Arrowhead Students Stress Over Finals Week

Arrowhead students found a high amount of stress and anxiety as finals week approached on January 20th. Students reported that stress levels were high because of the amount of studying that needed to be done, how much the final affected the final grade, and borderline grades.

A sophomore, Carly Minor, said she was stressing about finals for two weeks before she even had to take any tests.

“I had so much review packets and studying to do just to prepare myself for finals. It stressed me out for weeks before the tests,” says Minor.

On the other hand, senior Alec Harmeyer said he thought he was well prepared for exams, he said he studied a lot, knew the material well and yet he still was getting stressed about finals.

Depending on the class that a student is in, the exams typically count for 15-20% of your grade at the end of the semester. For some students, that can really affect their grade.

“No matter how prepared I am for finals, they always give me a ton of stress. I think it’s because of how much it counts for your final grade,” says Harmeyer.

Minor says her hardest final to study for and to take was for AP History. Minor says she studied a lot and had to put a ton of effort to prepare herself for that particular test.

Sophomore Morgan Gintert says her hardest  final was her biology final because there was a lot of memorizing involved.

“I had so much to study for to prepare myself for the bio final. I had to memorize a bunch of stuff involving cells,” says Gintert.
Minor said her easiest final to prepare for was her Spanish final because she knew the material well and that speaking Spanish comes easy to her.

Gintert said her easiest final was Journalism because she is a strong and clear writer, which made writing her paper simple.

Since finals only went until 11:30 a.m.,  many Arrowhead students met up for lunch at local restaurants after finals such as Panera, Noodles, Starbucks, Culvers, and the Picnik Basket.

Gintert said she met up with her friend at Panera and Noodles after her exams were over.

“It was so nice to just indulge myself into a bowl of soup after exams I was so hungry and brain dead from all the tests I had to take,” says Gintert.

Minor, on the other hand, says that she went to Starbucks, Taco Bell, and Five Guys after her exams.

As exams mark the ending of the semester, students also get to see their official grade in their classes.

“I think my year ended really well and I’m happy with a lot of my classes and how they ended this semester,” says Minor.

Depending on the class and the teacher, exams were typically posted soon after the exams were taken.

Gintert says she is looking forward to next semester as she enters an art class she has been excited to take.

“I can’t wait to have this year over with and be at North campus next year,             It’s going to be a good change!” says Gintert.