The first few weeks in May can mean a lot of things, and most of those things are happy: the end of this school year, graduation, vacation times, and so on. But to some of the more masochistic – ahem, academic, I mean – of our students, it also signals the dreaded rounds of Advanced Placement class exams.

Some people really loaded up on AP courses this year, and of course, this week has been nothing but an endless joy to them. Senior Crystal Ganatra, one such ray of sunshine, falls under this category as she is taking five AP exams: Psychology, Literature and Composition, Physics C: Mechanics, Statistics, and Macroeconomics. She says, “AP week makes me feel like I’m stuck in a mind-trick time vortex where everything seems to be dragging on, yet whenever I look at the clock it’s as if I’m crazy. The pledge of allegiance is said, then I blink and BAM! I’m in AP Physics class with only five minutes left on our practice exam and the effect of 78 hours worth of sleep deprivation. I’m internally screaming for it to be over, but I’m not exactly ready to let go just yet.”

People with a lighter load to look forward to testing on share similar thoughts. Sarah Ahmed, a fellow senior, notes, “I have conflicted feelings this week. On one hand, I feel like the world is trying to crush you and drown you. But on the other hand, I know that after it’s all over, I’ll rise from my buried state and rejoice.”

With one week done and the last week rearing its head and ready to devour any serial procrastinators, you may be desperately summoning demons to help you in your time of need. No need to worry! Expert AP-slayer Crystal Ganatra offers these last-minute options: “Option A: acquire senioritis early and accept your fate. Option B: spread out your studying evenly. Option C: who are you kidding? You’ve only got about one week or less left before AP exams, because you are Procrastination’s eternal slave. Resolution: cram like there’s no tomorrow (and in fact there may not be if it is the day before!).”

Furthermore, to all the newcomers to that special AP testing groove, Crystal advises, “Study as if your life depends on it, but don’t forget that you are not in fact a robot and require sleep, multiple breaks, and the company of your soon-to-be also stressed friends.”

So, to all of those who have survived the first week of AP testing: we salute you! And to everyone hereafter still shaking in their boots about the upcoming last haul of terror: don’t panic, study as much as is healthy, and don’t forget to breathe.