As the school year comes to a close, students at Carlmont begin preparing for final exams. Seniors, however, follow a slightly different schedule. Instead of taking their finals with the rest of the student body, they take them a week earlier to allow time for graduation-related activities.
During the week when the rest of the students take their finals, seniors focus on preparing for graduation. To do this, they do several things, such as graduation practice, book returns, fine checks with the secretary to ensure they don’t owe any money, and a survey to inform their counselors of where they plan on attending college.
Seniors also get to partake in fun activities, including field trips and the senior picnic during their last week of school. Although this schedule seems fun, the adjustments provide both benefits and challenges.
“It’s not the best that we have to take our finals earlier than the other grades at school,” said senior Victoria Tsou. “However, finals are also things that I like to get over with beforehand, which makes me glad that we will wrap it up faster.”
According to Tsou, the limited time to study can be a drawback of the earlier schedule.
“Even though I enjoy some aspects of having finals earlier, it’s a bit annoying that we have less time to prepare for them,” Tsou said.
Since seniors have to go through a much more rushed exam process, they are also denied the chance for a review week. Therefore, their preparation has to be done in their own time as they also juggle the weight of their assignments.
The experience of finals varies not just by grade, but also by how students handle the academic pressure at the end of the year. For some, the timing isn’t as important as the mental exhaustion that builds up over the semester.
“As a junior who has had their finals on the last week of school every time, I wish we had it earlier,” said Chloe Zhao, a junior. “By the end of the school year, I’m so burnt out. By the time we get to finals, I don’t have the motivation to try as hard as I’d like to.”
However, earlier finals benefit some teachers who oversee senior courses, according to Molly McNinch, the Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB teacher. This especially comes into play when considering AP testing.
“AP tests affect my grading the most, and because I focus more on AP prep, I don’t get as much time to grade, so it’s nice to get the time to do so later on,” McNinch said.
Overall, the earlier finals schedule for seniors offers a different experience than the rest of the student body, with advantages and disadvantages. While it allows time for graduation activities, it also requires students to manage their academic responsibilities within a shorter timeframe.
“Even though the schedule is rushed, finishing finals early gives us a head start on celebrating everything we’ve accomplished,” Tsou said. “It makes the end of senior year feel more real and rewarding.”
