When It All Became Too Much

We’ve all had those days when it seems like everything is due all at once and that the work is piling on so high almost out of nowhere. For the First Years, this happened over the week of Monday the 24th of March. It caused a lot of stress as English essays, African Studies group projects and Entrepreneurial Leadership presentations were all due.
It seemed to a lot of the first years that after so much time without any big assignments, suddenly, there were three awaiting each other on consecutive days. Students were rushing around, missing sports to meet with their groups, staying up late to finish outlines and spending their preps with the people they were stuck with for a good two weeks prior to the deadlines.
Second years could only watch and sympathize knowing very well that they too had experienced similar feats with their college applications, mock examinations and general assignments.
Students often complained that it seemed as if the teachers were not using their “group timetables” effectively as there was still an overlap of deadlines. It even went as far as a petition being written out asking for an African Studies extension (to no avail might I add).
Despite the many efforts of the students to push their work further into the future, the deadlines came and went. They were all met regardless of the complaint made by the student body and this only proves the teachers never set impossible tasks but rather leave us with very challenging ones. Many can look with hindsight and say that the week does not seem as bad as it did in the moment.
E-Fest went well and paid off for a lot of us and I am sure that there is a moral lesson there for everyone. Perhaps it teaches us that procrastination really is the root of all evil. Perhaps the deadlines only seemed so dreadful because some of us had decided to leave assignments to the last minute. No matter what the reason behind the stress is, it is important for all students to remember to stay positive and think about the relief felt once the long days pass.
A sense of fulfillment should fill all those of us who did not decide to pull out their hair or jump out of the Finance Department window when Mr. Antony wasn’t looking. Congratulations are in order for the successes that were achieved that week rather than the failure to get the petition implemented. Well done First Years – you successfully completed your first deadline-filled week at African Leadership Academy. Something tells me that it definitely will not be the last…