

There is an annual student event at the prestigious private college Ritsumeikan University. It’s called the Igakukan Dash, after the hall where it takes place.

Every year, just before the final deadline for turning in theses, a few desperate latecomers will come dashing through the hallway to get their papers in on time. Naturally, a large crowd of spectators always gathers to cheer and heckle these deadline daredevils.

This year one of the spectators recorded the event and uploaded it to You Tube with some commentary.



“Today was the thesis deadline at Ritsumeikan University. It will decide your grade for the entire semester, so… This video was taken at 4 minutes till 5:00 on January 24th, the deadline. This year, some actors added a special contribution, so there was a bigger crowd than usual.”

As the deadline approaches, the video shows the diversity of university life, from panicked students hightailing it through, others who walk with more sedate, devil-may-care attitudes, and even some rather unique performances that brought laughter to the crowd.

And at the very end, one student who doesn’t make the deadline and miserably drops his shoulders in defeat. Seeing that sad scene, I resolved to allow ample time to meet deadlines in the future, but procrastination is a hard habit to break.

▼ Four minutes and counting…