Recently I read an article about how “finals aren’t hard” and if you believe so, “you’re stupid,” and you can read said article here.
I’d like to give major congratulations to the author for finding finals week to be stress-free and easy, but I’m going to have to disagree. Yes, some of my exams are cumulative knowledge for things we learned throughout the entire semester, but that doesn’t mean I remember in great detail what I learned in August. Plus, it’s not like we’ve gone over those topics since then; we’ve moved onto other things. So I’m sorry if I’m nervous that I won’t remember what we went over the first week of school, even after I review it before the final, because I hadn’t thought about it in 15 weeks. But guess what, I haven’t been slacking off the entire semester. Far from it, actually. I’m just not sure how you remember every bit of information you learned over the last 16 weeks without having to go back and relearn things.
I do have exams that aren’t cumulative as well. And hey, I do study and read the textbook and make note cards and look up definitions that I might not know. Guess what: I still find them hard. I don’t think that makes me stupid, especially because I study for 4+ hours a day for a week before the exam.
Ah, the third point the author made was the most memorable for me. The author said, “if you’re writing a paper, then you have no reason to complain.” I have one question for you: why do you think that? I have had to write two or three papers in one day, and it is not because I do not schedule my time well. It is because they are assigned to me in the same day, and often they’re due the same day. I can’t really do anything about that. Often, they’re long papers. I’m taking a Shakespeare class, and my final paper has to be 8+ pages over one character. Sorry if you think it’s stupid for me to be worried about how it will go, but I always stress about literature papers. I have no problem writing articles or blog posts over things I enjoy, but once analyzing literature is involved, all bets are off.
Finals are inevitable, obviously, but sometimes I don’t know until Thanksgiving break what my final will actually be over. I can’t always plan months in advance for something if I don’t know what it’s going to be. This definitely doesn’t make me stupid. I’ve had professors plan on giving cumulative finals, who then change it to just be over the information we’ve learned since midterms. I’ve also had professors who assign final papers instead of having an exam. I’ve also had professors who have just cancelled their final in general at the last minute, even after I’ve been studying.
As the author said, we have a full week to take eight exams/write papers. If I have more exams in one week than actual days in the week, chances are it’s going to be stressful. I’m going to find it hard to even function if all I’ve been doing for days on end is reviewing for exams.
My main point is that you can’t call someone stupid because they find finals week difficult. I have 1 presentation to give, 1 video to make, 2 papers to write, 1 actual exam, 3 take-home exams, 3 major projects, and internship paperwork to fill out. Obviously I find finals week difficult, but guess what: I have planned out the entire next two weeks of my life to be able to get everything done. But anyway, it’s possible to find finals difficult and not be stupid. Don’t believe me? You can also check my GPA.
