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Top 10 Things That Are Worse Than Taking Midterms

1. Loud eating in the library:
Forcing yourself to actually get to the library is a struggle enough. But add someone chewing, loudly, right next to me — it’s enough to send me into an actual panic attack. I don’t know what it is, but something about the sound of another person eating is probably the worst thing ever. Maybe it’s extreme to say that I’d rather sit through a three-hour midterm than two minutes of someone chewing, but take it from a pro: once, I forced my mom to switch seats with me on a plane because the 12-year-old girl next to me was chomping her gum too loudly.

2. Newcomb’s choice of cereal:
I’ve got to hand it to O’Hill, between the Cap’n Crunch and the Reese’s Puffs, their cereal selection is seriously on par. So don’t blame a girl for expecting the same, if not better, at the new and improved Newcomb. But all they have is fake Raisin Bran — seriously, it’s totally not the same as the real kind — and Cheerios. Cheerios are just tiny donut-imposters made out of bread, and they’re not even the honey nut kind. At this rate, a midterm would probably be a better substitute for breakfast.

3. Snow/rain/cold:
I’m over it. I’m over the rainboots and bean boots and rain jackets and umbrellas and hats and gloves and everything. Yes, this column is quickly turning into my complaints, and no, I’m not that sorry about it, but please, sun, will you come out? At least when you’re taking a test you’re inside a heated building and not subjected to the harsh weather. It’s because of the cold that I’ve been forced to stay at Clemons until 2:30 a.m. just because I wanted to call SafeRide to not have to walk home.

4. People who walk slowly in front of you:
Seriously, I’m glad that you’re taking your sweet time crossing over Ruffner Bridge. Yes, our University is a beautiful place, but when it’s 11:58 and I have a class in Nau Hall in two minutes, the last place I want to be is stuck behind you admiring the scenery. Every time I’ve attempted to awkwardly shuffle past on the left, I have been greeted by an arm to the face from someone walking — at a normal pace! — the other way. More midterms equals less bruised faces from trying to make that necessary yet ambitious pass move.

5. The AFC from 4 to 8 p.m.:
You will never find the AFC more crowded than when people are supposed to be eating dinner. I understand the rationale: you want to mealswipe for a smoothie, but don’t want to walk all the way to the Pav. To procrastinate studying, you might as well hop on an elliptical and pretend to watch the news for as long as you can before passive-aggressively staring at someone until they change the channel to the Kardashians. I know I’m not alone on this one. But this is so hard to do when every single machine is in use. At least in a midterm you have your personal space!

6. Locking yourself out of your dorm:
Whether it’s 9 a.m., 2 a.m., or 3 p.m., realizing you can’t get into your building because you left your ID in your room is the worst. You’re cold and you just want to nap, and the only thing stopping you is your lack of U.Va.’s glorified credit card service. Do you wait until someone walks in then slip in behind them? Do you shamefully text your roommate and ask her to let you in again? Being in a midterm means you have a place to be. Though probably not the best place to nap, I have found that desks are a workable alternative to your bed.

7. The U.Va. internet:
You run into your room and open your computer, as you just realized your WebAssign for calculus is due in 20 minutes. You frantically try to open the website as the Wi-Fi signal appears full. Instead of the WebAssign page you were expecting, you get hit with the “Welcome to UVa Wireless” homepage. This is arguably the most frustrating thing in the world. There is no internet necessary for most midterms, so at least you wouldn’t have to stress about your WebAssign. Or, more realistically, the last three minutes of Gossip Girl not loading.

8. The weekend lines at Bodo’s:
After a long night, about 94.3 percent of U.Va. students crave a Bodo’s bagel. Fact. The line to order is painful enough, but once you finally order, it takes about 20 more minutes to figure out the least awkward place to stand and wait. Everyone does it. The awkward Bodo’s “my order hasn’t been called but we don’t have a table yet and I know you need to get by me to go to the bathroom but there’s nowhere else to stand” shuffle has become a lifestyle. Find me a midterm where the line to get in snakes out the door and I’ll reconsider my decision to add this to the list.

9. People who use social media as a diary:
I get it. You wish that cute boy really really liked you back. Maybe you’re so #emotional that you can’t make it to class today. Or you need to #smh because you can’t believe you fell into his trap once again. I’m so glad that you’re finding a safe outlet for your feelings. But I didn’t need to see that. While studying, Twitter is my procrastination tool of choice, so when I see that 10 out of my 12 new tweets are you complaining about a boy that probably doesn’t exist, I’m not happy. These tweets are no better than my History midterm. I’d take emotional men fighting over politics than emotional girls “fighting” over Twitter any day.

10. Being Facebook stalked:
Everyone has that one friend that thinks it’s funny to sporadically go through all your tagged pictures and dig up the most embarrassing ones. One “like” later, the picture is front and center on all your friends’ news feed and anyone you’ve ever known can see it. With technology so advanced, why can’t we untag pictures on our phones yet? No one really needed to see my mouthful of braces throwing up the deuces in front of SeaWorld circa 2006. Midterms can’t embarrass you, can they?

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