HELL WEEK: So it has come to this
by Dickson Lua & Arjo Mejilla

Hell Week.

Been there, done that.

At least, that’s what many college students say, particularly those who have experienced the infamous nerve-wracking week at least once in their lifetime. For those who had it easy in the past, gone are the days when long tests meant getting the chance to go out with your friends after the exam and having lots of free time; but for those who had it rough, it usually just means another round of coffee, coffee, and more coffee, with all nighters becoming the norm and sleep becoming a rare commodity during this period.

Commonly characterized by haphazard amounts of work, Hell Week is a tool that can be used by professors to either make or break a student. During Hell Week, Google and Wikipedia become everybody’s friends, as many students use them to find almost anything and everything they need for their paper. Oftentimes, students need to read and study smack dab amounts of readings and notes in preparation for the finals, where piles of paper in various heights challenge even the most dedicated reader. In addition to this, almost all the spots you can take a break in are filled with tons of people, as students try to grab a spot in Matteo Ricci or the Rizal Library.

Despite this, however, Hell Week is not as bad as it seems. There are varying degrees of difficulty during Hell Week, but most of them are fairly manageable unless you have too much going on at the same time (such as having too many commitments or extracurricular activities and the like). Believe it or not, there are ways to beat the system and make your life easier, but that doesn’t mean that you can cheat your way through it.

In line with what I have just said, I think it’s about time I actually started talking about how to get through hell week alive and in one piece. To do this, I’ll be splitting it up into three parts: denial, acceptance, and prevention. Now then, it’s time to get the ball rolling with a short sequence of what might happen during Hell Week.

Releasing the Kraken

It can start with a small jab, such as a simple two-page double-spaced paper that you have to pass on Monday. Next up to this would be a left hook, with another paper due the same day; except this time, it’s not just any paper – it’s an argumentative paper: 10 pages and 1.5 spacing if you’re lucky, with Times New Roman and Font Size 12, along with 15 different sources that you have to cite, blasted amounts of note cards, a presentation, an oral defense, and the paper itself.

Just keep fighting. Raise your fists and don't back down.

This is quickly followed by a right uppercut, as projects are now announced with you and your group mates ideally splitting up the work in an effort to lighten the load on everyone. Now, you’re done with one paper and you’re doing the note cards. But just when everything seems under control, the finisher is unleashed as the schedule for the finals is released. Your professors have just unleashed the kraken that is Hell Week, and you can only stop and stare as walls of text relentlessly start pounding the gray matter out of your mind.

Denial

Got lots of work to do? Yup.

Wondering if the professors are in cahoots with each other? Yup.

Are you doing anything aside from what you’re supposed to be doing? Maybe.

Done complaining about it? I hope so.

In any case, denial during Hell Week is supposed to be short. Putting off doing your work only makes it a bigger problem. Ranting about it doesn’t really do anything; and denying it doesn’t really do you much good, except for giving you an excuse to do your work later.

Now get your game face on.

And get to work.

Acceptance

First off, accept the fact that yes, it is hell week. Deny hell week the pleasure of seeing you suffer. In fact, instead of having hell week dominate you, make hell week squirm by churning out paper after paper after paper and confidently say “challenge accepted” as you finish projects way before the deadline. Look hell week in the eye and tell it to scram as you study 7-inch thick piles of paper for each subject without pulling all-nighters. And deliver the death blow by actually doing well in the finals, maybe even well enough for high expectations father to consider adopting you in place of his own child.

Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize

On the academic side, do things one by one and finish them off in order of priority. If the deadline for your project is on Wednesday and you have your Math Finals on Monday, then study for your Math Finals first and do the project later. The same thing goes for papers and projects, finish the ones that have to be finished and do the bonus ones later (it’s called a bonus paper for a reason).

On the extracurricular side, organizations undergo moratorium during this period – so there’s no need to worry about events and meetings during Hell Week. However, if you do have some org work or training of some sort to do, you can either multitask or pick one over the other.

Bottom line is, get to work immediately and stop messing around. The order of priority really comes on a case to case basis; but I’m pretty sure you can think for yourself when it comes to doing this.

Work before play. The sooner you finish doing your assignments, the sooner you get to do whatever it is you want to do. Finish what you have to do first, then do what you want later.

Now, don’t take this the wrong way. This doesn’t mean that you should go all-out on a 7-hour studying spree. In fact, you should take breaks from time to time. Be it Facebook, 9gag, or something else, self-control is key. Do your homework, then take a break. Just make sure that your break is really just a short time-out, not a long vacation.

Prevention

Ah, yes.

Procrastination. It might as well be the root of all things crammed.

Take me, for example. Here I am, writing a guide on how to survive hell week. Yet I, too, ironically did what I am now telling you not to do. Because of my newfound addiction to a certain game, I kept on putting off my work and procrastinating. I would open Microsoft Word, but have the game ready on another window for my “short” breaks.

When Hell Week came, it was like a ****storm blew through. I found myself having to do 6 papers worth 12 pages with a total of 10,240 words. In addition to this, I also had to study for my final exams, while trying to finish the papers in time – and this was during summer. Had this been a regular semester, I don’t think I would’ve made it through in one piece.

They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; this holds true especially for Hell Week. If you don’t want to study as much during Hell Week, then listen attentively in class, take down notes, and make sure you understand the lesson. Study the lessons every day when you get home, so that when the time comes, reviewing for the finals won’t even be a problem anymore.

For papers, try to get a good sense of what you’ll be writing about.  The topic for the paper is often announced way before the deadline, with most professors giving students ample time to do their work.

Bonus papers are relatively easy to do and usually range from 1 to 2 pages. Single-spaced or double-spaced, these are good ways to pull up your grade and can also serve as filler for those few points that you need to get to the next letter grade.

On the other hand, research and argumentative papers fall into the big time category. These usually range from 7 – 10 pages, and you’re lucky if you get 1.5 spacing; but you start writing them early anyway. So if you do what your professor says and follow the schedule, you should do just fine.

In a way, Hell Week challenges the students’ time-management skills. It is also a way of seeing how students cope with stress. If you’re lucky, the effects of Hell Week might not even show; but sometimes, there really are severe cases that just make you want to flip the table. Either way, I hope this guide can help you in some way as Hell Weeks don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

All in all, know your limits and budget your time accordingly. Do what you can and don’t overextend or you might find yourself having too little time to do everything you signed up for. Extracurricular activities are good, but they don’t mean a thing if you can’t balance your academics along with it.

Now go beat Hell Week up, and make it wish it had never been used against you.

Or make Hell Week your buddy, and thank the professors for giving you such a wonderful friend.

Either way, tell Hell Week I sent you.

And make me proud.

Good luck.