<Author>Michael</Author>
<Topic>The Two-day Weekend</Topic>
<Source>CET4 Composition Topic of January 1996</Source>
<Nationality>USA</Nationality>
In the United States, the two-day weekend has been a long tradition for most college and university students. In fact, many students take courses on a Monday-Wednesday and Tuesday-Thursday pattern, and actually may have a three-day weekend. Still others take classes on Saturday mornings and may have classes Monday-Wednesday-Friday and may have Tuesday and Thursday free for study or work. Since most American students now work 20 - 25 hours a week to support their own college or university education, much of this work is often done on a weekend basis. Also, if they are working during the week as well as taking classes, the extra time on the weekend may allow them to complete their studies in time for classes the next week. Less often, some students may take classes on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday pattern as American universities and colleges are moving toward the greatest efficiency for their class room use.
Of course, it is possible that a two or three day weekend may cause problems for college and university students in the US. A serious problem for many American college and university students is that they party and drink too much on Friday and Saturday evenings, and may have what Americans call "hangovers" on Saturday and Sunday mornings. At institutions where students have the three day weekend, they may begin to party and drink on Thursday evenings, and may be unproductive on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. When they drink too much at these parties, they find themselves "worshiping the porcelain god," that is vomiting in the toilet after too much drinking on these evenings. Such drinking may endanger their health or may lead to violence against others. Since the only proven ways to solve having too much alcohol are food to coat the stomach and sleep, much of their weekends are wasted.
Long weekends are a good idea for students who need the extra time to study or work, and are bad for those who do not have enough discipline to use these weekends well, or who party and drink too much on weekends.
