January 23-25 is Finals Week for the Bellarmine Lions. This can be a time of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty regarding final grades. For seniors, it can be worse, as college decisions approach.

Seniors Julia Cholerton, Jillian Callet, and Sophia Terry are in agreement that seniors have it the hardest this finals season.

“Our grades from the first semester go out to the schools,” Terry states, elaborating on her reasoning regarding seniors having it the worst.

Many seniors applied early action to colleges. Those who didn’t face transcripts being sent to colleges from the 2023-2024 school year first semester. Even those who applied early action, may face being deferred, leading to their first semester transcripts still determining their college acceptance decisions.

Bellarmine is known to be a school known for academic excellence and significant methods to prepare students for the future. One of these unusual methods is the choice to have finals at the end of January, compared to before winter break.

Callet believes it would be more beneficial to have them in December before winter break. That way, students will not have to dread finals while on winter break.

Students and teachers alike, know there is a significant difference between being a freshman and being a senior at Bellarmine. That difference is due greatly to experience. Seniors now understand the stress that freshman and seniors alike feel approaching finals.

“Don’t be too stressed about it. Yes it impacts the next three years, but it’s okay to not be so overwhelmed,” Terry states, reflecting back on her finals experience as a freshman.

It can be stressful to face high school finals for the first time, but the truth is, grades do not define someone and they do not take away someone’s worth.

Seniors have been through finals at least 6 times now and have found strategies that have greatly benefited them.

”Testing is better than repetition,” Cholerton states. Practice tests and quizzes can be incredibly helpful to students looking to remember new information.

Callet, Cholerton, and Terry all greatly believe in the power of Quizlet as well.
Callet believes the key to relieving test stress is to “learn how to study.” For this, Quizlet may be the way to go.

Finals can be stressful, but Bellarmine offers Office Hours, Apps, and review packets to help really know the information you are studying. Regardless of class, take this information to heart and know that worth is not determined by scores.