A Photographic Ode To Finals Weeks Of Wisconsin’s Past

For many college students, it’s finals week. Studying can, if the image above is any indication, really bring students together.

Even if you haven’t taken a test in decades, you probably still remember the feeling. It’s a time fraught with terror, from the blue books and the ticking clock to grade point averages hanging in the balance.

Students have taken exams in one form or another since the very beginning of higher education in America. Students at Harvard in the 1640s took oral exams to enter and to graduate from the school. Written tests were introduced in the 1830s as the number of enrolled students increased to the point of making oral exams nearly impossible for administrators to complete. By the late 19^th century, final exams had become accepted practice at colleges around the country, including here in Wisconsin.

As always, students have managed to mix work with fun, as evidenced by these University of Wisconsin-Madison students.

The library at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater provided a great place to study… if not the most comfortable.

These students study in class at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville in the 1920s.

Sometimes studying was a more active affair. These students hone their skills in home economics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in the 1930s.

Apparently, studying is done best with musical accompaniment, though they did ditch the mandolin. These young women study in their dorm at the Univeristy of Wisconsin – La Crosse in 1961.

Study break.

Studying also put students to sleep.

All photos courtesy of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections