The #FinalsatHome Videos on TikTok Are Brutal yet Hilarious

As soon as schools all over the country started closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, college students’ lives immediately got a lot more complicated. Obviously, they were dealing with a lot of the same concerns as many of us — concerns for the health and safety of themselves and their loved ones, concerns about how to proceed in the midst of chaos, etc. On top of that, many college students also had to continue attending classes online.

Now that schools’ academic calendars are starting to come to a close, there’s another thing for all those quarantined college students to worry about: taking finals at home. As if trying to keep up your reading assignments during a literal global pandemic wasn’t enough, now there’s a test you have to take that could affect your grade — which in turn could affect whether you graduate, get a job, or live a successful life. You know. No big deal.

One way of dealing with these increasingly stressful situations? Make viral TikTok videos! That’s exactly what some people are doing, and they’re labeling them using the #finalsathome hashtag. Watching them is equal parts cathartic and hilarious. Here are some of our faves!

The #finalsathome hashtag on TikTok has slowly been gaining popularity over the past few weeks — obviously, as finals season gets closer, the situation becomes increasingly dire. So does the need to make videos to relieve some of that stress (even if you should probably be using that time to study).

The best #finalsathome TikTok videos aren’t just funny — they’re also super true and reflective of the actual experience of having to focus on schoolwork when the world is kind of falling apart. We know that trying to retain some sense of normalcy in these bonkers times is important, but does that have to include taking huge tests?

While we love the funny TikTok videos pointing out how hilariously bananas college life is right now, we also really appreciate the people who are using the trend to help others feel less stressed. If you’re feeling the pressure of upcoming finals, scrolling through some of the #finalsathome videos (during a study break!) might actually be helpful.

For instance, the official Harvard Business Review TikTok account has numerous videos offering pretty sound advice for taking finals during a pandemic (something we’re guessing they were never planning on doing when they started the account). In one video, they provide three tips for avoiding study distractions (turn off cellular data, create fake deadlines for yourself, and organize your day with a to-do list).

Honestly, it’s a really hard time to be a college student right now. It’s a really hard time to be a human right now! If you need to distract yourself with some funny videos on TikTok, we give you permission. Just get back to studying eventually.