Fall semester final exams begin this Friday, December 15 and continue through next Wednesday, December 20. They follow the same schedule as previous years with two blocks taking place on each day until the last day, which ends with Block 4 and a makeup session.
Finals seem to have come very quickly this year for students, usually sneaking up on them after they return from Thanksgiving Break. The turnaround between the two events is only about two and a half weeks.
Seniors in particular have had a very busy past couple of months with both regular school work to do and college applications to fill out. Final exams and projects will just bring another big task for them to get over with.
“I don’t feel great about finals approaching because that means that I have to start working to get my grades up to the point where I can stress less about finals. That’s scary within itself,” said senior Lauren Pope.
For the freshmen, this will be their first time experiencing a high school finals week. They can already see how the other grade levels are feeling and preparing.
“I’m starting to review and make Quizlet flashcards for myself to study with. I didn’t have middle school finals, so it’s really different, and I’m not ready yet,” said freshman Grace Enfield.
NDB does not offer a “dead week” where students can spend several days studying for finals, so it is important for students to be sure that they manage their time and focus on their studies in the days leading up to their exams. Thinking about schoolwork can be very difficult, but everybody can look forward to the two week long winter break that starts on the afternoon of December 20.
Finals do not only bring the stress of having a lot of work to do, but also the fear that one’s grades could possibly drop based on their final exam grades. Scoring badly on a test could affect a student’s semester grade for the worse, and this is extra worrisome because there are very little to no ways to fix them afterward. It can be dismaying to check PowerSchool before finals and then again after semester grades are released to see something completely different.
In order to get ready for this stressful time, students are preparing by studying early and trying to get a jump-start on their workloads. It can be very beneficial in the long run to take a few extra minutes to start making a study guide or plan ahead to give yourself less work later on.
“I’m just studying really hard and starting as soon as I can, so that I’m prepared when the time comes. I’m going to talk to teachers, so that I know what is coming, and I can prioritize my work for finals,” said sophomore Lizzie Johnson.
Prior to finals, teachers were informed that, even if a project is given as a final exam, students and teachers are expected to show up to class for that block’s scheduled final exam time. This is different from previous years when students only needed to come to school for tests, which may shift the mood of the week. Students typically use their free blocks to get in extra study time, so having to show up every day for every class will likely increase stress levels.
During finals, it is important for students to balance work and stay calm. Finals cover everything taught over the semester in one exam, essay or project, which is difficult, so Christmas break will serve as a well-deserved rest from school.
