Depending on the teacher that a student has, finals could be taken the old-school way using scantrons, it could be on a school-issued Chromebook, or some students do not have a final at all. As the final week comes to an end, seniors Lily Phan, Melissa Nguyen, and Paul Lee share their thoughts on how finals week went for them.

“I took my AP Calc and AP Biology Exam, and I had some for my Health Academy course,” said senior Lily Phan.

Each student studies for an exam differently. Now that finals are over, students discuss different ways in which they prepare for tests, and sometimes, not at all. But because of the school-issued Chromebooks, students are given the choice to take their notes digitally or on traditional paper.

“Personally, I went through notes that I took a lot. I take all my notes on my computer so they’re all on one document. For my AP Calc, she always records lessons, so I also watch those,” said senior Lily Phan. When asked about her favorite class, she replies, “I think my favorite class would be my Health Academy– Health Occupations class.”

After final exams are over, some teachers release test score results on Aeries or Google Classroom. A few students reflect on their final exams and how they could have improved. 

“If I would have got more sleep, I would have been awake in class. But I had good friends that helped me with notes. Other than that, I could have improved by putting more time and effort into trying,” said senior Melissa Nguyen.

Sleep is a major issue among high school students with exams, quizzes, and assignments to study or do work for. For many, sleeping late has become a part of their routine. Apart from a busy school schedule, many seniors dedicate their time in the afternoon to working as well. This explains the nightly hours they spend after getting out of their part-time jobs studying and submitting classwork at the last minute.

“I think I could have done better by not stressing myself out last minute. I think that took a toll on me, studying until like, 2 or 3 AM, and not getting enough rest,” said senior Lily Phan.

After finals, students reflect on their last class days with the teachers they’ve had for one or more years during high school. 

“[Mr.] Vega was a pleasure to be around, same thing with [Mr.] Chang. [Mrs.] Rivera is always [Mrs.] Rivera and I didn’t like my Odysseyware teacher, kinda mean,” said senior Paul Lee.