Finals week has a way of creeping up on everyone. One minute you’re telling yourself you still have time, and the next you’re surrounded by missing assignments, review packets, and the very real realization that your grades actually matter. And now, with tomorrow being California High School’s last day of finals, that pressure feels heavier than ever.
So for the first edition of The Condor Poll, students were asked: “What final are you most anxious for?” The answers were clear. Math and science came out on top, with Math receiving 28 votes and Science close behind with 26. English followed with 11 votes, and electives came in last with 6. Numbers aside, the responses reflected something familiar — it’s not always the class itself that scares us, but the pressure tied to it.
For Giselle Garcia, that pressure showed up in her Chemistry final. Although chemistry wasn’t the only class causing stress, the amount of material made it hard to feel fully prepared. To study, she completed the study guide and reviewed terms on Quizlet. After taking the final, Giselle admitted she felt better than expected, especially because the test format worked in her favor. Looking back, she said she would probably start studying earlier next time, giving herself more time to truly understand the content.
Math anxiety was a common theme. Juliana Sansone, who took the Honors Math Analysis final, said her biggest fear was simply doing poorly. Still, once she actually took the test, it “wasn’t as bad as I expected.” She prepared by starting early, using assigned reviews, looking over old notes, and asking for help when she needed it. Juliana ended by saying she hopes she did well — something most students can relate to as we approach the end of finals week.
Junior Scott Labry shared a similar experience with his calculus final. He described the class as his hardest, explaining that the work is detailed and challenging, but also rewarding. To prepare, Scott studied with friends both from his class and from another school, and completed the study guide. After the test, he felt confident, saying he thinks he earned an A.
Although electives received the fewest votes, they still came with their own kind of stress. JJ, a student in Advanced Theater, said she was anxious about the written portion of her final, which covered theater concepts learned years earlier. Instead of traditional studying, she relied on memory tricks, like rhyming words or remembering certain letters, to help her recall information during the test.
With only one day of finals left, what stood out most from these conversations was not just which finals students feared, but how similar everyone’s experiences were. Almost everyone walked in anxious, unsure, and overwhelmed — and many walked out realizing it wasn’t as bad as they thought. Whether through studying with friends, reviewing notes, or finding personal ways to remember information, preparation seemed to ease at least some of the stress.
Finals are stressful; there’s no way around that. But as we head into the last day, this poll is a reminder that everyone is feeling it — and that we’re almost on the other side.