Who:  All college students…except those communications majors.

What:  Operation Hell Week

When: Friday, December 5 – Tuesday, December 16

Where: Libraries, Study Lounges and Classrooms

Why:  I only wish I knew.

It’s the slang term for the time of year when college students become zombies and are forced to neglect their social lives in hopes of not failing out of college.  Dead week is upon us. I am not sure what your strategy is but if it has anything to do with pulling ridiculous all-nighters, drinking energy drinks and becoming “one” with a text book that you clutch to your chest…know that you are not alone. 

Today was my last class day, so keeping with tradition, I am spending tonight gathering my binders, printing off course material, and organizing a study schedule so that I don’t find myself wasting time.  What a Thursday night, ehh?  It has to be done though.  I am not going to sit here and whine–maybe in a week–but for now I understand that my situation is no easier or worse than anyone else’s.  Well, except the fact that Intermediate Accounting 380k.1 is stacked next to me in a pile that reaches a height equivalent to three-fourths the distance between my elbow and my wrist…and I have long arms!

I guess since this is my 7th go-around at this glorious week, I have picked up a few things along the way.

1.      Find a study spot you are comfortable in and utilize it. If you like it to be quiet, stay away from the Millennium Lab.  If you have a weak immune system, stay out of the Reliant Room because that place just turns gross and disgusting over the next week.

2.       Don’t bring your laptop with you unless you really need it or are capable of exercising some self control.  Nothing is worse than getting to the library at 8 a.m. and then looking at the clock and realizing that two hours have passed and you haven’t even opened your book yet because your only accomplishment is the ability to recite the 10 most recent status updates of your friends on Facebook.

3.       Don’t forget to take breaks and eat. The food helps the brain. You won’t last long on just caffeine and if you don’t get up every once in a while to stretch your legs, you will begin to become fatigued very quickly. 

4.       Prioritize your time.  Know what your grades are in your classes and which final exams you have to do better on than others. At the same time, don’t just concentrate on the final that you have first.  If you are lucky like me, you may have drawn the very first time slot on Wednesday at 9 a.m.  If you concentrate just on this test and decide to push off studying for your Thursday exam until after your first, you may find yourself in some serious trouble.

5.       Dead week is a marathon, not a sprint.  You must condition your body and your mind to last all the way through this process. Doing well on your first exam but burning yourself out on studying before your other two could prove costly.  Buckle down for the long haul; it is going to be a bumpy ride that needs to be taken at a sustainable pace.

Good luck to all of you on your exams!  If the stress begins to become too much, follow in Stanford University’s footsteps and practice the “Primal Scream Tradition.”  It might help a little bit! 😛