Being up at 12:02 am is an interesting feeling. To be honest, I hate it. I hate being up late. It makes me feel out of control. I’m exhausted, cranky, dehydrated, and unstable. I turn into a literal psychopath after 11 pm (ok, maybe 10 pm). Finals do this to me. They inevitably keep me up at night because they are a freaking challenge. I never know how to prepare because more often than not, the tests are 5x harder than they need to be (and nothing like the review). Not to mention, for some odd reason, every teacher, and their mother, assigns a ridiculously complicated project. Why does this all happen in the same week? So much for the most wonderful time of the year… more like the most STRESSFUL time for everyone in academia.
I got a text from my boyfriend tonight that somebody at Grand Valley (his school) jumped off the bridge on campus. Someone legitimately JUMPED. OFF. A. BRIDGE. The COVID lockdown resulted in a former classmate from my graduating class taking his life, and its effects are continuing to take a toll on young people’s mental health. I think it’s time we take a serious look at the pressure of “Exam Week.” Let’s start offering alternatives.
Here are some of my ideas. Maybe if you’d like, you can opt out of the final exam. Say, if your grade is above a B, and you are happy with that, then the letter grade can stand as is. Maybe finals are optional, and now they are a way to improve your grade (instead of a cause of debilitating panic attacks). Maybe this means writing a three-page paper (without a presentation component). Maybe this involves a take-home or open note final exam. Maybe this means LESS CONFUSING and more straight-forward tests. Maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about, and I am losing my marbles because it is now 18 minutes past midnight.
Unfortunately, my whole life I have found myself being wide awake at nighttime with crippling test anxiety. On standardized testing, I have found myself underperforming because of the insane amount of (mostly self-induced) pressure from my academic endeavors. I truly do not believe I am along in this. Enough is enough, and I want to find a way to better help students conclude their hard work. This is a call to action. Let me know if you have any ideas, and let’s start the conversation.