Now that we have no classes, it feels like we have all the time in the world. Dead week is technically Reading, Review and Recitation Week, but it’s rare that we actually stick to those specific guidelines. Instead, we choose to spend the first few days relaxing and the next few days becoming mentally unstable.  Whether we’re sleeping until noon or telling ourselves that we deserve to have at least one day off before we hit the books, we end up doing everything but studying during dead week. Here are some of those activities:

1. Netflix every TV show possible.

During the school year, there never seems to be enough time to finish all the seasons of Breaking Bad or Parks and Recreation, but now that we have an entire week of freedom, we might as well let our minds turn to mush! Nothing is better than sitting on your bed watching the latest episode of your favorite TV show you’ve been saving for this moment.

2. Attempt to catch up on all the sleep you’ve lost over the entire semester.

UC Berkeley students are often plagued with the occasional but necessary all-nighter because of a computer science project or an English paper comparing two seemingly unrelated poems. Now that it’s dead week, these next few days will be defined by twelve-hour sleeping sessions — naps not included.

3. Eat a lot of junk food — preferably CREAM.

As our anxiety kicks in, nothing cures our internal worries more than sugar and carbs. Students are no stranger to devouring an entire bag (or two) of chips followed by two packages of Oreos and then a midnight CREAM run. That’s OK — we came to Berkeley to get degrees, not to impress people!

4. Consume copious amounts of alcohol, because what are 8 a.m. classes?

Drowning our sorrows is not only accomplished by eating but also by drinking a ton of nutritious alcohol. You don’t have to get up early the next morning anyway, so you might as well take advantage of your situation.

5. Calculate the lowest grade you can get on the final to still pass the class.

Although some of the more motivated people are determined to get the highest grade possible, most of us will be fine with getting the minimum score to still do moderately well in the class. Unfortunately, that minimum score is probably still pretty high. Refer to numbers three and four on the list to cope with this.

6. Go hysterical.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Finals week is the most stressful time of every semester, so the days leading up to it will often put most of us into extreme panic mode.

7. Get out of Berkeley for the first time this semester.

How many times do you tell yourself that you’ll finally explore Oakland and San Francisco? Students regularly think they’ll get out of Berkeley on the weekends, but guess what! That hardly ever happens because the weekends are strictly reserved for drinking, recovering, studying and sleeping. Now you have you have the week to yourself, it becomes a lot more tempting to hop on BART and go to Union Square. It’s not like you need that time to study for your three finals, anyway.

8. Play 2048.

This highly addictive game on the Internet sucks people in like a black hole. One moment you’ll be studying away, and the next moment you’ll be telling yourself “one little round of 2048 won’t hurt.” This is a lie. Avoid it at all costs before you end up playing it for hours.

9. Beg your GSI for extra credit.

GSIs have a large impact on our grades, and they’re far less scary than your professors, so you feel more comfortable begging them for a grade change. Just ignore the sinking feeling of realization that you should have taken advantage of their office hours throughout the semester, and go make your case!

10. Cry a little bit, then suck it up and decide to study after watching just one more episode on Hulu.

After you have a good cry about your grade situation, you’re determined that crying won’t solve your problems but that studying might just save your ass. Time to study! But only after you watch the latest episode of Scandal on Hulu. UC Berkeley students are all about priorities, and Olivia Pope’s fate is pretty damn important.

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