As the final weeks of the semester approach, students at Westside High School are feeling the mounting pressure of finals week. With exams scheduled for December 21-22, the atmosphere on campus is a mix of late-night study sessions and growing anxiety. For many, there is a struggle of balancing extracurricular activities, their social lives, and the academic stress.
For the majority of students, finals represent the accumulation of months and months of hard work; the stakes feel high. Grades are not only a measure of academic performance but also play a crucial role in college applications, various scholarships, and personal goals.
Sophomore Ava Wiechmann is no stranger to multitasking. She is involved in many different
activities both in and out of school, including a job, golf, and show choir.
“I have a job and I play sports. So, between meeting with my swing coach and going to work,
that’s three of the five school days. So in between that, doing like regular classwork, and
studying for finals, it’s a lot,” Wiechmann said.
Adding to the stress is the timing of finals, as they occur right before the winter break: when
many students are anticipating leaving for vacation. Wiechmann said that she is both nervous for and excited about finals, since she is ready for the semester to be over.
Teachers are stepping in to help, providing study guides to students to alleviate some of the
pressure, but it can still be overwhelming.
When asked about how to cope with the stress of finals, sophomore Reese Rhyner provided an insightful answer.
“To cope with finals, I mainly just make sure I give myself time to do stuff that I like to do,”
Rhyner said. “For example, like, on Sunday and Saturday I always spend time watching football with my dad.”
For the majority of freshman at Westside, this will be their first time taking a final in this
setting, which can be very distressing. Many of them have expressed an uncertainty about what to expect.
“Some advice that I would give, I’d probably say like, just making sure you feel confident about what you’re doing. If you need help, like, go get it. There’s no shame in asking for help and a lot of people do it. I would also say for actual test day, try not to schedule all your hard tests at the same time.” Rhyner says.
As testing time approaches, students at Westside continue to push through the stress, drawing on their determination. Both upper and underclassman are finding many ways to overcome the various challenges that arise during finals weeks- whether that be through self-care, support from friends and family, or studying.
