The Talk of the Underclassmen

It’s five thirty pm right now, and I am headed towards my absolute favorite place, the campus cafeteria. It is a chilly October night here in town. When I step outside, I am immediately surprised by how cold it is. I check my smart phone to look at the weather report, and I am surprised that it is actually still 75 degrees. Apparently the heat made me think this was cold weather. I set off on my journey the cafeteria knowing I have a long night ahead of me. Tonight I have to attend a chemistry class review session, to prepare for the big exam coming up. I know that many students in the cafeteria also have to take the same test, and I can almost see an aura of stress on their faces. For me, this chemistry class is extremely difficult, and I often hear other complaining about the difficulty as well. As I am walking amongst the crowd, several people that I recognize stop me to talk about the test. Some ask “Hey! Are you ready for the test on Wednesday?” Others ask me “Hey! Have you finished the chemistry homework?” And some just simply wish me good luck for the exam. It is obvious that this test has been the talk of the underclassmen for the last few days.  In the cafeteria, I can’t help but notice that students do seem stressed. I watch one kid whom I will refer to as “Blondie” and he is walking through the cafeteria extremely fast, not even stopping to talk to anyone, which is quite unlike him. I approach him and ask him how he is doing, and he replies, “I’ve been better”. I wonder if he is anxious about the exam, so I proceed to ask him if he is ready for the test. His reply is “I just decided to give up” in a deflated tone. I understand his feelings because I feel the exact same way. I shove my dinner down my throat because I know that I do not have much time.

After dinner, I set off for the Chemistry building, wishing that I could be smarter so I would not have to go to this review session. I take a deep breath and head in. The place is packed. I have to sit in the very front row, because almost every other seat is taken. Luckily, I am can sit right next to some of my “Chemistry friends”, the people that I usually work with in class. They definitely look tired and anxious just like me. One boy sitting next to me says “I had to come to this review because I have no idea what is going on in this class” with a laugh. The girl sitting to the left of me half-heartedly pulls her notebook out to take notes. The professor starts talking pretty quickly, and he is a bit too chipper for all of us. Despite all of the stress we are all feeling, I see that most students try to make the most of the review by asking questions and taking notes.