The second semester’s finals season is essentially a time on campus where anything goes. And this sentiment used to just apply to students — chugging energy drinks and working into absurd hours of the morning. 

Recently, I have noticed an uptick in professors assigning multiple final grades. Often finals are a paper or a two-hour in person final test, not both. But having two finals and even more is being entirely normalized. 

For example, one of my gen-eds two semesters ago had us write a final research paper applying the research to our own lives, present it to the class, and take an open-note online test. They were all considered a part of the final grade for my gen-ed elective, which was not a part of my major. 

It seemed that everything the professor could have us do for a final, they did. I was fully expecting this professor to also tell us we had to compete in a Hallmark movie charity bake-off for a participation grade. 

I really cannot explain this phenomenon of having multiple finals for one class. I find it absurd. Especially for an under 300 level class. If I were a professor, I would probably assign a paper or a final exam, and a class reflection, to see how I could improve or what students liked best. 

This time of year, the week before finals is what I like to call the “stealthy” finals week. Everything is imploding, and everything is ending. Classes are slipping in the last assignments, quizzes, and readings, all while prepping you for next week’s two hour exams. 

Clubs are doing their last hurrahs, celebrating seniors, and running operations with new E-Boards. Friends are saying their goodbyes before summertime. It’s like the exact opposite of syllabus week. It’s chaos, but it’s beautiful in a way. 

All of this makes me question what I consider finals season anyway. Is it the four days I have finals? Does it include the weeks leading up to it, where I’m adding extra hours to my study sessions? Does that essentially make it start after midterms? Midterms tend to feel like the whole month of March anyway. All this considered, I am not exactly sure. 

I do know that when I have four final assignments for a single class, it tends to make finals feel a lot longer. Luckily, this semester, I really don’t have anything like that. At most, I have two finals for a class. 

But it all feels to come to such an abrupt ending, even though the weather as of late feels like I’m back in sweatshirt season, worried about midterms. My textbook rental is due back on May 8. My commuter parking permit is invalid around the same time. The whole end of the semester seems in a large rush to get students off-campus as fast as possible. As a result, the Rowan campus will likely be entirely deserted by the time graduation rolls around.