If one were to ask any student at the end of a semester how they’re feeling, most would give the same response – stressed. Finals have always been a source of anxiety for students, but this year has raised the stakes at Howell with the new changes being implemented. Finals will now take place before winter break instead of after it, and in some classes, the weight of finals will rise from 10% all the way up to 20%.

Finals have always been a touchy subject. Some students like them, others don’t. However, many agree on one thing: the most positive change to come out of this situation is the new timing. It has always been a struggle taking exams after a two week long break, since some information tends to be forgotten. Trying to remember what was being taught two weeks ago for seven classes is a challenge and can cause lower test scores than if they had been taken before break. This new change results in students now being able to freely spend their winter break without having to worry about having to take multiple finals when school resumes, putting less stress on them.

On the other hand, others are feeling more anxious leading up to finals. In some classes, finals are now worth 20%. Previously, all finals were 10% of a student’s grade, so this change marks a big increase in weight. If students are on the cusp of getting a higher grade, performing badly on a final could bring their grade down significantly, ruining their chances of earning a better grade in the class. A bad performance on a single test doesn’t seem fair in determining your grade for the entire semester – it’s not the most accurate measure for the amount a student has learned throughout the school year. 

Overall, while there are some benefits to the changes in finals, the negatives outweigh the positives. Putting finals before break would lower stress, but the new and unbalanced weighting system ends up cancelling out any benefits of that, increasing the anxiety students had before. While with its own flaws, the way the old final exam system was structured seems more beneficial for students and their mental health in the long run.