IUD Advice??

I'm a little nervous about getting an IUD inserted and have visited many websites/blogs/etc. I'm a college student almost done with school that's swamped with midterms and finals (yay summer session) and was wondering how the insertion process is and the aftermath (if any) since I need to bounce back to take exams Aug 1 and Aug 10. My health insurance kicks in on Aug. 1 and it completely covers contraception but I know when school starts or the in between time, I'll be even busier and appointments get booked quickly and I work two jobs and volunteer at hospitals (and do martial arts, whee!) on top of normal studies so I'd like to get it done (or advice for other birth controls that don't affect mood too much) before school starts in mid August. Condoms are great (used EVERY time with my monogamous partner) but I have irregular periods that freak me out and give nasty pregnancy scares when I need it the least (aka exam season).

TLDR: I'm a busy student that needs birth control advice from real people and real stories! Scared that IUD insertion may put me off from a day of valuable studying for biochemistry!