Students dread finals week 
By: Taite Read
Graphic Designer
Finals week is every college student’s busiest time of year. Tarleton State University students and professors have mixed feelings about finals season.
There is a week or two left of school, and all college students can look forward to is summer break. Fun summer vacations, internships or a summer job is what they can’t wait for.
They must get through the dreaded finals week first. The week where some students stay up all night studying or practicing their final speech or presentation.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a final exam as “a test taken on a subject at the end of a school year or course.”
Junior Halle Holbrook explains what the hardest part about finals week is for her.
Photo courtesy of social media.
“Finding a spot in the library is difficult during finals,” Holbrook said.
The Dick Smith Library on campus is full of students during the day and all throughout the night.
Professors can make their final exam worth a small part of the overall grade, or it could be the deciding factor in their final grade.
“The stress and the anticipation of the final and for some students, their final is the make or break for passing the class,” Holbrook said.
Most students have more than just final exams on their plate at the end of the semester. Extracurricular organizations are wrapping up for summer break and lots of students work while attending college.
“Usually, you can ask for more details about the final exam, and some professors even provide a review,” Holbrook said.
Students wonder what the point of a final is or how it will help them in the future.
Holbrook does not think the finals individually help students with their future.
“It is a knowledge check on if you retained the information you have learned throughout the semester,” Holbrook said. “So, are finals specifically helping me in my future? No, but the actual content of the class is.”
The way professors administer their exams has changed since COVID-19. Not all exams are required to be face-to-face. They can be online through Canvas, and they can proctor the exams to monitor students.
Kirk Wise, Tarleton’s sports communication instructor, explained how he administers final exams.
“My speech class is in person, and it is more of a traditional test over the last couple of chapters, and my other classes have projects due online via Canvas,” Wise said.
Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education and Communication Dr. Chandra Andrew explained how she feels about final exams in her classes.
“We do testing to assess the level of knowledge gained and information retention. Not because we want to write up a test, it’s really an assessment piece to what did you get out of the class and what you learned,” Andrew said.
Tarleton provides students with multiple resources on campus to use during finals week such as the Writing Center, Math Clinic, Tutoring and Learning Center and the Dick Smith Library.
Tarleton hosted a Study Break with President Hurley on May 4. Students joined President Hurley at the Trogdon House from 10-11:30 p.m. to have s’mores and Dublin soda.
The library will have extended hours for students that will be May 5-11.
For more information about finals visit the Tarleton website.
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