By Cindy Guo
Andy William will be singing, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” but high school students would think otherwise. Nearing Christmas, or the holidays, only means that finals week is slowly creeping upon us. Students taking six, seven, or even eight classes are freaked out about the tests that will be worth 15% of their grades. Some classmates have been studying since Thanksgiving break, and others are ripping out their hair, regretting that they didn’t start studying during the break.
Finals brings up more questions: are these tests beneficial to a student’s mental health? And should students with A’s be forced to take these tests as well?
To have seven huge tests in one week is inhumane. Some people, like me, have a hard time juggling three tests a week, or even two in a day, let alone seven in a week! Finals week is supposed to be a week where teachers see how much the student has accumulated through the first semester. But to be honest, we’re going to forget all this lovely knowledge by the end of second semester. For people who are doing fine in the class, finals week is just a ridiculous additional amount of stress.
You could argue that finals is great because it could potentially save your butt. You could go from a B to an A or a D to a passing grade. Great. It’s true! People should be able to take the final if they need a score to boost up their grade. But how about the people who are doing fine in the class? If someone has a borderline grade (91% in chemistry, let’s say), the final would be a matter of life or death to them. We need to keep in mind that sure, the final can save you, but it could also destroy you. If a good student who has been trying their hardest for an entire semester, but has a bad day during finals, then it’s hasta la vista to 15% of their grade!
High schoolers already have enough stress. We have a ton of extracurriculars and homework to juggle. And we also have to find time to study for the SAT, the ACT, subject tests, and regular quizzes and tests at school. We don’t have the energy or the mindset to go through three days full of tests. In the Silicon Valley, we are faced with a lot of issues concerning mental health and the well being of students, but honestly, NOT enough action has been taken. We’ve tried, but it seems that most people don’t even know where to start from. Since finals week is coming up soon, why don’t the students and the teachers/adults think of this problem?
