Finals week. These are two of the worst words any college student can hear. Just the thought of it can bring about fear, anxiety, stress, and physical illness. And while finals week is awful because the workload takes up all of our free time and sucks up whatever remaining energy and will to live that we have, there is more to it.

In the U.S., we place such a high level of importance on test scores. With rising levels of mental illness including anxiety and ADHD, the emphasis on grades and scores is an even more serious issue. We make students feel as if they aren't smart, aren't well-rounded, and aren't worth anything if they don't have an A or a B. We make students memorize months of information for an overly long exam like they aren't going to forget it 10 minutes after they leave the room.

We value the students who have a strong memory over those who do not. We are not measuring intelligence. We are not measuring anything of value when we give out midterm and final exams. We are making students feel like they are not powerful and cannot be somebody over a grade that really means nothing. It is time that we start placing value on things that truly matter, things like compassion, strength, persistence, and love. Maybe then we can show students what they are really worth.