Many students agree that midterms is one of the most stressful weeks of the semester, but the calm of the following weeks misleads students into the death trap called dead week, the week before final exams.

Professors assign last-minute projects, papers and exams on dead week, and once students are behind on dead week assignments, they usually also fall behind on studying for finals.

While some may argue students should take time management into their own hands, professors should expect students to procrastinate and vary the deadlines for assignments.

We’ve all experienced that burned-out feeling after finals week, but imagine feeling brain dead before finals week even begins, as many students will after cramming in projects during what should be a week of preparation.

It’s nice that professors want to give students as much time as possible to work on assignments, but they should move the deadlines up to prevent a clustering of assignments before finals.

Jared Johnson, petroleum engineering sophomore, said he took four exams during Dead Week. The cluster of exams during dead week and finals week culminated into his “most stressful two weeks at LSU.”

“I just don’t understand how professors can expect a student that is taking 17 hours to sufficiently prepare for the final exam by giving an exam during dead week,” Johnson said. “Isn’t that what dead week is for? To focus on finals — not stress out about tests during dead week.”

But Johnson isn’t the only student facing the stress of dead week.

I have three papers, one exam, one quiz and two projects due next week.

Dead week should be exactly what it sounds like: a week without assignment in preparation for final exams.

The stresses of this semester have only been intensified with the exclusion of fall break.

With one break down this semester, students will be forced to spend their only holiday, Thanksgiving, catching up on work.

Instead of enjoying the Thanksgiving break with our families, we’ll be locked in our rooms writing papers, working on projects and studying for last-minute exams.

Clustering assignments during dead week cheats the system. The title dead week actually contradicts its real meaning. In fact, the title better describes Baton Rouge while students are shut away in the library and in their rooms hunkered over textbooks.

So professors, I’m only asking that you think back to your days in college and remember the stresses you encountered going into final exams. Dead week should be a week of preparation; let’s take it back.