Feeling the anxiety in Alumni Hall while everyone waits to be let into the Field House for their exam is unmatched. Add the monotone speaker saying god-knows-what once you’re inside and looking around at the other hundreds of students putting their ID on their desk… It’s exam time, baby.
Read some anonymous students’ exam horror stories and remember we’ve all gone through it, so you’re gonna get through it, too!
SPROTT Problems
“I was so hungover I puked during an accounting exam.”
~Class of 2021
I’m gonna go ahead and say this person was a business major and I’m extremely proud of how on brand this is.
Exam On The Run
“I had an exam in the Field House in second year that was scheduled from 7pm-10pm. When it was 7pm and exams were supposed to be given out, ours weren’t. We all realized our professor and our exams weren’t there. Two hours later at 9pm, our professor runs in with our exams. He told us to only complete half the exam by 10:30pm and that was it.”
~Class of 2022
What a tease tbh… that’s like showing up two hours late for a date, you just don’t do that.
Time Warp
“I got to campus at 8am for my exam at 7pm. All day, I felt like I was forgetting something and it turns out my exam was at 9am. Thankfully, they let me defer it.”
~Class of 2021
No way… admin actually helped you?
Substance Abuse
“I brought a water bottle to an exam in the Field House and the moderator kept thinking there was alcohol in it and wouldn’t let me drink it. During a three hour exam.”
~Class of 2021
As Olivia Rodrigo said in all her teen angst glory, “God, it’s brutal out here.”
MIA Prof
“One of my professors is known on the popular website Rate My Prof to have terrible reviews. This prof never checked his emails, only sent three emails in an entire semester, and had all the problems sent to his TA, rarely engaging with students, ever. Due to COVID-19 protocols, I left campus residence and went home to my small town with terrible internet –– we’re talking slower than dial-up. I reached out to exam services and requested an extra hour on the exam, for more fair conditions to access the materials I needed during the exam. No one, not even exam services could get ahold of my prof before this exam.
~Class of 2024
Might just have to do an entire confessional on online learning. RIP.
Multiple Choice Fiasco
“Physics was literally a free-for-all. I have never been so underprepared for a final in my life, I got enough questions right to pass, and then guessed more than half the exam. Thank god it was multiple choice.”
~Hell if I knew
At least you had a one in five chance.
She Wears Short Skirts, I Wear T-Shirts
“I wrote exam notes all up my arm and then wore a t-shirt to my exam… just crossed my arms and never got caught, but my anxiety was really bad. I’m still traumatized.”
~Class of 2022
Brave… that’s what you are.
Moral of these stories: Don’t go out the night before your exam, double-check the time of your exam, only bring opaque water bottles, know you have a one in five chance in multiple choice and never count on your professor.
Thanks to everyone who submitted their stories and best of luck to everyone writing exams! Hopefully you won’t have a horror story to tell after this exam season.
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XOXO,
-CC
Confessions have been edited for privacy, length and/or clarity.