What Is To Be Done?

Term time here at UCL is relatively short. You can get a quick overview by clicking here. By 15 December, Term One would be at an end. I came here fully expecting to be taking exams at the end of the year. But I forgot that universities in this country operate not on a modular system, but on an old-style academic calendar which sees exams only at the end of the academic year, typically in May/June each year. That's the system Singapore used to have, before the universities there became increasingly Americanized.

So, in a sense, there's less pressure this term, with the pain and pressure deferred to next Spring. I would have much preferred to finish a set of exams this year, rather than wait for months, but it's not something that can be helped.

Meanwhile, many in class have already made plans for the three week Christmas/New Year term break. Most from Europe and North America are travelling home. I don't know what I'll do. I don't plan to fly all the way back to Asia, given that I've only been away for a few mere months. And I certainly don't plan to spend all the time in a bleak, drab and dreary wintry London. What's clear, though, is that I do need to cook up some plans very soon...