Students in all classes at Holy Cross have a final exam or PBA for a class. Final exams are given at the end of the school year that can either cover the material that was taught throughout the entire school year or just the second semester. Exam week runs from May 28-31, all are half days.
As the school year wraps up many students start to anticipate summer, sometimes a little too early.
“Many students start to lack motivation and look forward to summer,” Kathy Hannah, the Assistant Principal of Academics and social studies teacher remarked.
Many students benefit from having their teachers encouraging them to stay motivated. Hannah encourages teachers to do the same to have the LOTAs stay engaged in their studies, especially during the last month.
“I stay on top of them and not allow students to get sloppy during the final weeks,” Hannah explained.
Midterms and finals have many similarities and differences. One difference is the amount of stress the students have.
“Students are more stressed out during finals, due to it being more accumulative knowledge from throughout the year,” Hannah remarked. “They underestimate the amount of studying that is needed for finals.”
To increase their chances of improving from midterms, students try to stay focused during the final weeks.
“Paying attention in classes, not cheating, and having no devices out, to help me pay attention in class,” freshman Ally Hite commented.
While paying attention in class benefits students, so does working outside of the classroom.
“I am trying to get my homework done early, instead of jamming it to the last minute, so I will have time to figure everything out, and be prepared,” freshman Bess McIntyre announced.
When finals start to approach students can look back on their past studying skills to improve.
“They tend to reflect on how they did and can improve from their midterm experiences,” Hannah mentioned.
These practiced study habits can help students feel more confident going into finals.
“I feel more prepared for finals because I have figured out how to study differently and effectively for each class, which is what I struggled with during midterms,” McIntyre commented.
As some students are changing their study habits, others are satisfied with how they did during midterms.
“I did very well during midterms, so I’m going to do similar studying skills as midterms, while trying to improve the amount of time I study,” Hite responded.
While many students improve, some are concerned about the best way to approach their studies as they approach the week.
“I am worried most about time management,” McIntyre mentioned.
Even though studying can increase students’ confidence, there may still be classes students stress about. Students can take steps to clear up confusion.
“I am going to plan ahead and meet with my teacher for help in advance, to lower my stress,” McIntyre shared. “After doing this I will feel more confident in her classes.”
