The Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre

It's happening again. Fellow college students, you know what I speak of. The wait list for study room reservations in the campus library have become a scroll. The guy sitting next to you in class no longer stifles his snoring as he catches up on sleep. The acne on your face, accumulated from too many all-nighters, has turned your skin into a red cobblestoned pavement. These can only be the symptoms of finals fever.

Yes, final exams make up a considerable chunk of college students' semester grades. They often play the deciding factor between a B+ and an A. We've heard it all before. But is it really necessary—and effective—to exhaust oneself for the "big week?" Are finals worth stressing over?

"It depends on the class, but I do not feel that a final lets a professor know what a student has or has not learned from the class," said Brittney Lease, a senior at my school, Univ. of Pacific. "I think that a perfect final should consist of each student having to talk to a professor in regards to what they have learned throughout the semester, or even writing an essay-type answer as to what they learned. Basically, something more informal and laidback, instead of a lengthy, nerve-racking test."

Now that's a final exam most collegers would prefer—simple and casual. This brings up the question—are finals overdone?

"I think you can recall a lot more knowledge of what you have gathered from your classes if given the opportunity, and on a lot of the finals you aren't always given the opportunity," said Lease. "And often people don't do well because of the structure of the tests or the stress of it."

If final exams were converted into a different, less intimidating format, like the one-on-one with a professor, the wait list for study room reservations would not exceed one page. That guy next to you in class wouldn't interrupt the professor's lecture with his snoring. And the acne on your face wouldn't aspire to cobblestone status.

Exams, especially if drawn out, test one thing: memorization. For science classes, the conventional test may remain the most logical method. On the other hand, broader subjects like English and Business often don't require memorization of so many terms. For these, there should be ways of evaluating what students have learned that are more effective than exams testing memory and retrieval of course concepts. It's not about how much material you've learned. It's how well you've learned it.

With this in mind, fellow college kids, don't kill yourself poring over textbooks and flashcards. For any final, whether it be an exam, group project, or 12-page paper, consider what you'll get out of it. Does one assignment really measure everything you've learned in that class? More importantly, has everything in class been worth learning about? Think about these things before you stockpile on Redbulls and Starbucks to get you through another all-nighter. A final is not a final statement on your academic success.

"Exams are always so stressful for students. A little stress is good, but too much actually backfires and inhibits students from doing as well as they can on exams and final projects," said Lynn Beck, Dean of the School of Education at my college. "It's better to study early and often—all through the semester. If I did this, I could actually relax just a little near the end and approach my exams as a way to organize my thinking."

My business major friend thinks, "As a business major, I know that to get a job with a B.A. generally requires a GPA that's just 3.0 or higher," said Clara Schuhmacher, senior at Pacific. "Most companies care more about your people skills and how well you communicate, rather than your grades. Grades do matter, but the ability to communicate is more important when it comes to the real world."

The real world. Keep that in mind when finals roll around. Depending on the profession, grades don't always factor into getting a job. And if they do, remember that other things like real-world experience and communicative skills will matter more. It's not just your academic success that isn't finalized by a final exam. It's your success in life as well.

Finals—are they good? Yes, if you calmly consider them as helpful learning assignments. Bad? Yes, if they're overwrought with stacks of Let's-See-if-You-Remember-Every-Tidbit-Taught-this-Semester. And also if you let them cause you to chew your nails to death. Finally, are they bizarre? Sure, if you let them turn your face into a red cobblestoned path. I mean, textbooks and lecture notes having the ability to alter your complexion—in mere days? It's practically magic.