Colleges Try to Take the Stress Out of Finals

is getting your work done----and timely.

Muser of NM 3:36PM December 18, 2009

During finals week, most students badly need to use their time reviewing the term's courses to try to firm up some of the material they were supposed to have learned but are really fuzzy on because of all the attractive distractions during the term.

To distract them even more is counter-productive and simply takes time away from study time.

This is just another piece of the big picture of our deteriorated educational system that stresses "self-esteem" and having fun instead of preparing students for the real world. Instead of teaching them that a little effort and serious attention is required to survive and succeed in the real world, they are being misled into believing that as soon as things get serious, chuck it all and go have fun somewhere.

Sixty years ago, in a student body of 5000, no more than 2 or 3 received straight A's, or a 4.0 GPA. Today, half the students get 4.0 GPA, some of whom are doing obviously failing work. Grades are no longer a measure of how much a student is benefiting from his/her college experience. If the school encourages the students to play during final week, and fail the tests, they will still be given the same grades as if they had studied enough and prepared properly. It's only the students' education that suffers, so what difference does it make to the school?

None, obviously. Except they attract more paying students because they have a reputation for being a lot more fun.

Articles like this one that praise these tactics as if they're beneficial should instead be deploring them.

Chuck of OR 1:55PM December 18, 2009