Many community members see the “light at the end of the tunnel”: less than a month of school left, and even less with finals and other special days. But how are students feeling about their classes, workloads, and free time?
Many times could be offered in response to the question, “What is the busiest period of the year?” Right about now is a top choice for many.
“I think [the busiest time] is coming up. There’s been a lot of exams so far in April and May, but I feel like as we go down this stretch towards the end of the year, it gets quite stressful preparing for finals,” Fifth Former Will Bradford said.
Fourth Former Daniel Khan and Third Former Edward Cheung feel much the same. Although the week differs from student to student, a certain one in May becomes one of the busiest.
“The most stressful period was last week,” Khan said. “I had what felt like five tests plus an essay and a chemistry lab.”
“For me,” Cheung said, “these three weeks before the finals are the busiest parts of the year, where we have our last tests and papers, but they’re all squeezed so close together, which makes it hard to balance.”
“It’s good to see the end of the tunnel, where you know how many tests you have left, how many classes you have left, and that summer’s almost here.”
Jayden Thomas ’27
A large emphasis during May is studying for finals. Knowing precisely how far there is to go helps many persevere, like Fourth Former Jayden Thomas.
“There’s a lot of self-studying to come in preparation for finals,” Thomas said. “It’s good to see the end of the tunnel, where you know how many tests you have left, how many classes you have left, and that summer’s almost here.”
In order to support students’ preparation for finals, most classes move fast through remaining necessary information.
“A lot of my classes are behind in material, so these two weeks they’re really picking up,” Cheung said.
With the Sixth Form out of school on their graduation projects, Fifth Formers feel the weight of the end of the year.
“All of my exams are coupled together into one big block in one week or two, so definitely a hard workload to start the month,” Bradford said. “Other than that, I think we’re smooth sailing into finals. I’m going to spend the next few weeks studying.”
