How OHSers' are Dealing with Finals Week

Winter is a wonderful season. It’s the season of snow, (at least for some of the Northern Hemisphere), winter holiday fun, and so much more!

Alas, the winter festivities are for another article. Today, we are here to talk about cold hard numbers, more specifically, numbers about finals as it is also a part of the winter season. Stanford OHS has officially scheduled a week-long process of exams lasting from December 11th to 15th. Meanwhile, the week prior will be dedicated to studying with no classes.

The month of December will be a month of OHSers frantically preparing and studying. Or does it?

To answer this question, a survey was posted in the Pronto Bulletin. In total, the survey received 27 responses. The survey included multiple-choice, self-assessments, and short-answer questions. 81.5% of surveyors were full-time,7.4% were part-time, while the other 11.1% were single-course.

Out of these students, 48.1% are taking five OHS finals. 14.8% are taking one OHS final (lucky them!). 11.1% of students are taking four OHS finals. Another 11.1% of students are taking two OHS finals and 7.4% are taking three OHS finals. How many finals are the last 7.4% taking? Six OHS finals.

But of course we can’t forget about finals that are outside of OHS. 22.2% of students report that they have classes with finals outside of OHS (even a full-time student!). The amount of these finals range from one to even eight exams!

In regards to what courses OHSers have finals for, there is a wide spread from Multivariable Calculus to Fundamentals of Expository Writing to Latin. One OHSer just even wrote the encompassing description of “all” when they answered this question. Hopefully they were being sarcastic as that is a load I am sure no one would take willingly. But in all seriousness, finals can feel overwhelming. The academic rigor of Stanford OHS’s coursework alone can be difficult—special, but difficult.

70.4% of students reported they have a project to complete as one of their finals while 74.1% of students report they have an essay to complete. Interestingly enough, both of these assessments actually stretch beyond the scheduled week of finals. A multiple-choice format test comes in third place with 66.7% of students saying they have to take one. 29.6% of students have a Written exam which contrast from the essays. 22.2% of OHSers have to complete an oral exam or presentation as a final and 11.1% of students have a lab experiment due as their final.

These are some overwhelming numbers, especially considering that most of these surveyors are doing more than one OHS final. 70.3% of students have at least a multiple-choice exam, project, and essay to complete for finals. No matter how you slice it, the load of preparation and testing is heavy.

Now that we have covered the who and what, next is the when. When asked when their finals are, thankfully, the majority of these OHSers knew when theirs were. 14.8% are unsure. A few students said it is because their finals have not been scheduled yet. 55.5% of students have finals on December 11th, 12th, and 13th. 33.3% have a final on December 14th and 48.1% of students have a final on the 15th. A few students have their finals the week after or before the scheduled week. It seems like December will be an extra busy month for all of Stanford OHS.

So how are these students preparing? Flashcards? Standing on their head upside down while watching review videos? 

Well, in sum, OHSers are “studying crazy hard.” More specifically some are writing down everything they know, quizzing themselves with practice problems, and rewatching recordings and class slides. Others are reviewing their notes along with previous assignments and exams. Starting early on projects and essays is also a trend among the students that were surveyed.One student details how “in terms of projects and essays, I am just getting started preparing and creating a plan for them. In terms of exams, I am making sure I review material and understand all of the concepts.” Another student breaks down their study plan by subjects like “studying all the problems I have gotten wrong (for math and science), and studying the textbook or reading. I am studying Post-Lab Questions, practice quizzes, and quizzes for science. There’s a lot to do!” Just planning how to manage finals and prepare for them is a task in itself. It is important to have some-sort of structure to guide you while you study. One student shares that they wake up at 6AM to review everything. Conversely, one OHSer simply states that will do “literally nothing. I hate studying.” One student plans on getting more sleep and using flashcards as their main modes of study. Every person is different and there is definitely more than one pathway to success on a final.

In terms of how OHSers feel about these assessments, let’s start on a relatively positive note. When asked how confident the OHSer feels about their finals, 48.1% of students reported their confidence as a 3 within the scale of 1-5. There is also the slightest left skew with 29.6% of students reporting their confidence as a four or five as opposed to the 22.2% describing their confidence as a one of two. This is definitely good news because confidence is key.

However, as finals get closer, those confidence levels tend to drop off for a myriad of reasons. Only 7.4% of students (two students!) rate their nervousness as one on a scale of 1-5. In comparison, 62.9% of students reported their nervousness as a 4 or 5. These aren’t very friendly numbers but maybe we can determine some causes of this stress and find some ways to alleviate and minimize it.

One question of the survey asks, “What makes a final difficult?” One student explains that it is “recollecting knowledge from earlier in the semester and compiling it with most recent knowledge.” Others believe it is just simply how one test counts as 20% of their grade, so much rides on their ability to succeed or rather, have an A in the class. The topics of misperceiving the test difficulty, finding unanticipated material or rather just the raw uncertainty of what is on the test can create tension for OHSers. Many students also touched on the memorization aspect, complexity of the questions, pressure of time constraints, or in some cases, as one 8th grader notes, “the intensity and length of the final. My physics exam is three hours long.” A  subject paired with 3 consecutive hours with an extra-taxing set of problems is no easy feat to complete. Another 8th grader shares that simply not falling asleep during the exam can be difficult! All of these factors accumulate to potentially cause stress and as one senior states, “psyching yourself out.”

One freshman shares that they have never taken OHS finals before, which is not uncommon as there are new students in almost every grade level every year. Having some tips directly from OHSers who have taken these finals before may help out these students. For this reason, OHSers were asked for tips that they have for someone with finals coming up. 

Many share that reviewing early, not procrastinating, having confidence, and not stressing out a lot are important. One OHSer expresses how “only the prep is your responsibility, not the result. Do what’s in your power and don’t worry about the grade. If anything, ‘be harsh on yourself while studying, not after the test.’ That being said, creating a study plan so you don’t cram at the last minute can be an effective method to balance and efficiently review. Another tip is to prioritize reviewing concepts you do not understand. Another OHSer answers, “there are no regrets in life. Only lessons.” This pairs nicely with another OHSer’s advice of staying present and believing in yourself. You can do it. One student suggested that you should motivate yourself by thinking about the long winter break after finals are done. Lastly, one OHSer contends that the key to success on finals is eating chocolate and bananas! These are some wise words. Overall, preparing for finals is about being proactive, confident, and balanced with your studying.

On the bright side, once finals are over OHSers are free to take over month-long winter break and then reading week to ease back in!

What do these OHSers plan on doing once their finals are over? Well, preparing for math competitions and science bowls of course! Students are planning on preparing for the upcoming robotics season, going on a vacation, playing in a tennis tournament, working on building an AI, playing lots of video games like Minecraft, and hanging out with friends and family. Others plan on traveling to destinations in Europe or Canada! Many OHSers are also looking forward to some of the major holidays that are just around the corner–”celebrating Christmas, eating cookies, a nice meal” one OHSer shares. Another student will “de-stress” by watching the newest season of the Great British Bake Off and play card games with their family. Some plan to not think about school while another OHSer plans on helping their siblings study for their finals very on brand for the season of giving and rest. Overall the OHSers emphasized relaxing, chilling, sleep, and destressing while having some fun activities.

But remember, although these tests can make up 20% of your grade they don’t come close to 100% representing you as a person. If you need some resources, Stanford OHS has an excellent counseling and academic advising team in addition to your already awesome instructors. They are there for you, no matter the issue. It is important to take care of yourself before, during, and after these finals. Throughout these next few months don’t forget to take a second and just chill.

With that, if you have finals, good luck! You are going to do awesome!