By Jaha Knight and Madeline Swank
At the dreaded end of the nine weeks, where all-nighters become the norm, students find themselves drowning in projects, homework, tests, and quizzes that could make or break their grade for the quarter.
“I think it’s unfair the amount of work teachers put on us the last week, considering they had 8 weeks to assign everything. A lot of work they assign are filler assignments to boost grades which is unfair to students who are satisfied with their grade,” said sophomore Lauryn Robinson describing her thoughts on the end of the quarter.
We would all like to blame our teachers for the amount of work thrown at us at the end of the quarter, but every student can admit they have been a victim of procrastination or for the seniors, senioritis (yes, it’s a real thing). The important thing is to fight the urge to procrastinate so that you do not fall behind.
“As a senior the most stressful part of the year is completing your college applications and waiting for a decision, but other than that, depending on your course load, senior year is a breeze if you are on top of things!” said senior Imelda Ogango. “My advice is to do your work the day it is assigned, study with a group, and get extra help on a subject you’re not comfortable with.”
The main reason students stress about quarter grades is because they fear what colleges might think, but that’s not entirely necessary.
“I used to stress a lot about my quarter grades because I was afraid my top schools would not accept me if they saw C’s on my transcript. Colleges only see your final grade for the class,” said Shenyce Hutchins, a current Old Dominion University freshman and a Park View High School alumni.
“My advice is to not get overworked if you have a bad quarter grade because it will average out. Colleges do not just care about your academics, they look for well rounded students involved in extracurricular activities and volunteering. Colleges look at you as a person overall to see how you would fit into their school. Enjoy high school to the fullest and stress less because it’ll be gone before you know it,” Hutchins said.
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed here are some tips to make your end of the quarter as stress free as possible:
- Make a calendar to keep track of upcoming assignments/due dates.
- DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!
- Prioritize your classes! Do your most important work first.
- Take advantage of FLEX (it’s a study hall, not a social hour).
- If you’re struggling, get help as soon as possible.
- Try not to miss class.
- Relax and power through…it’s only one week of your life.
