There’s a special, nearly palpable, buzz of anticipation in the air on all the Fridays that arrive before any break from school. 

After weeks of classes, buses more akin to a sardine can, waiting in dining center lines so long that you have no time to eat and an ungodly number of tests and quizzes, there is not a single soul on this campus who isn’t looking ahead to Thanksgiving break with open arms.

And we would surmise that the the stress level has been so high for everyone on this campus this semester that it isn’t even the thought of all the food we’ll get to eat over break that makes leaving so exciting. To be frank, we all just need a break from each other, which is why crossing the metaphorical finish line will feel especially wonderful this year.

But first, of course, we all need to make it to — and through — the ever-anticipated Friday.

During the week leading up to the day, the final day before most of campus will pack its bags and hit the road for home (and a well-deserved nap), all thoughts are on just getting to that Friday. It’s like running down the home stretch of a final lap, fighting with every ounce of energy just to make it to the end.

We’re almost there, thankfully, but getting there doesn’t mean we’re done quite yet. Friday is still part of that final stretch.

But my, what a concept that is, going to class on a Friday before everyone vamooses. Perhaps it’s the collective off switch ISU students discover in the vicinity of their brain the day we all get to be done for a while that causes no one to want to go to class. But therein lies the problem: we aren’t quite done yet.

Contrary to popular belief, there are in fact classes on Friday. And these classes are not to be ignored given the large number of ways different professors handle the dismal number of students who have historically chosen to show up.

These range from the, ‘here is all the material you’ll need for the final’ type of professors to ‘let’s watch funny cat videos for an hour’ type of professors. Either way you slice it, there is no real way to ensure missing a class that final day won’t incur severe consequences.

But even if the potential threat of missing out on material isn’t enough to encourage attendance, consider that final Friday as a capstone to all the work you’ve done so far.

Then, of course, there is always the other option of not going. Whatever.