ClaireEckert

The time of year that every Marian student dreads is swiftly approaching: Finals Season. The week before finals, fondly referred to as dead week, and the week of finals, sometimes fondly referred to as even more dead week, is often an intense source of stress for students. It is a popular belief at Marian that the grade students receive on a final will be the deciding factor of whether they keep the grade they have, lose it or get an even better grade— a rare occurrence. Is this belief true though? The season of finals can be an extremely stressful time in any Marian girl’s life, so here is some advice to help reduce the stress of finals season. 

To start, the stress of finals season can be reduced if students take a step back and look at the actual effect their final will have on their overall grade. In doing this, students will realize that the gigantic impact that finals can have on their grades is nothing but a myth. 

“Don’t let finals ruin your mental health because finals can’t really help or hurt your grade that much.”

Miss Megan Han

To put this into perspective, math teacher Miss Megan Han, a Marian alumna, has some wise advice to impart about finals season. Miss Han said she understands why students find finals to be an extremely daunting task. But, logically, they are really not as hard as they seem. “If you think about it, the amount of time you are given to take a final is the same amount of time you are given to take a regular test. Knowing that, you can logically deduce that the test can only be so long and is not going to be super in depth,” Han said. 

All of the finals given in Han’s classes are worth only 10% of a student’s overall grade, which is actually a very small percentage. Most teachers at Marian have their finals weighted similarly. Han recommends students study for finals by condensing the material they have to study into study guides and quizlets. She is also a huge proponent of active studying: actively practicing the concepts that will appear on the tests, such as doing practice problems for math. Han said students should begin preparing for finals a week or two before, however, she admits that, when she was in high school, she didn’t start studying for finals until about a day before she took them. Han’s advice to students about studying for finals is “Don’t let finals ruin your mental health because finals can’t really help or hurt your grade that much.” 

 Seniors have opinions on finals, too.Senior Sylvia Borgmann, has a lot to say about the stress of finals season, particularly that it is not worth all the stress. Borgmann says she believes finals are heavily overhyped because the actual finals themselves are not that hard. “Teachers create finals with students in mind. None of the teachers at Marian include super specific information from the course on their finals, the information on the final is just simply a summary of the information you have already learned,” Borgmann said. She also said that there has never been a time in her life when her grade on a final negatively impacted her overall grade in a class. 

Borgmann’s study methods include studying mainly by herself, but also with her friends sometimes. She finds she can get the most done when she is alone, but she also enjoys reviewing with friends because it can be less stressful. Borgmann usually starts studying the week before finals start. She recommends making your study materials, as sometimes other people’s study materials are untrustworthy or just simply don’t work for you. She does not recommend procrastinating. Borgmann’s advice to other grades regarding finals is to not stress because you have been preparing for your final all semester just by simply showing up to class. 

Next, Senior Claire Daly has some advice on how to combat the stress of finals. Daly expressed a lot of similar opinions to those of Borgmann. She also said she believes finals are overhyped because teachers are very reasonable with the content they put on the finals. Daly also said that if you pay attention in class all year, you will be able to perform well on the final. Daly’s methods of studying include making her own Quizlets and study guides, and writing out information to help her remember it. She also recommends making your study materials and not relying on other people’s. Daly advises younger grades, “Don’t stress too much about them and set aside time far in advance to start studying. That way you don’t feel super overwhelmed in the weeks leading up to your final.” 

The results of the November/December Network Survey show that the two finals girls study the most for are their math and science subject finals. As for popular study methods, the top three study methods girls use for finals are reviewing old notes and test materials, practicing on Quizlet and lastly completing and looking over study guides (in that order). Though not the majority, it is still worth noting that three girls answered that they just pray. 

 So that is the truth. The myth that finals can make or break a student’s grade is just that: a myth. Finals do not affect grades to that high of an extent, nor do they require Marian’s girls to study for hours upon hours. Finals are not impossible, every Marian girl is extremely capable of taking them. After all, Marian girls are confident, independent, thinking leaders inspired by faith, definitely capable of taking a final.