DonBrown
New member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2026
- Messages
- 14
So I'm that guy in your class who looks old enough to be your dad. Because I am. My daughter is 9. I work construction during the day and bartend on weekends. And I'm sitting here at 2 AM in the GSU library trying to memorize terms for my marketing final. 
Everyone talks about exam stress like it's the same for everyone. It's not. When you're 19 and live in the dorms, exam stress is "oh no I have to study instead of party." When you're 34, exam stress is "if I fail this class I lose financial aid and can't afford my daughter's dental appointment."
Different planet. Different game.
Here's what I've learned about surviving exams when your life doesn't revolve around school:
I study in the cracks. Fifteen minutes while dinner cooks. Twenty minutes waiting for my daughter's bus. Half hour after she's asleep before I collapse. It adds up. Not ideally, but enough.
I told my professors my situation. Not to get pity. To be real. One let me take an exam early because I had a work conflict. Another sends me lecture slides ahead of time so I can preview during my lunch break. Most don't care, but some do. Those some make a difference.
I use every GSU resource I can find. The tutoring center at 25 Park Place? Been there. The writing studio? Used it. Academic advising? On a first-name basis. I'm paying tuition, I'm using everything.
I stopped comparing. I see 20-year-olds pulling all-nighters and then sleeping until noon. I can't do that. I have to be functional at 7 AM no matter what. So I study differently. More consistently. Less dramatically. It works for me.
I involve my daughter. She's 9. She thinks it's cool that we both have homework. Sometimes we sit at the kitchen table together, her with spelling words, me with marketing flashcards. She quizzes me. She's merciless. "Daddy you got that one wrong AGAIN."
This exam period is brutal. I'm exhausted. My brain is mush. But I'm still here. Still trying. Still showing up.
To any other non-traditional students: I see you. It's harder for us. But we're also tougher. We've survived worse than finals.
Everyone talks about exam stress like it's the same for everyone. It's not. When you're 19 and live in the dorms, exam stress is "oh no I have to study instead of party." When you're 34, exam stress is "if I fail this class I lose financial aid and can't afford my daughter's dental appointment."
Different planet. Different game.
Here's what I've learned about surviving exams when your life doesn't revolve around school:
I study in the cracks. Fifteen minutes while dinner cooks. Twenty minutes waiting for my daughter's bus. Half hour after she's asleep before I collapse. It adds up. Not ideally, but enough.
I told my professors my situation. Not to get pity. To be real. One let me take an exam early because I had a work conflict. Another sends me lecture slides ahead of time so I can preview during my lunch break. Most don't care, but some do. Those some make a difference.
I use every GSU resource I can find. The tutoring center at 25 Park Place? Been there. The writing studio? Used it. Academic advising? On a first-name basis. I'm paying tuition, I'm using everything.
I stopped comparing. I see 20-year-olds pulling all-nighters and then sleeping until noon. I can't do that. I have to be functional at 7 AM no matter what. So I study differently. More consistently. Less dramatically. It works for me.
I involve my daughter. She's 9. She thinks it's cool that we both have homework. Sometimes we sit at the kitchen table together, her with spelling words, me with marketing flashcards. She quizzes me. She's merciless. "Daddy you got that one wrong AGAIN."
This exam period is brutal. I'm exhausted. My brain is mush. But I'm still here. Still trying. Still showing up.
To any other non-traditional students: I see you. It's harder for us. But we're also tougher. We've survived worse than finals.
