It’s May of your senior year and finals are around the corner. The sun is shining bright on a warm spring day and you’re sitting in your classes thinking about how these are your last finals of high school and you catch yourself wondering if school is going to be a lot harder come next spring when it’s finals time again. 

College is full of new experiences, but how do finals differ in college from high school? 

After high school, according to BestColleges.com, about 62 percent of students as of 2022 enroll in colleges ready to start the next chapter of their lives. School becomes bigger, new friendships form, and classes get harder. Depending on the institution, finals can be extremely difficult. 

After interviewing college students, the Triton Voice found that, when taking a college final, many wish they were just back in high school when tests were not as hard. College athletes have to balance going away for the ending tournaments of their seasons while still trying to find that balance between sports and school. This can be difficult and can impact final grades tremendously. Some students take the chance to study abroad and many experience how finals work in a whole different country. 

“In high school, I was always good at science and math and passed the finals easily. Getting into my junior year of Saint Anselm College, I had to do triple the work”, said Triton Alum Chris McIsaac. “I definitely think college is harder”.

“Balancing lacrosse and school work is definitely difficult. High school was easier balancing them but in college there’s a lot more responsibility making it harder,” said Jared Leonard, who graduated from Triton in 2022 and plays lacrosse at St. Anselm.

Sometimes it’s hard to balance school, extracurricular activities, and new experiences, but it’s important to make sure you still are prepared for finals. 

“In college you are open to a lot more experiences, this semester I got the chance to study abroad in France and trying to do school work and learn while being in a whole other country was really hard and different. In high school it’s easier because you’re actually in those classes but sometimes that’s not how it is in college,” said Triton alum Liv Bateman, also a St. Anselm student.