Knock, knock. Who’s there? Finals. Finals when? Before or after break? 

From points on how finals ruin winter break on both sides, one can see that each side of the coin has valid arguments. However, taking a step back it’s clear that La Jolla High’s finals should not be before winter break. 

What does it really mean to have finals moved before winter break? Well, the school schedule would have to shift up about five weeks, leaving students with more material in less time, and we all know how that went last year. Alternatively, the first semester could be extended by cutting breaks (like Thanksgiving) or by starting school five weeks earlier. Realistically, moving up finals week would greatly reduce the amount of time students have to study and prepare.

Despite this, many students would prefer if finals were before winter break. Junior Artemis Calderon said, “I prefer if finals are before the break because it kind of throws you off.  You’re learning and then you have this big gap and then you have finals and it’s kind of like a scramble afterward.” On a bigger scale, students actually have about three weeks after winter break to prepare for finals, clearing more time for them to study. Though not everyone wants to, some students do choose to use winter break to study for their big finals. Junior Waee Stephens says, “Having finals after break gives more time to prepare and study. As you go up in grade, the view changes, like for freshmen, they might not have as hard tests to study for.”