Here at Alliance High School, finals are getting ready to start and students are gearing up for the final push before Christmas break. Teachers begin cramming in last-minute assignments leaving little time to study. Each student knows the stress that plays hand in hand with multiple-choice tests and final papers. It is time to prep for the last few assignments that make or break your grade. 

Every student deals with finals week differently. Out of a select seventy-nine students at AHS, twenty-eight rank their stress level at a ten, twelve rate their stress at a nine, fifteen rate their stress at an eight, eight students rated a seven, three rated a six, five rated a four, one student rated a three and three students rated their stress level at a two. Over half of these students feel extremely stressed about finals. 

The top two classes that students here at AHS are stressed about are math and science. Trying to remember a variety of equations and numbers is something that most students struggle with. History was the runner-up for a class that students are most stressed about. The amount of stress that students go through during finals week can have a multitude of negative effects. Students begin to have anxiety attacks, may cry often or may even go through what many people know as the “end of semester slump.” This is where students begin to care less and less about their schoolwork because a break from school is so near. 

When these students were asked how they dealt with this abundance of stress, a large variety of answers were given. Some replied “cry” and some said, “I ignore my stress and put off studying.” These were some of the more negative responses that were given. On the more positive side of things, some replied, “listening to music,” “doing yoga,” “doing breathing exercises,” “drawing,” “actually studying” and some said doing activities such as cheer or videogames.

There are several things that students would like to see teachers do to help calm nerves. A large portion of students requested that teachers stop assigning new material right before finals week. This decreases the amount of time that students have to study. Another large portion of students would like to see teachers spend more than one day reviewing the material that the final will cover. Although the students are appreciative of the teachers for taking a little bit of time to review, the students would like to see more review time. 

Finals week is stressful for both students and teachers. It is important to remember that your life is worth more than the grades that you receive. Set some time aside to study, but also take some time for yourself to relax and clear your mind. Good luck with finals this week!