What do students do in the last couple weeks of classes and finals? Generally, as the stress levels rise, we sleep very little, eat less, and hate ourselves for not doing more during the semester to feel more prepared for exams. As someone in their sixth year of college, having bounced around between several universities with various majors, I have felt all of these things more than a few times and am currently dealing with them as I write this. With these stressors in mind, I want to share honestly with my professors how I’ve felt about their cumulative finals and extra long essays and possibly offer another way of doing things. 

First, beloved professors, what makes any of you think that regurgitating immense amounts of information for final exams will benefit your students? In less than a week after that final is done, only a small percentage of what was learned will stick. Most of what is expected of your students will fade from their memory and never come back. 

Rather than these cumulative tests, why not cater to the interests of your students, offering creative ways for each individual to dive into a topic of their choice? Sometimes, I learn things in class that really resonate with me, and sometimes, I’ll even look more deeply into those topics in my free time. But please understand that 99% of the time when I am looking deeper into class material, it’s not what was in the textbook. Any time a professor offers their take on the material or poses thought provoking questions and insights, that’s when my mind starts to get excited. I’m not paying tons of money to open a textbook that should be covered in my tuition anyway. I pay tons of money to learn from experts in their field who have opinions and knowledge that can challenge my current understanding of the world. 

For your essay assignments, all I ask is that you take the time to read the room and find out what the people in your class can manage. More than once I’ve had professors who have kept the same syllabus, same assignments, and same expectations year after year. I’m not suggesting to make your essays shorter or easier, but again, learn who your students are and find out their strengths and weaknesses. It’s not fair to expect a student who may have had sub-par english teachers in middle and highschool to write as well as an english major from an expensive private school. Be flexible and be reasonable. 

Lastly, stop talking as if you had it harder back in your day. 2020 is a totally different beast than the college life you all lived in the 80s and 90s. Far too often I hear petty remarks like, “back in my day” and, “we used to go to the library.” With all due respect, chill with that nonsense. College isn’t any easier than it once was, so don’t rain on the already crappy parade we’re going through, especially during finals time.