By AnnaGrace Hale | Sports Writer
With Thanksgiving break over, the year is wrapping up fast. Everyone is anticipating finals — the ominous dark cloud that looms over the end of the semester. As students with busy schedules and a lack of sleep, we should not worry about finals on the weekend. That’s why Saturday finals should be forbidden.
Looking at the finals schedule, Baylor has blocked off five days to administer tests, starting Dec. 9. The exam days are Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We have a study day on Dec. 8 following the last day of classes on Dec. 7.
The week of Dec. 5 is always a whirlwind. The last few tests are being given, organizations are having end-of-year events and it’s the holiday season. Why add a damper on the weekend?
Weekends are meant for relaxation and decompression.
After stressful weeks of school — and life in general — many people take the weekends to recover. Saturday finals leave no room to recuperate. Each student has Sunday, and that’s it. And if we are being honest, Sunday is used to prepare for Monday.
Taking breaks on Saturday is vital. Some people take breaks from schoolwork on this day. I think that’s wise. Rest is necessary for your well-being, health and concentration. College students need it, especially to do well on finals.
Additionally, if students are accustomed to taking Saturday as a rest day, each person has to adjust their study schedule around a Saturday exam. It is just not a great time to change your study habits before taking some of the most important tests of the year.
Another reason, which impacts me the most, is the mental aspect. I know I have to take a test on Saturday, which is just sad. I go into the test knowing that weekends should be for having a good time with friends and relaxing, but instead I am here taking a test.
However, exams on Saturdays are not uncommon. Universities across the state, like the University of Texas and Texas Tech University, have exams on Saturdays.
Texas A&M University does not administer tests on the weekend, showing it is possible to avoid this day when making a schedule.
I think this could be an easy fix by adding more time slots on each of the assigned days. Baylor’s Saturday exam slots only hold eight exam times. Some things can be moved around to avoid this day. Also, we could add an extra day of exams either at the beginning or the end of the schedule as a replacement.
All are good options, as long as I am not walking into a classroom to take a test on Saturday.
