I just finished one of my summer exams, and honestly, it was one of the most demanding exams I’ve taken. We were given 70 minutes to write two in-depth essays on two different political philosophers. Each essay required us to answer multiple prompts, write in our own words, support our responses using the assigned readings, include APA in-text citations throughout, and finish with a properly formatted references page. On top of that, you still have to read the questions carefully, organize your thoughts, write around 1,000 words total, cite everything correctly, and proofread before submitting. When you add all of that together, 70 minutes goes by incredibly fast. It genuinely felt like I was racing the clock more than I was demonstrating my understanding of the material.
After the exam, I discovered that my OSS accommodation letters had never been requested for the summer semester. I take responsibility for that. At the same time, I do wish OSS sent a reminder before each semester begins. I remember receiving reminders during the spring semester, so having a similar reminder before the summer would have been really helpful. The first reminder I noticed wasn’t until July 16, after summer classes had already begun. Had I received a reminder before the semester started, I likely would have caught it much sooner.
This experience also reminded me why testing accommodations matter. Some students may not need extra time, and that’s completely okay. In my case, this was exactly the type of exam where extra time could have made a meaningful difference. I understood the material, but the challenge wasn’t just demonstrating that knowledge. It was demonstrating it while simultaneously writing two in-depth essays, citing sources in APA format, creating a references page, organizing my thoughts, and racing against the clock. By the end, it felt like time management had become a bigger factor than my actual understanding of the course material.
I’m sharing this in case it helps another OSS student avoid the same situation. If you’re registered with OSS, make sure your accommodation letters are requested each semester. I also hope OSS considers sending reminder emails before every term begins, since a simple reminder could prevent students from finding themselves in the same position I did.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with either a heavily timed essay exam or forgetting to request their accommodation letters for a new semester?
