By Chelsy Rickard
Although no one in their right mind would wish to be an engineering student during Eng Week, when recess finally rolls around and the rest of the university has to continue studying for their A1’s, the students in other faculties suddenly all become a little jealous of them.
Their daydreams of catching up with friends or lying at home doing absolutely nothing while enjoying our moms’ food disappear. They are replaced by the nightmares of past papers, revision and, let’s be honest, endless ChatGPT searches.
So does this really count as recess? Or should it be called a “workation”?
According to Phia-ne Pool, a second-year student in the health department of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), UJ students follow a structure of continuous assessments. The health department students in particular write one or two tests every week, which means that they are constantly having to study while classes continue. All UJ students have an assessment period during class on Mondays, meaning they seldom have a weekend completely free.
On the other hand, Feanne Swart, a dentistry student from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) reported that all of her exams were after recess, which meant that she ultimately did not have much of a recess!
So, although there are some differences among universities, the majority of students are in the same boat – waving goodbye to their much needed break that they wanted to spend on Netflix, catching up on sleep, and healing from the previous term.
After speaking to a number of SU students, Die Matie gathered different opinions about the ideal exam timetable. Many agreed that they would rather write all their A1s before recess like the engineering students. Others were jealous of the BAcc students who wrote most of their A1s in the week before recess, but still had a few days to study between each test. Those who were aiming for higher grades were grateful for the extra study time that recess provided. However, they agreed that they felt fatigued by the end of A1 season, since it had been about a month and a half dedicated to intense studying while continuing to attend classes – allowing very little breathing room.
Different universities and different opinions, but it’s likely that everyone is really looking forward to their three-month December holiday!
