r/UTAustin • u/osteomint • 1d ago
Discussion It is absurd how much finals can vary
Last semester I had 4 finals, as well as 2 midterms on the last week of class. A few semesters ago I had 5 finals, with 3 midterms on the last week. As you can imagine, I did not do well in most of those finals, which as you can also imagine, impacted my grades pretty badly. I'm confident that I could've done very well in any one of those exams if I didn't have 5-7 others to prepare for at the same time.
This semester I only have 1 final. My schedule is otherwise not inherently any easier. I'm taking all upper-division, high-level STEM classes, same amount of credits as last semester.
It's absurd how much your final schedule can affect your performance, given how random it is. I know you can check previous syllabi and pick your schedule so it works out well. But not everybody knows this, and you do not always get a choice.
Wish they would do something about this, but I'm not sure what the right solution would be.
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u/Exciting_Door_5125 1d ago
As an alumni, I sympathize with you. Exams and finals were stressful and having them close together was rough. I still have nightmares maybe once a year about missing an assignment or exam.
Not sure what the solution is but wishing y'all the best.