Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year. Daylight savings and all. Did you think we were talking about the holidays? Guess again. We mean finals week, baby!

Every Penn State student is either reviewing the last three and a half months’ worth of material for each class or drowning in acceptance that finals week will occur in the gloomy atmosphere of their childhood bedroom.

Who knew that Zoom University would make us miss Hell Week that much more?

Spending this time of year without the sight of study groups throughout the library helps us reminisce on what we are genuinely missing out on. For Penn State’s sake, we should take a walk down memory lane.

Going Through A Late-Night Existential Crisis With Your Roommates

This experience creates a bond like none other. As you are reviewing notes you barely remember taking, the delusion kicks in. The clock strikes an absurd time, and before you know it, you and your roommate are entering a moment of hysterical laughter (or a puddle of tears! It really depends on the night).

The more roommates, the better. Whether it be within an apartment or dorm, these crises just hit different when you’re together. Finals bring out the best of us. Oh, how we missed out on a bonding 2020 existential crisis.

Appreciating The After-Hours Vibe Of The HUB & Libraries

Remember that feeling of closing your laptop after hours of sitting right across from Panda Express? Or walking out of the library to see that it was now dark outside, but it was daylight when you entered? Between these two locations, the vibes really are immaculate.

Nothing beats the euphoria of taking a break after a late night of studying and noticing how different campus felt. It seals the deal that finals are inevitably near.

In-Person Studying With Your Friends, But Not Actually Studying

Now, we might have just called you out, but we have all been there. Every single one of us. Gathering around a table with notebooks, pens, highlighters, and computers prepared to study.

In actuality, in-person finals studying turns into debates on what childhood show was superior and the most iconic Penn State memory. Or what side of the library is actually considered the front. Does studying really get done? Maybe. But we know by the end of the night, spending time with friends was top-tier.

Hyping Yourself Up On A Walk To Your Exam

Picture this. It’s a dreary Tuesday afternoon. Cold as hell. Overcast skies. You get it. But as you look up from poring over your textbooks and notes, you realize you’ve got 15 minutes to hightail your ass over to Forum before your professor locks the door and starts your final.

Naturally, you grab your coat, put on a playlist that makes you feel like a badass, and power walk across campus like a man (or woman!) on a mission. With ice in your veins, you high-five the Willard Preacher as you walk past Pattee Mall en route to your lecture hall of choice, ready to take on any horror Math 141 (read: any awful class) may throw at you. Good times.

The Notorious Need To Feed Your Caffeine Addiction

Caffeine becomes a student’s best friend (if it already hasn’t). The plethora of Starbucks locations on campus open late just for us made it hard to not take up the offer. Drooping eyelids and a warm bed are a student’s kryptonite. How could you not miss the adrenaline rushes?

The Celebratory Post-Final Nap

Saving the best for last, we tackle the post-final nap. Whether it is one final throughout the day or three, crawling into bed is the most rewarding feeling. Sealing the day off with the most celebratory event.

Drifting off to the faint ringing of Old Main’s bell on a December afternoon. Closing out the fall semester that way will never get old.

Good luck to everyone on their finals journey. We wish you the best!