The Google Rule

Twice a year students are subjected to what feels like the worst two weeks of their lives. Finals are an excruciating aspect of the college experience and in my opinion a highly unnecessary one. The library this time of year is less so a temple of knowledge as it is a vacuum of humanity. As I sit here in the Milne library at Geneseo I am surrounded by the hollow shells of human beings amidst a two week stimulant binge. Every trash pale is overflowing with coffee cups and energy drinks while in the background the only sounds are made by the involuntary tapping of pencils and feet. As you navigate the library those still pining for some sense of human connection frantically glance up at you praying you are someone they know or at least an empathetic stranger willing to offer some eye contact.
What prompts such a dismal existence? The answer is the large scale memorization of unnecessary facts and definitions that must be briefly acquired before being regurgitated and forgotten forever.
The majority of these facts come straight from textbooks that in any realistic situation could easily be looked up again. It is safe to say that thanks to modern technology and the ease with which information is accessed, most college graduates will never be at a loss for a definition or fact that is not moments from their grasp. Finals week at colleges is a prime example of what William Ogburn describes as cultural lag. Technology has progressed, yet society has failed to keep up in its adaptation, thus becoming dysfunctional.

Even my mother, who works as a nurse, has an itouch application that allows her to look up any conceivable medical problem in an instant. I know that I personally would prefer medical treatment from a doctor or nurse with instant access to up to date expert opinions than someone who did a pretty good job cramming for their med school final back in the 70's.
Obviously a college education cannot be supplemented by my Blackberry Curve (or as my grandmother mistakenly refers to it, a raspberry). However, the mechanistic memorization of facts is an unrealistic waste of our time when we could be learning actual problem solving and research skills.

On behalf of present and future college students everywhere I beg professors, if a question on your final exam can be answered within the first five suggestions of a Google search result, please remove it from the final because you are wasting our time and energy drinks are expensive.