College Culture Draft

1 12 2014

One of the most important times in a college student’s career comes at the very end of the semester: finals week. The last week of the semester is where students can be found across every college campus in the country consuming inordinate amounts of caffeine, pulling all-nighters to study, completing ten page papers in one marathon session, and, sometimes, breaking down crying.

However, at Morningside, a student’s finals week experience can vary greatly depending on his major, class load, and grade level. Some students end up using the fall semester finals week as a break from class during which they can watch movies and hang out with their friends, while others have to dedicate the entire time to work and study.

The end of the semester can be a tough time for all students, especially freshmen who are going through it all for the first time.

“I had a panic attack yesterday,” said freshman Jen Bentz after the end of Thanksgiving break. “We didn’t really have finals at my high school, so this is all really intense.”

As a music education major, Bentz will have five different finals, two of which are based on music performance.

Other students have it much easier. Junior computer science major Michael Andrlik just has one test during finals week.

“Pretty much, my finals week consists of procrastination and eventual work,” said Andrlik.

For Andrlik, and many other students in project and writing-based majors, the week before finals week is actually the most difficult week. His finals week is a bit of a break after a difficult penultimate week filled with deadlines and presentations.

“During actual finals week, if it’s getting close to my test, I’ll be actually doing stuff, but for the rest of the week, I’ll be playing video games,” he said.

Other students find the last two weeks of the semester to be a marathon of studying and writing.

“For me, both weeks are pretty hard,” said sophomore biology and chemistry teaching major Evelyn Edge. “I have a bunch of papers and presentations this week and then next week I have finals in every class but art. I spend finals week in my own little hovel in the library. “

Many students across campus wish that Morningside would imitate other colleges in implementing a “dead week” policy. Some larger universities (and even smaller ones like Dordt) cancel classes for the entire week before finals. Others enforce a policy where professors can’t have major deadlines or tests during their dead week.

“All of my high school friends are at bigger schools or community colleges, and they have a dead week,” said Bentz.”They don’t have class for an entire week, so all they do is study.”

Senior nursing majors Jaimie Fast and Anna Christensen both have tests in the week before finals.

“Even if Morningside would just give us half a week off, that would help, because it would stop teachers from giving us tests right before our finals,” said Fast. “When it gets to finals week, you pretty much just have to cram because we’re too busy studying for our other tests to prepare in advance.”

Where some students like Andrlik use finals week to unwind from a busy semester, Christensen tries to use every second of her week to prepare.

“Here’s how my days go: Wake up as early as you can, study a little, eat breakfast, drink an energy drink, cram, take a test, cry, drink a beer, take a deep breath, and start to study for the next one,” she said.


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