Frustration with Finals

Before my first-last final. 

I am very excited to announce that yesterday, Friday, April 26, 2013, I took my last college final ever!! I am beyond excited to be done with this stressful semester and look forward to getting so rest. However, I would just like to take a minute to give my thoughts on why finals frustrate me.

Final Exams frustrate me more and more each year. Maybe it was senioritis kicking in, or the stress, either way this year felt worst with this frustration.

Frustration numero uno:    Lack of preparation.
 All semester you learn all sorts of material that you are tested on throughout the semester. Then, some professors like to teach new material after your "last" test and A) either include that material on a final, making it feel like a usual exam, or B) they incorporate that material along with all the other material you've forgotten learned over the past few months.This wouldn't be as bad if professors gave you more inclination as to what was going to be on it. But, is it just me, or does anyone else get really frustrated when you spend countless hours studying something and maybe 1/10 of it is on the test...I mean let's be real, they could've been nice and informed us of half the stuff they didn't plan on putting on the final.  This would have ensured a lower stress level experienced by the student(s).

Frustration numero dos:    Back to back.
Most universities have their finals in a one (school) week time frame. That being said, if you are like me and a lot of others who typically take 17 credit hours (equaling to 5 classes and 2 labs) then if you are lucky you have a final on EVERY day, or if you are luckier (sarcastic tone) then they get grouped together on the same days. [[yayy more stress!]]

Frustration numero tres:    The Pressure.
Most Professors are nice and use the Final as a way to boost your grade above that B+ mark, but seriously, when you are one week away from sweet, sweet freedom, who even wants to think about doing exceptional? I love when professors give you the option of dropping your lowest test grade, so if you are a good student and make it to every test then they allow you to let your final be the dropped grade. Then there are professors who make the final 25% or higher of your total grade, this is the difference between passing and failing!

Frustration numero cuatro:     No more reading day?
Most campuses allow the students to have a day before finals start, to gather all their thoughts and make a game plan as to how to attack these monstrous tests, but not CSU. Apparently, students were taking advantage of reading day and local beaches were filled with college students on the day the University allotted us to spend chained to the desks in the library. So now classes are either straight review the day before, or a cram session to get every last drop of info into the students notebooks. But I see it differently, we are all grown adults and if some of us want to study on the beach so be it. They shouldn't allow a few peoples actions ruin something for the rest of the University...but oh well, welcome to 'Murrrica.

Frustrations numero cinco:    See ya later sleep!
Everyone knows that when this week roles around students can all say goodbye to sleep and start getting "jacked up on mountain dew". However, one of the main things we're told is to get plenty of rest...I don't think I have ever slept more than 6 hours before a final. Maybe it's better for the students that don't have to work, I made the mistake of still working both my jobs during finals so that probably didn't help.

Anyways, congrats to those of you who are done with finals, or almost done. And a even bigger congrats to those of you who are about to GRADUATE (including kev & I). I hope after all your finals are done you can get plenty of rest, sleep in, enjoy your summer and family, and maybe even work to save up moolah for the next semester!

(Side note: Highlight to being done is I'll probably be posting a lot more on here. It may not mean a lot since there are only 5 or so people who check this, but thanks for checking it if you do!)

Before entering our fourth final...kind of over it by that point.