Exam Season used to border on an almost enjoyable experience for me. Being a bit of an English geek, I used to enjoy Shakespeare revision sessions and debating the possibility of sexism in Jane Eyre. Nowadays, though, I pretty much just want to kill myself.

Photo by Danielle Scott

I blame my procrastination almost entirely on the internet. But also a little bit on my own blatant lack of self-motivation. When I was in college my teachers gave me 80% and I only had to give 20%. They told me that the ratio would work inversely at university. It’s only now that my exams are approaching in two weeks and I haven’t done a single bit of revision, and if I’m perfectly honest, I only went to about two thirds of the lectures – that I truly appreciate my college teachers’ warnings.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my course. I love the module topics and the seminars, and most of the time, I enjoy the lectures too (despite the early morning commute through M25 traffic into London). I can’t wait to sink my teeth into my second year – that is, if I manage to get through the exams that have plagued my existence during the first.

I’ve done okay so far- I’ve had a couple of exams and coursework deadlines that I’ve got through with flying colours. But for some reason, this time of year – when there’s nothing else to do but sit alone in my bedroom with my laptop and a mountain of uneaten easter eggs that I am progressively munching my way through – brings out the worst in me. Such as my godawful tendency to procrastinate like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t care what my mother says about early nights. I’m still blaming the internet. According to a study conducted by Nielsen in 2010, the world spends 22% of their online time on social networking sites. In a single month, a web user visits 2,646 sites and logs on 57 times. As a teenage girl with a tumblr addiction, I would estimate that about nine hours of my day are spent on the internet. And now I have no lectures until September, I would hazard that that time is going to go up.

I know I’m basically just moaning about this – this very article is a form of my many-tentacled inner procrastination monster (I took a break from my coursework to write this) – it doesn’t help that I’m listening to Brand New. The general effect is one of extreme melancholy and self-absorption. I would just suggest that those who find themselves in a similar position to me this exam season would have the willpower to go ahead and click that “Disconnect” button. The internet is a wonderful thing, children, but ultimately it’s going to make you fail at life. I’m behind on revision, coursework; I’ve got about four articles that have been overdue for submission for about six weeks (I haven’t even started them), and in general I feel pretty shit about my life. I’m putting on weight because I’m spending all my time at the computer and I think I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But hey ho, I blame the internet. Happy browsing, kids.