This year, Hillsborough County school district changed the school year schedule by cutting our summer short by two weeks, allowing students to take semester exams before the break. The change was something students had to adjust to, since they no longer had the two weeks of winter break to study for exams.

Taking semester exams before winter break is new to Hillsborough County, but isn’t new to other parts of the state. Xacasia Smith (’17) attended a school in Orlando for her first three years of high school that took exams prior to winter break, so switching to Robinson with its new schedule meant no difference.

“It was easier because we knew everything,” Smith said. “We didn’t have to remember for after the break, and I like that we did it this way in Orlando.”

However, for students that had experienced taking exams after the break, they see the benefits to the change.

“The bad thing about it is that you don’t have time to study, and we did get our summer cut short because of it,” Emma Woodlock (’18) said. “But it’s better because during the break, you don’t have to study.”

As of now, the benefits seem to outweigh the cons, and teachers and students are preparing for the exams that are just around the corner. It won’t be long before we see what difference the change will actually make to our studying habits.

“Exams before break isn’t a big deal, plus you don’t have to study during your break,” Thanh Le (’19) said. “You don’t have to worry about review packets and you can actually enjoy your break.”