Couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing two beautiful ladies, Jackie (NPB & Cognitive Science Double Major) and Kaeli (NPB Major), who are graduating from UC Davis really soon. Like exactly in one week from when this is written.

That means two things: I’m done with school in two business days and it’s finals week. 

So I looked to my two veterans UC Davis students and asked them to share with me their top three worst tips (which they have tested many, many times) they have for all the miserable UC Davis students out there studying for the upcoming finals week.

And they’re pretty darn hilarious. 

So here it is. 6 tips curated by me with commentary, accompanied by their beautiful grad portraits.

Jackie’s Three Terrible Tips For You:

1. Peel every single fruitlet from a strawberry with a toothpick only to drop it and have your dog eat it before you can take a picture of it.
Mmhmm. I was curious too, so I asked Jackie “why?” And she responded “I SWEAR I WAS SO PROUD OF MY STRAWBERRY. IT WAS NAKED.” Oh, the things finals week does to you.

This is Turbo. The corgi that caught that seedless strawberry Jackie worked so hard on getting naked. Jackie says “that’s the dog that stole every opportunity that was put in front of him like a true pre-med student”

2. Get convinced that the pantry needs to be inventoried, then actually make an excel sheet that tells you exactly how many tea bags you have…
Shoutout to all the OCD fam out there. Jackie feels you.

3. Tell yourself that power naps are good, then wake up 6 hours later and still make yourself get an 8-hour sleep later in the night.
This. This is a painful one. Jackie adds “Seriously though, I did that all quarter. All that time wasted.”

Kaeli’s Three Terrible Tips For You:

1. Bake some brownies even though you are trying to eat healthier and have a lab practical at 6pm.
I don’t understand this because I’m a simple man. You give me brownies. I eat brownies.

2. Drink coffee with creamer even when you’re lactose intolerant because you deserve those moments of pure tastiness bliss.
I’m not lactose intolerant but I’m allergic to nuts. But I wouldn’t say my moments with nuts have been exactly moments of pure tastiness bliss.

3. Meet up with a study buddy. Not because you actually want to study. But to make yourself feel better by pretending that you’re actually there to study.
This. Is. So. Me. Kaeli hit this one on the nail.

The moral of the story is: if these two brilliant seniors survived all these years using these tips for themselves, so can you. Have a little fun. Slack a little bit. Get some sleep. And rock that finals week.