The most dreaded time of the year is just around the corner — for college students, anyway. Finals week (which I’ve heard students refer to as seven days of complete and utter chaos) begins at the University of Minnesota in just a little more than a week. 

 

While Christmas Eve comes only one day after this year’s finals are over, the stress brought on by projects and exams overshadows the excitement over the coming holiday. 

 

There is usually ample time for students to get home before Christmas, but this year is an exception. Some courses have finals as late as 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 23 — only a day before Christmas Eve. This means some students won’t be able to travel home until Christmas Eve or just slightly earlier. For students who live out of state, this just isn’t enough time to get home and settle down before the holiday. 

 

My roommate has had to deal with this problem. She’s an out-of-state student, and she has her last final on Dec. 23. She lives nearly six hours away, and her parents are

coming to pick her up upon the completion of her last exam. By the time they get everything packed up and ready to go, they probably won’t reach home until early morning of Christmas Eve. 

 

This seems unfair to students, especially for those who live out of state. I understand that finals week falls late this year because Labor Day was late, too — but if this happens in future years, perhaps the University could opt to begin school a few days prior to Labor Day in order to prevent any problems from arising. 

 

This solution would prevent students from having to travel home on an important holiday, making the trip much less stressful for both students and their families alike.