Is finals period actually too stressful?

Along with DDS, the Hard Alcohol Ban, and long KAF lines, Dartmouth students unanimously despise finals period.

Our stress levels have compounded with a constant stream of midterms that started at week three. Now it’s finals week and our stress levels have reached a painful boil.

The last weeks of a term are always a particularly depressing portion of ones Dartmouth experience. During finals week, social life comes to an immediate halt; there are no large parties and pong becomes a fairly rare occurrence.

I had to completely shut myself off from all forms of human contact in order to ensure that I was productive during this finals period. I spent the entire week cooped up over my computer, reading books, notes, lecture slides and writing papers in my room.

Students often take medications such as Adderall, Vyvance and Ritalin to help them concentrate on their studies for long periods of time.

While these study buddies certainly help us grind out work, they also make it difficult to get a good night sleep, lead to a loss of appetite and various mood disorders, making students feel anxious, depressed or irritable.

There is special place in hell for some Dartmouth professors. Satan will be anxiously waiting to welcome those professors who give midterms the week before finals period or those who assigns both a final paper and exam for finals.

Considering students take three classes a term, and have a week to finish up their finals, if every professor assigned both a final paper and exam students would basically have one day to study for each exam and write each paper.

Of course every legitimate university should have a finals period as well as final assessments for each course. However, Universities and Colleges should give students more time to complete their final exams.

We’re known to cram in lots of information in short periods of time, often staying up all night studying for final exams. Extending deadlines for final papers and exams would allow us to get our work done without being at risk for mental health issues, sleep deprivation and general stress and discomfort.