Finals always seem to slip my mind. Not the actual test-taking part, but the days leading up to it. Somehow, I learned to block those sleepless nights out of my memory. There are faint memories that come flooding back like freshman year, pulling all-nighters in the dorms, walking up and down the hallway in the middle of the night only to find the rest of the hall awake with me. Or thinking back to the sweet librarian waking me up at closing time, drool on the table, books wide open. Or study parties with friends, full of snacks and coffee.

Well, it’s my senior year. I have made it (somewhat) successfully through six semesters full of finals. I have passed nearly all of my final exams, some I wish I had prepared better for, and others I regretted spending so much time on. What I have learned through maturity and previous experiences?

Time Management.

Priorities.

If I stay awake all night, the lack of sleep will stab me harder than if I crammed. I know my body by now, and I know how much sleep I need to be focused. Through the years, I have learned when to close the books and when to chug caffeine. I can gauge my limits enough to motivate myself to go take a walk, bake some cookies, or watch tv. I still make lists to plan for the best way to combat my free time.

This time around, lucky semester 7, It’s as if I’m an expert.

An expert finals preparer. An expert sleeper – I mean, study-er.

This is the college life.