The Process Of Essay Making Explained Through Songs

• Pretending it’s not there - The Foo Fighters ‘The Pretender’

Procrastination is the worst best friend, but it feels so good... Until you beat yourself up about it later. Must. Resist. You question the power of the essay and how much of your life it is going to take up so instead, you decide to forget it's there and hide it in the back of your subconscious.

'What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?'

• When all of your classmates have nearly finished and you haven’t even started it - Keane ‘Everybody’s Changing’

Enter the very first stage of panic. Everyone in class is talking about what they included and you are sat there smiling like a goof while your heart freezes over and your whole body goes numb. Mission: attempt to distract self with anything other than listening to these people! You decide that it probably is time to start when you get in... Ugh! You also conclude that everyone in your class is just a show off.

'​​​​​So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody's changing and I don't feel the same'

• Finally sitting in that chair and staring at that computer screen - The Black Eyed Peas ‘Let’s Get It Started’

It's time, let's do this! You can do this. Can you? Stop. Positive mental attitude!

'Everybody, everybody, let's get into it
Get stupid
Get it started, get it started, get it started
Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here'

• The first five hundred words milestone celebration - Wicked ‘Defying Gravity’

It's official - you are a genius. Your brain is clearly the stuff of magic. Check you out!

'Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!'

• Napping instead of doing work - Evanescence ‘Bring Me To Life’

Oh dear, is that the time? So... that wasn't supposed to happen. Best crack on. Stupid alarm clock for not waking me from my mid-writing celebration nap. Bed is so comfy though... there's still tomorrow, I'll just do it then?

'Wake me up, wake me up inside, I can't wake up,
Wake me up inside, save me,
Call my name and save me from the dark, wake me up'

• On a role tap, tap, tapping away! - The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’

It's a new day. One must motivate thy self. Get this done! One more day until FREEDOM!

'I'm gonna fight 'em all
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back'

• When the adrenaline rush kicks in - David Guetta ft. Sia 'Titanium'

You are doing good. Cracking right on with it! It's surprisingly coming together reasonably well. Feeling pretty untouchable up there on your high horse?

'I'm bulletproof nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium'

• When you still haven’t finished and it's half 3 in the morning - Semisonic ‘Closing Time’

You have reached the slump of your concentration levels but you still try to do those very last in-text citation references. This means that you won't have to do anything except for printing and submitting tomorrow then!!!!!

'Closing time
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end'

• When you admit defeat and go to bed - High School Musical 2 ‘Gotta go my own way’

In fairness, you really did try your best for the time that you left yourself... There is nothing more you can do, you did what you could. Sleep time now! Does it even make any sense? Who cares!

'It's so hard to say
But I've gotta do what's best for me
You'll be okay

I've got to move on and be who I am'

• When you wake up at 9am to go print it - Incubus ‘Drive’

Regret factor: 1000. This essay really is quite poo but... can't do anything about it now. Could I? Do I have time to make some changes? Note to self: learn lesson!

'Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear
Take the wheel and steer'

• When you go to hand it in - Survivor ‘Eye Of The Tiger’

Re-read through said essay and it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. Well done me. ​​​​​​​Fifteen minutes to fill out the submission form and sign it in to the admissions office. What if there is a queue? ADRENALINE, ADRENALINE, ADRENALINE. My rival is time!

'It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger'

• Once it’s been handed in - Tina Turner ‘Simply The Best’

​​​​​​​I am awesome. I am awesome. I am awesome.

I am free. I am free. I am free.

'You're simply the best, better than all the rest
Better than anyone, anyone I ever met'

I know Tina, I know I am.

• When you celebrate with your classmates for the torture being over (for now) - R.E.M ‘Shiny Happy People’

​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Cheeky pint in the SU with your fellow pals to wash away that horrific adrenaline. You can't quite believe the reality right now. It's done!! Now be 'bouncing off the walls' happy!

'Shiny happy people laughing
Meet me in the crowd
People people
Throw your love around'

• When the alcohol kicks in - Queen ‘We Are The Champions’

​​​​​​​Everyone from class automatically becomes your best mate as you drink further and further in to oblivion. You all get more honest as the alcohol hits the blood stream and even the super clever ones admit that they didn't like that essay either. Phew! You all dance together and appreciate what hard work had to go in to putting that essay together. You all successfully survived it and came out the other end.

'We are the champions, my friends,
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end.'

• The playlist if you wanted to listen: