Because you have less to do,
you can be especially selfish with your time. Basically, you get the luxury to
do whatever you want.

If you have a final on Monday, but none on Tuesday or
Wednesday, you have the freedom to sleep in until 2
p.m. on Tuesday, then spend the afternoon at one of the
oh-so-nearby beaches. And once you’re done with a particularly dreadful exam,
it’s easy to forget your sorrows — no matter what day you finish finals, there
is always a party to be found, debauchery to be had or inebriation to be
enjoyed with other students in your same position.

2. Easy Excuse. And even if you still have some
responsibilities that aren’t confined to scheduling, finals week gives you the
perfect excuse to avoid them for a while. It’s like a get-out-of-jail-free card
for life. Roommate annoying you to wash the dishes? Sorry, I have to study
right now. Awkward acquaintance pestering you to have lunch? Sorry, I have to
study right now. Mom nagging you to hurry home for spring break? Sorry mom, I
miss you too, but I really have to study right now.

3. Free Stuff. Other than welcome week, finals week is
hands-down the best time to score free food. If you live on campus, chances are
your resident adviser is already planning some cute pizza-and-bluebooks event —
you don’t even have to leave your building! If you commute, the giveaways take
a little more effort to obtain, but a free meal is definitely worth it. Believe
it or not, there are whole committees that have spent weeks preparing to bring
you free finals food. The A.S. Council has its pancake breakfast, John
Muir College
has its nightly burnout lounge and many on-campus resources (like the
Cross-Cultural Center, Women’s Center or Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Transgender
Resource Center)
provide some sort of study-break sanctuary.

4. Peer Camaraderie. Finals week is great because everyone
experiences it together. During the quarter you may have a hectic week of
midterms, but it doesn’t necessarily coincide with everyone else’s suffering.
That means when you show up to class after your second all-nighter sporting
pajamas, under-eye bags and the smell of caffeine sweat, people are judging
you.

But somehow, during finals week it’s OK. No one bats an eye
as you walk zombie-like through CLICS at 2 a.m.,
your hair in a ratty ponytail. No one says anything when you return from the
grocery store with five Red Bulls, a big pack of gummy bears and some
microwavable pretzels.

No matter who you are or what class you’re studying for,
everyone around you is uniting against a common enemy. And that’s a spirit of
togetherness we Tritons should harness and enjoy throughout the whole quarter.

You know, when we don’t have to study right now.