Hell Weeks. Hell?
By WILLIAM INOUE ‘27
“Hell Weeks” is named by many Exeter students as the worst two and a half weeks of the year. Many claim that teachers give out tests like rapid fire: an 8 a.m. bio test, immediately followed by a math test. When you finally think that you can sit down and enjoy a break, you realize that your history paper is due in two days and your English paper is due in 32 minutes. Others would claim that their life turns upside down during these two weeks when fall turns to winter.
As a prep, this was all very overwhelming for me. Five tests in a week? Three papers due? I have been warned over and over again by upperclassmen that these two weeks would forever alter my feel and view of Exeter. Yet, with Hell Weeks in the rearview mirror, it felt manageable. The classes still ran as usual and the tests were numerous but not in rapid succession. As an entirety, Hell Weeks were not as “bad” nor hard as many claim them to be.
My schedule during Hell Weeks looked like the following: in the first week, I survived one quiz on Friday for which we were given sufficient time to study. The second week, I was given two papers, one for English and one for history, due Friday and the following Monday. I was also given a biology test, for which we were given plenty of time to study. In the final half-week stretch, I had one paper due and one last test, which I had the weekend to prepare for. So, what truly made Hell Weeks ”Hell”?
Based on my conversations with other students, my conclusion boiled down to two major reasons: the frequency of tests, and the speed with which a class progressed through materials.
While I admit that the frequency of tests is higher than a “normal” two weeks at Exeter, is it really Hell?
I would say no. However, it still had a tremendous impact on my social life, my sleep, and most importantly my studying time as the first two went down exponentially and the last went up double the amount. I noticed that more of my friends would rather gather in the library to finish homework or study for a test than in EPAC or the Game Room. It was also noticeable that my sleep schedule deteriorated as I was forced to stay up more and more studying for tests. Yet, despite all that, I would still say Hell Weeks are not “Hell.”
In my Biology class, a test every three weeks was the routine. However, as we only had two tests in two and a half weeks, there was less material to study. So, despite the test frequency increasing, the academic material of the tests decreased.
Now, some would cite the fact that there are papers due with less time to work on them than in a normal term. Since I started taking history, I have been able to experience this time-crunch anxiety firsthand. Based upon my experiences and what I’ve heard from upperclassmen, the history and English papers due after the two weeks were assignments that teachers give you ample time to complete. Beyond that, most teachers who require a paper due are often flexible to extensions if asked within sufficient time before the due date.
In addition to the frequency of exams, I would also argue that the pace at which classes moved was almost negligible. In my own experience, the only class that I felt moved faster than before was Biology. However, even then my teacher was extremely supportive and was constantly offering their help. Henceforth, the idea that courses moved faster may be true, but can oftentimes go unnoticed if given the proper support.
It is also worth mentioning that teachers are also stressed and sympathetic towards students during Hell Weeks. Their jobs are to enrich and deepen our learning, not to make our academic lives harder. Therefore, teachers can alter some parts of “Hell Weeks” to make them easier for students.
All in all, “Hell Weeks” was not at all what the upperclassmen advertised to me as a prep. I understand that the situation was different for everyone, especially for seniors with college applications. However, it is often more important to take a step back and analyze the situation.
