In the age where graduating with a Bachelor’s degree and a GPA less than a 4.0 requires several other accomplishments listed on a resume, the effort that students put into their academic work seems to be devalued by other students.

Many students’ agendas are full of much more than test dates and project deadlines. They have musical, athletic, philanthropic, and charitable commitments that take up as much time as class assignments. The trouble is that limiting an assessment of what students have to do strictly to regular classwork, research papers, and projects, would reveal that college is already a full-time job. Now imagine a typical student who is involved in the school band, has a part-time job, is a leader or member of a club, plays a sport, or participates in any other kind of extracurricular activity. The time commitment and effort required often seems to add up to a second full-time job. College is no longer just about being more highly educated it has taken on the role of preparing people for the real world, which was once assumed to be the description of secondary education and personal experience.

Being busy and having varied interests is not necessarily bad, but it means more work. A lot of different skills can be learned from varying extracurricular activities, and the fun that is had brings more value to the experience. But it is extra. These activities are outside of your bachelors program, and a degree is the main reason we pay exuberant tuition balances. Furthermore the work you do for your classes should be of a higher priority, unless the extracurricular activities will more directly link you to the job you wish to have. It shows exceptional initiative to take on more than what is required, and sometimes it is not always clear how much effort will be necessary at the onset. Sometimes we recognize later that we’ve bitten off more than we can chew or that we will be in a temporary pinch where it is not possible to do everything. At stressful times prioritization is a matter of differing opinions. If we cannot handle it all on a particular day what justifies a valid excuse for missing an extracurricular event?

“I have to go to work,” says one friend. He or she is making money to pay for things. That is fine.

“I am feeling sick,” says another. As long as he or she does not get caught faking it (if it is not actually the truth) by anyone hosting the event then the friend will get away with it.

“There was a family emergency.” Say no more.

“I cannot make it today, because I am buried in homework that is due this week, and I need to focus on my academics.” Wrong answer.

Typically if it is a person’s first time using the excuse of homework in a semester, other members and the people in charge are understanding. But there is generally an agreement among members not to use this as an excuse, because if you join an extracurricular you are claiming responsibility of getting your work done without it hindering your involvement. Having the foresight to plan ahead and complete obligations around other obligations is important, and while many are wise enough to expect the unexpected you cannot necessarily plan for the unexpected. If you miscalculate how much time you may need for an assignment, it is a mistake but the penalization should not come from professors when you try and tell them that a club’s fundraiser got in the way of finishing a paper. But sometimes professors are more forgiving than students’ peers.

It is becoming increasingly in vogue to assume that if someone is not involved to the point where one’s head is spinning than they are lazy and not making good use of their time. This judgment extends to homework as well. If you are overinvolved and need some extra time to complete assignments others who are similarly busy will say that that is not a good excuse, because they are in the same boat, therefore the person should suck it up and fulfill the commitment. These people make it sound as if it is possible to create time where there is none, and if someone does not then they deserve to either do poorly on the assignment or feel inferior next to the people whose outside activities did not interfere with homework.

It is not easy to back out of things, and we often feel guilty if we cannot devote the time, when the organization values our skills. The consequences of quitting or taking a leave of absence in order to focus on our studies often impacts how others view us, particularly when it is an commitment that is difficult to back out of. It is easy to become confused by which of the consequences we can best handle particularly when the obligations in question we deeply care about. To some letting their friends down is as bad as receiving an “F”. So maybe then it is up to the friends to recognize something as well.

We all work differently. We work at our own pace. And we each have different things we need to cope with. If a paper would take us two hours, but takes someone else eight, it is easy to criticize efficiency. But at some point we all find ourselves making an error or two, particularly when quality and efficiency do not complement one another. The need for efficiency can be the enemy of individuality when we find ourselves pressed for time. At some point we will each one of us fail, and knowing this it should encourage us all to be a bit more forgiving. If someone’s action are not physically hurting another person, then perhaps it would be ok to be more accepting of the differences in priorities and lifestyles that lead to utilizing the excuse of too much homework. We are not robots built to maximize efficiency, we are people struggling to balance our lives.

Unfortunately homework in college is a necessary evil to making the most of an education that will put each of us in a better place after graduation. With the need to be a Jack-of-all-trades to put ourselves in the best position later on, sometimes we lose sight of the basic job of a student. As students, we are all in the same boat, so why waste the time finding fault with how people make use of that time?