Ah, finals. That inexplicable time of year where you are suddenly expacted to have full command of an entire semester of information without the benefit of notes. I mean, come on, what is this exactly preparing us for? In the Real World, if I need to know the german word for "windshield wipers" (die Scheibenwischer, if you really want to know), I will look it up. I realize that this is supposed to make us remember more fully later on, but the fact is that most of what I memorize for finals is short-term stuff that's gone relatively quickly. I think that the few things that I retain that I wouldn't remember five years from now otherwise are far outweighed by the stress that finals places on me. Blah...