COLUMN: Away with final exams
Everybody loves an early Christmas present. Besides, of course, the classic regift from CMU.
What's better than unwrapping a Blue Book and riffling through that fat stack of stapled papers teachers pass out during exam week?
Don't forget that bubbly Scantron designed to overwhelm minds before the test even starts. Cap it all off with uncomfortable seating and nerve wracking time restrictions, and you get one hell of a going away party.
I understand nobody likes tampering with tradition, but there must be a better way to celebrate the end of the semester.
We all come to CMU with the smell of a fresh start in the air. The weather is still beautiful and spirits are at their highest. New friends and new opportunities wait around every corner.
Why should we let a beautiful semester culminate in a blustery week of stressful, often useless final exams?
Nixing exam week could solve all of CMU's problems.
First, student enrollment has been slipping and the university has been struggling to stop the trend. Let's get rid of exam week and watch cheery-eyed transfers and freshmen flow through the door. I cannot imagine how many students would be excited to attend a college that has finally come to grips with reality:
Forcing students to regurgitate a semester's full of crammed-at-the-last-minute information does not help the learning process.
Second, abuse of study drugs like Adderall would drop significantly. Eliminating exams would promote healthy learning by acknowledging the fact that developing intelligence is more complex than the desperate struggle of temporarily retaining all the answers to previous test questions.
Third, since students would not have to worry about retaking a class because of one poor performance on a test, more of them might actually graduate on time. Hardly anybody scores a diploma according to schedule anymore. Handing out more four-year degrees after only four years would be a move in the right direction.
And here’s a bonus – campus sees an influx of smokers coping with stress during exam week. So, let’s get a head start on the approaching smoking ban by taking away the trigger.
So what do you say, CMU? Do away with final exams, and make it a special holiday for the entire student body.
'Tis the season of giving. All I am asking for is some peace of mind.
