By Liz Twentyman (Jan. 24, 2002)

"It’s probably the first year that I have taken exams seriously, because these are the grades that colleges will look at. I’m studying more than I ever have before," said senior Galen Messing. George Mason’s students all view exam week in different lights. Some, like Galen, see it as a time when they need to study and do well. Others don’t take it as seriously. Sophomore Ben Welsh said, "Some exams I don’t study for at all. Others, I study my butt off for. It depends on how challenging the course is." Senior Michael Cashman agreed, saying, "I only take exams seriously if I know they’ll be hard." Senior Jon Tonkowich gave a different reason for not studying as much as he might like – "I’m trying to study seriously, but I have no energy to study. These exams should mean the most to us, but they are at a time when we’re burned out from applying to colleges."

Exam week isn’t just full of studying – it has its own perks. Sophomore Stephen Twentyman said, "I like being able to go off campus between exams, and getting out of school early." During exam week, Starbucks and McDonald’s are both packed during the half-hour break between exams. Many students go out and eat with their friends after exams are over for the day, clearing their mind for the studying to come later that afternoon. 

Exam week first started in the mid-eighties. George Mason’s alumni had reported to the school that they weren’t well-prepared for longer college exams, and the school administration decided to begin exams for all high school classes to better prepare students. Science teacher Dr. Heupel sees another benefit from taking the longer exams – preparation for the IB exams in May. "For my IB classes, I set my exam up like an IB exam. Students can get an idea of what it’s like to do that much writing in that amount of time."

While many students dread what the exam, worth 20% of their semester grades, might do to their grades, Dr. Heupel sees the exam as a positive opportunity. "It’s the last opportunity for students who are struggling to put everything together. The twenty percent can help their grade if they do really well on it." 

Once exam week is over, the students get a long weekend to recuperate while their teachers have a work day to grade all those exams. Then, a week later, the students get to enjoy "Rebound Week" as they energize for the second half of the academic year.