As the two-week winter break comes to an end, the scary thought of finals is on students’ minds. This year, BSM has updated its rules on the final exams. Instead of two weeks to review for finals, we only have one. Another big change is that if you are a junior, sophomore, or freshman and have a free hour first or last, you cannot leave. This change is a disadvantage to all students, especially those who use their time more wisely outside of school.
Finals this year is a quick turnaround, which is a disadvantage because students aren’t given much time to review previous material. Everyone has finals on their mind during the break, and students feel the pressure to begin studying. Last year was less stressful because I was given a week to get back into my routine for school, and then the next week I reviewed and began studying. This year, on the first day back, I was slammed with review packets for each class.
With finals being three days a week, students have either two or three finals a day, depending on their schedule. On the first day, we have periods one and two, on the second day, periods three, four, and five, and on the last day, periods six, seven, and eight. In the past years, if you had a free hour for your first or last hour on one of those days, you could go home or come in late. This year that rule has changed to only allowing seniors to leave. In the past year, I took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in or leave school early. I disagree with this rule because it takes away the ability to go off-campus and study independently.
If a student had the opportunity to leave early or come to school late, they often used the time usefully. I have second hour free so I was looking forward to leaving after my first final and going home to rest before studying again. Finals week also puts a lot of stress on students, which can affect how they perform on them. “I dislike the new rule, I use that time always to either study or get more sleep so I’m well rested and have a fresh brain to study and perform well in my finals,” junior Vivian Brandt said.
A good portion of students from all grades have eighth hour free. Students should get to leave because there is no reason they have to be in school anymore. All their finals are completed, and no class has any homework. After a long three days of finals, you should just be able to go home, and not have to sit there for an hour doing nothing.