Many arguments can be made for and against finals. Some would argue that it is important that we test over a year’s worth of information. Some would argue that we shouldn’t have to retest over stuff we have already learned. I, personally, am against finals. There are several things that factor into my decision. First of all, I have had terrible experiences with finals. I have had to pull all nighters, studying for hours straight. Often times, this is not enough. Bu most importantly, studies have found that finals are bad for a student’s mental, and physical health. Some studies even show that finals lead to drug use. This is because many students try to turn to Adderall to keep them up on those long nights. The stress levels during finals week can get dangerous, and lead to prolonged mental and physical issues.

What needs to change? Well, first of all having finals all at the same time probably isn’t the best idea. Studying for up to classes of coursework that spans over the entire year just isn’t healthy. Perhaps teachers could find a way to stagger their exams. One solution is to have several quizzes instead of one large exam. Another solution is much simpler: take out finals all together. Students are regularly quizzed and tested on this material, and there should be no need to go back and relearn what they’ve already been taught.

I’m not sure what the answer to finals is, all I know is that the current system isn’t healthy.