Why Seniors Shouldn’t Have Finals 

As the school year is ending, it is safe to say most seniors are officially checked out. After two weeks filled with AP testing and college decision-making, there’s a lot on everyone’s plates. With all of this in mind, it is in everyone’s best interest that teachers aren’t allowed to give their seniors end-of-year finals.

Finals, in general, have become an outdated practice. They add unnecessary pressure on students to maintain the grade they have worked for all year. At this point, finals are put in place to have something that gets students to try to retain all of the information for the entire year. However, it ends up forcing students to take a week teaching everything to themselves all over again. 

Then we get to seniors. Speaking as a senior myself, most of the grade is completely burnt out at this point of the year. Virtually everyone I know is not motivated to study for finals, and because of this, it will inevitably be a hit to everyone’s grades. In my opinion, the last week of school should be a time for reflection on the final moments with the people you have spent the last four years with and, with this, not a time for stressing over grades. 

So what’s the solution?

Currently, teachers and departments decide what classes get finals. I believe that teachers should not be able to have the option to give their senior students tests or projects that have such an impact on their grades. If teachers believe it is necessary to have a test on the final day of school, then it should be weighted the same as every other test that year. 

Finals are not keeping seniors engaged. It is just adding stress to a time that is already incredibly stressful. We are down to the last two weeks of school. After these two weeks, our senior class will never be in the same building together again. This is not a time for seniors to be worried about their finals.