The month of November starts one of my favorite times of the year – the holiday season. But as the weather turns cold and buildings everywhere start getting adorned with holiday decorations, a not-so-fun time of year starts at colleges all across the country. I call it crunch time.
It’s, once again, time for midterms. Teachers are all assigning big papers or projects that, by some unfair coincidence, all end up being due around the same time. Finals are creeping closer and closer. And, most importantly, this month is a wake-up call, reminding all students that they only have about a month and a half to kick it into high gear and get their grades up. Uh-oh.
It’s no wonder that this time of year is one of the most stressful for college students. In addition to all the stress of exams and deadlines, this is the time of year when most students are also getting sick, causing us to miss school and important deadlines. And I can’t say that the swine flu epidemic here at CSU Sacramento has been helping the matter much.
I, myself, got infected with the H1N1 virus a few weeks ago. This flu kept me home from school for two weeks after I was diagnosed. This put me behind again in all my classes, after I already got behind in my classes in early October due to missing two weeks of school to recover from a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. This time, I missed two exams, one paper deadline, and multiple assignments.
While some professors are understanding when it comes to illness and personal problems, other professors could care less for what reason you miss an exam or a term paper deadline. One of my professor states in the syllabus that, unless you made other arrangements with him beforehand, you can make up a missed exam only if you have a letter of incarceration or hospitalization. However, he did not respond to either of the e-mails I sent him before the exam, explaining that I was sick, and to try and make other arrangements. How helpful. Another professor of mine has similar requirements, adding that if you don’t meet them, to either drop the class or take the zero on the exam. So, should I have come to school then and infected all my classmates with swine flu?
It’s disappointing that many professors are so unwilling to cooperate with students and help them get back on their feet when the student is getting behind and needs help. Instead of helping, they’d rather the student fail the class. How does that help students learn? And don’t professors know that this seriously adds to students’ stress? I find that I am much more successful and less stressed in classes where I can have an open communication with the professor about anything. Students are more likely to learn and do well if they feel the professor is helpful and actually cares.
Despite the high-stress during this time of the semester, there is a silver lining. The truth is, six weeks is a substantial amount of time, and it’s usually enough time to get grades up. The comfort of that knowledge is enough to get most students through these last six weeks of the semester. Or maybe it’s just the comfort of knowing that after finals, we have five long weeks of winter vacation before the start of the spring semester.
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I loved this column! I totally can relate. I had swine flu in early October, and missed a week, including two tests. My professors were understanding, though. Yeah, though, I feel your pain. Swine flu can suck it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Boston truly is an awesome city. There's something magical in the air, I swear it. At least, there is if you're not there during the winter. :)
But yes, good column. And yes, winter break is awesome.
Nicely done column. It flows well, the arguments are good and there is just a nice touch of outrage/disappointment.
ReplyDeleteGood ending, too, hopeful.
Good job, even without tonsils.