gor[b] Paul Gorbould: Words and Pictures

Exam Night in Canada

There are times when I miss being in university.

I'm currently reading (among other things) Studs Terkel's Working, and the first chapter involves a steelworker lamenting how his life turned out. When asked what we dreams about, he says: "You know what I'd like to do for one year? Live like a college kid. Just for one year. I'd love to. Wow! (Whispers) Wow! Sports car! Marijuana! (Laughs.) Wild, sexy broads. I'd love that, hell yes, I would."

Now, I did my undergrad at Trent, which wasn't known for sports cars or wild, sexy broads (my wife excepted.)  But I do look back with some nostalgia at the experience.

Except for the exams part. I don't miss that. And I can only imagine what it feels like to be at a much bigger school, taking exams in a setting like this:

That's the scene happening right now in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where Ryerson students are stacked up in the hundreds to panick and scribble silently in something that resembles nothing more than a Chinese factory floor (more pictures here and here). I can't imagine a more stressful setting, and let's hope none of these kids experience such a setting again (unless they are studying to work in a Chinese factory.)

And you know, I'll forgive them if they need a little spin in a sports car afterward. After the ice clears.