Hell Week: The UK Edition

The British schooling system differs in many ways from the standard Canadian university. Courses are called "modules" and only require three hours of class time a week. Despite the limited number of required hours, a full course load can be as little as three classes per semester. Add this to the fact that the average module only requires one assignment per semester plus a final exam and you'll understand how UK students are able to spend every night at the pub. However, though the university structure in Leeds contrasts Mac in many ways, there is one thing that both universities have in common: hell week.

"Hell week", by definition, is that week right before a break in the semester. It is the five day period in which literally every course has some form of major assessment deadline. The libraries are suddenly more popular than the pubs and there is a visible decline in student sleep and hygiene. This past week I witnessed the UK Edition of Hell Week and while the libraries may have been more posh and the students better dressed, all the familiar elements were present. There were line ups for library computers, students surrounded by fortresses of books, and coffee consumption was at an all time high.

Tomorrow is the official conclusion to this horrendous period. By 4pm everyone will have submitted their papers and Easter break will have officially begun. That's the biggest difference between Canadian and British Hell Weeks, the Brits emerge from the shadows of the library into a sunny, month long break. If you're going to go through hell, it's nice to know there's a vacation of heavenly proportions waiting on the the other side.