Does anybody else experience a heavy, chest restraining, unwavering anxiety that creeps in at the end of finals week and long overstays its welcome? I do. My shortcomings on long answer questions are all consuming, the doubt of multiple choice is constant, and I am reduced to a shell of a student who cares far too much. But when it’s past the deadline for grades to be in, I can’t help but contemplate the hypocrisy that remains unaddressed. Students are expected to strictly adhere to deadlines at all costs, which adds intense pressure to an already stressful semester. Out of necessity, then, we reheat our coffees and soldier on, battling to finish our 10-page papers — otherwise face the consequences of losing a letter grade for every day that it’s late. Is the same courtesy extended to professors when they are well past the deadline for posting our grades? Do they suffer any consequence, or do we get an additional percentage added to our final grades for each day that their marking hasn’t been done? When grades are finally posted, even though there is no recompense for my prolonged mental trauma, I’ll be free from anxiety and filled with the satisfaction of simply knowing.
Image: Mikaela Collins/The Cascade
