2008 Woodie Awards
The Vicious Bates Workload Cycle
Jamie Cragnoline
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Forum
Camp Bates is over. The summer is winding down. The leisurely, sunny days of September now lie in our distant memory. We can no longer spend all day playing Frisbee and slack-lining on the Quad. No more will we wearily slump into bed at 8 p.m. after a long day of waterskiing on Taylor Pond or sunbathing at Popham. Some have been slaving away with their schoolwork since day one, but for those of us who have been avoiding it until now, time is up. We can no longer ignore the fact that we are at college and that we sort of have to do work.
It becomes evident rather quickly that Bates sticks to a pretty strict cyclical schedule, and we are currently coming out of the first hump. September commences with a slap in the face, waking us up and reminding us that we signed up for a competitive liberal arts school. The month then proceeds with wavering amounts of work, keeping us on our toes but not quite dragging us under yet. With the arrival of October, as sure as the changing leaves comes the first avalanche of schoolwork. It is common knowledge that all of our professors meet in an underground bunker, conspiring to ensure that due dates for papers and exam dates coincide perfectly in all of our classes, so the fact that all of our work lands on the same days should come as no surprise.
After the popular midterm period of early October (which is not actually midway through the term, may I point out), we are given a brief period of time to come up for air before we are slammed again before leaving for October break. October break is actually sandwiched between two slamming sessions so that we cannot truly relax over the break, anticipating all the while what to expect when we return to school.
Assignments snowball over October and into November. If you think October break is a teaser, it is nothing compared to Thanksgiving break. Bates sells this vacation as a full week for gorging and leisure, but it is actually only a period of dread before the bedlam that is the last two weeks of the semester. These consist of the final week of classes and exam week, punctuated by our one day "reading period" (a concept so preposterous that I won't get into it now). Basically, these two weeks spell late nights (all-nighters for those not faint of heart), junk food binging, deterioration of all work ethic and moral principles, and consequently, death.
It becomes evident rather quickly that Bates sticks to a pretty strict cyclical schedule, and we are currently coming out of the first hump. September commences with a slap in the face, waking us up and reminding us that we signed up for a competitive liberal arts school. The month then proceeds with wavering amounts of work, keeping us on our toes but not quite dragging us under yet. With the arrival of October, as sure as the changing leaves comes the first avalanche of schoolwork. It is common knowledge that all of our professors meet in an underground bunker, conspiring to ensure that due dates for papers and exam dates coincide perfectly in all of our classes, so the fact that all of our work lands on the same days should come as no surprise.
After the popular midterm period of early October (which is not actually midway through the term, may I point out), we are given a brief period of time to come up for air before we are slammed again before leaving for October break. October break is actually sandwiched between two slamming sessions so that we cannot truly relax over the break, anticipating all the while what to expect when we return to school.
Assignments snowball over October and into November. If you think October break is a teaser, it is nothing compared to Thanksgiving break. Bates sells this vacation as a full week for gorging and leisure, but it is actually only a period of dread before the bedlam that is the last two weeks of the semester. These consist of the final week of classes and exam week, punctuated by our one day "reading period" (a concept so preposterous that I won't get into it now). Basically, these two weeks spell late nights (all-nighters for those not faint of heart), junk food binging, deterioration of all work ethic and moral principles, and consequently, death.
Be the first to comment on this story