As I have now completed half of my degree and dragged myself through half of the exam periods I will need to face, I have come to realise that Newcastle University’s exam system is somewhat flawed, with two issues bringing themselves to light.
Would it not be massively beneficial to student mental health to hold exams before we go home for Christmas break?
The first of these is that exams happen after Christmas break, rather than before. I have asked around some friends at other Universities around the world and found that Newcastle is one of the only schools to hold exams after Christmas. Would it not be massively beneficial to student mental health to hold exams before we go home for Christmas break, allowing us to properly relax at home for the weeks we are off?
I had to work while I was home for Christmas and found myself swamped with a nine-to-five, family commitments, and three essays, leaving very little time for me to actually take time to enjoy my holiday. The majority of my friends, on the other hand, returned home from the first semester with finals submitted, exam papers signed and sealed, and looking forward to the prospect of spending a few weeks doing absolutely nothing while I found myself slaving at a minimum wage job and spending my free time in a local library.
In addition, I am lucky enough to be on a degree which doesn’t require sitting exams, but I cannot imagine having to take a final exam five weeks after my most recent lecture. In what world is that fair? Surely it would be better for just about everyone involved to hold exams before Christmas.
The second issue that came to light is one which admittedly arose from my own idiocy. I made the massively embarrassing mistake of submitting the wrong file for one of my final essays, and received the resultant zero, no questions asked, no ifs, ands, or buts.
While I take full responsibility for this humiliating mistake, the fact that there is no room for apologies or redemption felt somewhat unfair. I had still done the work, and I felt that despite not turning it in, I should have the opportunity to correct this mistake and receive the marks for the work I did, even if it meant taking a points penalty for the late submission.
Regardless, there is plenty of room for improvement in Newcastle University’s exam process, which I believe could have a positive impact on student mental health and study habits. Exams are a notoriously unpleasant experience, but does it really have to be so miserable?
