Finals Week
I’m in finals week. Deep in finals week. Finals week of summer term. It sucks.
Not that finals week at any time doesn’t suck, it’s a madhouse with students struggling to remember everything they’ve learned, teachers struggling to get in that last lecture before the test, everything feels like chaos.
This summer I decided to take two classes. I took two classes last summer as well but it seemed more manageable then. I took a children’s literature class as well as statistics. Stats was rough with a ton of work and tests every week but it was made bearable by getting to read cute children’s stories every week in a class that was a very easy A.
Our regular school year is semester-based. So we spend 18 weeks in classes in the fall, have 4-5 weeks off for break, then get back at it for 18 weeks in the spring. It’s ridiculous and I hate being in one class for that extended period of time.
I came from a quarter system in Oregon where our classes were 12 weeks long. This was perfect because right about the time you’re getting over whatever subject you’re learning about (for me this tends to happen about 6-8 weeks in) you’re already over half way through the term and it’s easy to turn around and say, “well I’ve made it this far I guess I can keep going.”
All that aside, summer term is 6 weeks. It’s intense and fast-paced and not for the faint of heart. Because we are on an 18 week schedule, taking a 6-week class means learning the same amount of material taught in 3 weeks in only 1.
It can be a lot.
For whatever reason, this year I took Spanish and History over this summer.
At the start of both classes was a notice: This class is comparable to a full time job. We recommend you do not take this class if you are taking other classes or working more than 20 hours a week.
I said screw it.
Previously, I was a full-time student (16 credits/term) while also working full-time (40 hours/week). So I really thought it wouldn’t be a problem. And if it was, hey, it’s only six weeks.
It’s been more insane than I would have previously thought.
Monday-Thursday I have a three and a half hour Spanish class that begins at 8 o’clock in the mañana. After that I spend 4-5 hours on my Spanish homework. The next 4-5 hours are spent on History homework. Considering the time it takes to prep food, work out, and short breaks scattered throughout the day, I was working 8 a.m. until 12 midnight 4/7 days of the week.
On Fridays, when I wasn’t scheduled to attend a class, my work time was reduced to the 8-10 hours of daily homework.
It should be noted, however, that this was my schedule because I did not do any school work on the weekends. I made sure all my work for the week was turned in Friday by midnight so that I could spend the weekend with my hubby.
But now it’s finals week.
For my history class I have 4 lectures and 3 textbook chapters to go over, a quiz, a discussion post, and a final to take by Friday.
For my Spanish class I, luckily, only have a 2-part final (multiple choice + written portion) and an oral exam.
I am way more stressed out about my Spanish class than about prepping for any of the work in my History class.
But I know I’ll get through it because I’ve made it this far.
Plus, I’m treating myself to an online shopping spree when I finish my classes.
