Editor’s Note: PGM staff members decide on the topic of a Staff Ed together. The staff as a whole provides opinions and content included in this Staff Ed to provide thoughts about and shed light on solutions for happenings at Pepperdine.
Shhhh. Do you feel that? The dark cloud looming above? The chill in the air, the shiver down your spine? Ah yes, there it is, a monster we students know all too well. Finals season is fast approaching friends –– brace yourselves.
As students prepare for battle, they are reminded that, while it may for a brief moment feel like their worlds might end, it never does. Students get through it –– every time. They persevere and come out on the other side better for it, finding relief in the knowledge that it’s over, and they have successfully ticked another semester off that four-year plan.
But, how great would it be if that one week did not feel so dire; if students were given the gift of time? Perhaps even a week before finals to study and get adequate sleep? The addition of a Pepperdine dead week could be the answer.
Multiple universities participate in what is called a dead week: the week before finals, when classes are either optional or nonexistent, there is no lecturing on new content and students are allowed to catch up and properly prepare for the following week’s examinations.
Every year students experience a lot of added stress because they simply do not have the time to pack. They have classes the week before finals, and during that time they don’t have class, they will be studying for their finals.
With a dead week, students would be able to divide their time proportionally between packing and studying. When they are studying, they won’t have to think about when they will be able to pack. And when they are packing, they won’t have to worry about when they will have the time to study.
Along with the alleviated stress a dead week would give Seaver students, new content should not even be taught the week before finals. If the professor is making the final cumulative, they should plan their lessons accordingly to ensure students are given a fair amount of time to learn and study new material.
It is simply unfair to expect students to learn and fully comprehend new concepts just a few days before a final.
Those opposed to a dead week might argue it would give some students the loophole to simply slack off and enjoy a “vacation” before finals. They’re right. And that might not be such a bad thing.
Students do so much as college students, it’s inspiring. They keep this campus afloat. So, if you would prefer to spend a dead week simply rejuvenating your mental health, we encourage that. If you would spend that week overnight in the library, we encourage that as well. Whatever brings you peace and preparation before finals should be emphasized.
Professors should still hold office hours for those wanting extra study materials. It would be beneficial for students to still have access to their professors as they would if classes were being held.
Some professors create their own dead week with optional class periods and no new content. However, it would be more helpful to have dead week officially acknowledged on a university-wide scale.
But, unfortunately, students are not given a dead week for the finals season to come, so time to clock in at the lock-in factory and get that work done.
During finals week, seniors study for the last college exams, move out, welcome visiting family and participate in senior activities all while mentally and emotionally preparing for graduation. A dead week would allow them to spread those things out, properly study for exams and say goodbye to college.
For seniors, the week of finals does not just mean the end of classes but also the end of an era –– an era that should be treasured. They should have the opportunity to soak up every last minute without the stress of cramming in time to reminisce at Ralphs Beach in between study sessions.
Students have worked so hard this semester, go show off everything you have learned. You can do it!
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