Yes, getting exam results back late is annoying, but get over it

St Andrews, you may remember being told once or twice, is full of very smart people. It is one of the top Universities in the country, a place of learning and general excellence, which attracts only the best and brightest.

I've realised, therefore, that if this is true, the University i'm currently attending can't be St Andrews, because a quick glance at my Facebook feed suggests a certain deficit in common sense. People complaining about stupid things, for stupid reasons, in stupid ways seems to be a staple of St Andrean life. Nothing illustrates this more than the recent furore over the fact we're not getting our exam marks back until the 24th. Now, maybe i'm being unsympathetic, but I would have thought that anyone reasonable person would accept this as being the necessary by-product of the unusually late end of last semester.

I would have thought that the average student would understand that marking essays and grading exams would take time, and that the teaching staff at this University are as entitled to some time off work as we are. Apparently not. Apparently, along with a list of other, minor grievances, St Andreans have a problem with how time works.

Just take a look at St Feudrews, anonymous shitposting site and general graveyard of brain cells. Earlier today, someone posted a slightly bizzare rant, bemoaning: "The fact that the University isn't giving us our exam marks back until the 24th. That's so fucking late what the fuck. At the very least give us back the marks before we're expected back at University so that we have time to acclimatise (sic)." The post continued: "Like honestly this has ruined my Christmas, worrying so much about it that it's made me stress-eat and stuff. I don't fit into the dress I was going to wear on New Years any more, and i'm going to come back to Uni fat, furious and failing. Fuck u Sally Mapstone."

I'm not sure how the Principle will recover.

Sure, I understand there's reasons to be anxious about exam results (I literally have nightmares about getting a 2:1), but let's keep things in perspective.

The post has been reacted to more than 20 times-more than my last article. (Not that I'm bitter). Does this mean that there are twenty people who really feel so strongly at what best is an understandable, but regrettable delay, and at worst an annoying inconvenience?

Probably not. In fact, I'd be willing to hazard a guess that if we'd received our exam results in early January, there'd be people complaining about a rushed process, and demanding remarks. And while I'd roll my eyes at these people, they, like the people complaining about the later date, wouldn't be entirely justified.

The point I'm trying to make is that, throughout our University careers, things will happen that will piss us off. Some of them are worth taking action over. Some of them are not. Part of being an adult is figuring out which is which.

Let's keep that in mind come 2018