my own ideas- exams in college... are they fair?

After taking my biology exam last week, I concluded that exams in college are not a good or true interpretation of the students capabilities. I had studied for numerous hours, many days prior to the date of my exam and when I went into that classroom, I felt like I had known nothing. When teachers make their course all about exams and nothing else, it is not fair to the students. Not everyone is a good test taker. In my situation, it is not that I am a bad student because I had studied for hours. It is simply that the stresses and anxiety that come along side exams in sometimes a barrier for students.


This really got me thinking because when I was applying to colleges senior year, there was so much talk about how colleges don't really look at SAT scores anymore and how students are more than just a number. Well, then why in classes do teachers view their students as just numbers? Three big exams and you either pass the course or you fail. I personally just do not find that fair.


Just as a college factors in extra circular activities and community service and thing of that such, teachers should have other factors as well. And I'm not taking take away exams, but have other opportunities for students to show their capabilities. Homework, projects, quizzes, speeches. A teacher should give opportunities for all learning types. They should want every student to succeed. 


A study done at Harvard University states that "According to a poll that Fleming took last spring in a large 600-student astronomy course, 93 percent of students said they’d prefer weekly quizzes over a couple of large midterms and a final. Seventy-eight percent reported actually learning more that way, and almost all of them — 98 percent — said they were less stressed taking short, weekly quizzes than they were taking large exams". 

I really found that interesting because the numbers speak for themselves. How, with those numbers, does America see nothing wrong with exams in colleges? It will be very interesting to see how things will change for the years to come. Will exams remain? Will they diminish? What do you think?