COLUMN: To study or not to study?
Everyone goes into college with varying expectations and thoughts about what it's like.
A classic movie like Animal House, or a more recent movie like Superbad, can give the naïve, incoming freshman the wrong idea of why they’re coming to college and spending tens of thousands of dollars in the first place.
When I first came to CMU last year as a freshman, I had some idea of what college would be like, having taken AP classes in high school and a class at another university between my junior and senior year, but I didn't know everything.
There are some people who come to college and get wasted six nights a week and fall behind in their classes.
But then there is the opposite group of people, which I feel are as equally detrimental – the students who don't get out and socialize at all with people, but instead stay in their residence halls or apartments.
College has taught me the importance of time management and along with that, there is the responsibility of prioritizing.
I believe everyone, for lack of a better term, should have a life.
That doesn't mean you have to go out and get plastered, go to the Wayside, or even go to the Soaring Eagle Casino and gamble away the $22.68 you just made working on-campus.
I mean come on, who has money to do that anyway?
It could simply mean chilling with friends, playing a game of cards with people, going to see a movie or concert on campus, or just going to dinner with a friend.
It’s difficult at first to be able to do this whole prioritizing thing, and once you do it, it can be tricky to be effective at it. It’s a great feeling being in control of your own schedule.
I would honestly rather be a well-rounded person who can go to an employer and show them that I have been involved on campus and that I have solid connections with others with like-minded interests, than being someone who sits in their room and just pours over their textbook a month before the midterm.
I know I’m picking on the stereotypical nerd, but all I’m saying is it’s important to have a balance in your life.
After all, you might just find out you love doing something you never would have dreamed of doing by just putting yourself out there and meeting new people.
