Finish the Drill (Midterm)

Once upon a time, a week before Spring Break, I was studying for a midterm in the basement of my sorority house. I was sprawled out on my stomach surrounded by flashcards and stacks of books when something shocking happened--my phone rang. Now if you are like me, the only person that ever calls me is my mom, so when it was a guy I liked (shall we call him Mr. Darcy?) calling me I was slightly confused. Darcy was calling just to talk (it’s a Midterms miracle!) so for the next hour or so I shoved my note cards aside and happily chatted with Darcy while my friends looked on with a mixture of awe and disgust.

Now I am all for the “I’ll get it done eventually” mentality, but when I finally hung up with Darcy it was midnight and I was exhausted, happily in like, and thinking about my Spring Break plans. My midterm was at 10:00 a.m. the next day, so I figured I would just get up early and finish studying. So the next day I continued my studying and passed my midterm with flying colors, right? Wrong.

I did not study enough. That was apparent within the first 30 seconds of starting the midterm. I did not know the answer to a vast majority of the questions. English majors are notorious BS-ers, but I could not even force my brain to make things up. I have never experienced this in my life. Is this what Joey Tribbiani feels like all the time? I panicked, fought the tears, and walked to the front of the room. My TA was speechless when I gave her a blank midterm and said “I can’t do this” and walked out of the room. The professor, who I had never spoken to before, saw what happened and followed me into the hall. She sat me down and asked what was wrong. The sleep deprivation took over and I squeaked out a few nonsensical excuses before my professor convinced me to go back inside and do what I could with the midterm. And I did just that.

I ended up getting a C in the class and I am still very bitter about the only C I’ve ever received, but there is no way I would have ever passed the class if I hadn't sucked it up and finished that midterm.

So what’s the lesson? Get enough sleep. Don’t prioritize talking on the phone with boys. Ever. Darcy turned out to be a loser (a total Mr. Wickham, ugh). Don’t panic. Write down something. Anything. And finally, a C is not the end of the world and eventually you will laugh about that time you tried to turn in a blank midterm. By the way, that very same professor teaches one of my classes this semester. She has no idea who I am. There are 8 people in the class. So don't fret.

And if my story isn't inspirational enough, here is the coolest kid ever with a pep talk for you.