Midterm and finals week are the most stressful times for college students. These are the times when most projects, papers and test are due. Here are four things that college professors should do on midterm and finals week.
1. Actually put everything that is on the test in the study guide
Most professors assume that students already know what will be on it. Some actually will just tell you to study whole chapters, instead of what we need to know on the test. In other cases, there will be things on the study guide that we won't even need for the test,
2. Allowing tests and papers early
Professors that keep students until the last day possible are the worst. Most students' minds are already checked out and they're ready to go. Allowing tests earlier in the week will make it easier for students to leave and also cut down on the amount of papers they would have to grade on a Friday or Saturday.
3. Take into account that we have other classes as well
A lot of professors forget that students are taking more classes than just one and assign a ton of work for midterm and finals week. Also, it makes it even harder for students who are athletes who barely have any free time as it is. Assigning a paper and a final in the same week is brutal. It makes it harder to study for the final or midterm exam because we are focused on doing a paper. From personal experience, when both are in the same week, my grades are lower than when they are in separate weeks.
4. Finals Week: tell us when it is
Professors tend to give the same answer every single time you ask when a final is. "It's on the syllabus." It is a question they should have an answer for at any time since most of them wrote the 10+ page syllabus. Most of the time this is asked, students do not have it on them and it is in their down or thrown away after syllabus week.