As we all know, the semester is ending, and finals are slowly approaching. For some students, this is their penultimate finals week before graduating and for others, this is the first. As students mature over their high school careers, thoughts on finals can change. It obviously depends on the individual, but freshman can have a very different mindset than seniors.

Teachers’ perspective on this subject can be insightful since they have had experience with both grades. “I don’t know that I notice a difference, but I think seniors have a better understanding of how to prepare. I see different levels of stress regardless of age group,” English teacher, Dane Sandstrom said. 

“This is their first finals week, so they don’t really know what to expect. I think a lot of times freshman don’t know how to prepare. A big difference I see between the two grades is a lot less stress and less preparation for freshman,” Spanish teacher, Tierney Barney said.

Freshmen seem to have a few different mindsets when it comes to finals. One of them being overly stressed and anxious of what to expect and another one being overly chill and not caring. Along with everything in between. “I’m feeling pretty confident about finals, I know it’s going to be hard though. I’ll probably get some help from some upperclassmen friends about how to go about studying and such. Overall, I’m feeling pretty good,” Freshman, Maddy Figler said.  

Finals are obviously a stressful time for all of us because of the various high stakes tests we must complete while balancing extracurricular activities or jobs that can make studying difficult. No matter what grade you are in or how many finals you’ve had, it is always nice to have some good advice to look back on. “I would recommend not waiting till the night before to start studying. Start studying for your finals a week in advance so you don’t get so stressed. Also get sleep the night before. If you stay up late studying, it is not going to help you. Being well rested is very important. Work hard but don’t stress too much. It is one test and although you need to study and prepare, do not let the stress get to you. Just try your best,” Senior, Eleanor Johnson.  

Even though it can be hard to listen to teachers sometimes, they have good advice and information that is worth listening to. “Don’t worry. You’ll get through it. It’ll suck and it’ll be hard, but you will get through it, and you will learn how well you get through adversity,” Sandstrom said.

“Prepare ahead of time. Don’t leave anything to the last minute. The more you prepare, the better you do,” Barney said.