College classes differ from high school classes in one major way: how they calculate your GPA. The problem with classes doesn't come from the homework, participation or even the test averages. The problem comes from the final. A final exam in college is a heinous experience. It is worth more points, comprehensive and utterly terrifying. The point is simple: Finals should not be worth 30 percent of your grade.
However, I feel as though this issue cuts even deeper. In my experience at Centenary College of Louisiana, finals rarely help students; they usually have the opposite effect. Having a final as 30 percent of your grade does something even more insidious than simply hurting a student's final grade. It can in fact encourage students to turn to study "aids" such as Adderall or other amphetamines.
On the issue of Adderall, I would first like to say that I am in no way against using the medication for its intended purpose. Where my issue comes in is when that purpose is to get you better grades. It is not just, or even remotely acceptable that we live on a college campus where it is OK to pay someone for "drugs" to improve your score. Professors even inadvertently encourage this behavior the way that their finals are currently structured. Let me show you what I mean. People who have legitimately worked hard all semester go into finals week with a B or a C. They get offered "help" in the form of a $5 pill. If they choose to take the pill, and end up doing well on their final, then something very terrible can happen. That student can become addicted to the feeling of success. Their hard work all semester doesn't matter, all that matters is that one little pill "fixed" the issue they were struggling with. This is the very definition of negative reinforcement. Instead of building the student up, this situation tears them apart. The student is rewarded for performing well, not for actually learning the material, nor the work of the semester. Instead, in our society focused only on grades, this student is forced to turn to an "aid." While I do not support these individuals' choices, I cannot say that I agree with them. This isn't to say the issue doesn't fall into a moral gray area, simply that I cannot condone their actions. Since I am not placing the blame on the students who use drugs such as Adderall irresponsibly, I place it on our society and ultimately on finals being worth such a large percentage of your grade in an individual class.
Adderall sounds like a wonder drug when it is presented to the desperate student searching for anything that will help them achieve their goals. Yet, it doesn't come without its costs. Adderall, not properly used, can have the opposite effect, and instead of inducing extreme focus can seriously cause people to become spacey and irresponsible. Even more serious than that, is that individuals who have taken a large amount may forget to eat or sleep. I believe that if finals were structured differently, colleges would not encourage the use of "aids" such as Adderall. 30 percent of people's lives are not defined by how they perform in a three hour time slot, so why should four months of class be determined by one exam?
