Apathy and Academia

If you’ve ever had a light class schedule, and even no job to speak of, then you know the breezy optimism that comes with the beginning of the semester. With so little to clutter your time, you can focus in on those extra hours and do superbly well in each class you have. Or so you think.

All of a sudden, it’s finals time, and the only thing you’ve worked on during the semester are your liver-damaging and Guitar Hero-wielding skills — both of which you’re quite adept at by now, I must say. And by you I mean me, of course.

This semester studying abroad in Prague, I have four classes on only two days a week, and guess what’s happened to me? I’ve done not nearly as many readings as I would in a tough schedule while balancing jobs and the like — too little to do, too much freedom, creates apathy and academic laziness, at least for most of us.

Despite the fact that I’ve done well in my classes – it’s a gift, and the classes are quite easy – I’ve officially learned that having a somewhat tight schedule is much more conducive to productivity. For example, my sophomore year in college, while living at the dorms at California State University, Stanislaus, I had the busiest semester possible. I was taking a full load (14-15 units), working part time at the bookstore, coaching a baseball team, doing play-by-play basketball and baseball broadcasts, and running a radio show from 7-9 a.m. on Wednesdays. Not to mention, I had a semblance of a social life.

Hanging out at whiskey distilleries may not be the best option for increasing your productivity.

But being constantly active and under deadline helped me produce (thus far, at the time) my best semester GPA in college, and kept me extremely happy. I think light schedules fit certain people in the world, but for the most part we as humans, and especially as late-teens and early twenty-somethings, need a challenge.

And I think this can easily be done by filling up that class schedule to a reasonable amount, maybe having a part time job (which will provide some dough for weekend excursions and whiskey bottles) and pushing yourself with some extracurriculars. For me, it’s been hiking, intramural sports and tutoring elementary school for C.A.V.E. If none of those type things fit your fancy, there are myriad other opportunities in Chico — one of the most active, busy places I know.

I know filling up your schedule with three major classes and a weight lifting course is appealing, but giving yourself a little more to do might result in you doing a little more. And maybe a lot more.

Advertisement