It’s that time of year: Christmas lights, hot chocolate and presents. Before we can begin to enjoy all of the wonderful things the Holiday season brings, we have to go through finals, the dreaded season of the year. A large portion of the school is used to having finals, but most of the freshmen haven’t experienced this vital tests.

Students from the freshman class have described themselves as being terrified, nervous, scared and anxious, but some others have said they feel good or somewhat confident. Alyssa Anderson ‘22 said, “I’m very nervous, but feel like the teachers have prepared us pretty well.  I know some of what to expect, but am scared because I don’t want to do bad, especially since it is such a big part of our grade.”

Kiera Lyden, ‘22 said, “I feel as if my brain is going to be fried by the end of finals week.” The freshman aren’t the only ones who feel this way.

Half the school doesn’t know how they feel or are scared. Karsyn DuPlessis, ‘21 said, “I feel scared because I feel pressured to get good grades on my finals, and in my overall classes.” Even though plenty are stressed, a large portion feel fine or even awesome.

Seniors who did well enough on their SAT are able to exempt from a certain amount of finals depending on their score; despite this, AP and DC classes must be taken. Some people find this practice to be fair and others don’t.

Evelyn Larson, ‘19 said, “I think it is a fair system because it is based on the hard work students put into taking the SAT, and they are rewarded for it later.” On the other hand, Robert Schuh said, “I do not really think it is the most fair system because student who score high on their SAT are more likely to succeed on their finals then others. Thus putting more stress on those who don’t do well on standardized tests.”

Because a lot of seniors aren’t taking as many finals, they are able to focus on the few, if any, they do have. Marion Schultz, ‘19 said, “I only have to do two finals, so I’m not too stressed.”

Finals week has come fast, and there are a variety of feelings in the air. The week will be over before you know it, and everyone will officially be able to relax during the holiday season. Good luck everyone on your finals!