So, you’re a college student now. You’ve successfully navigated the minefield of both middle and high schools, you have sat through hours upon hours of college and scholarship applications, you have spent months—or days—trying to find a school that is right for you and have whittled down your list of three (or twenty-three) colleges to one. You have signed on the dotted line, packed up all your stuff, moved into your dorm, met your roommate and sent your teary-eyed parents on their way back home.
Now, you think, the fun begins. I can do whatever I want.
While that concept holds true to a degree, it is flawed in so many ways. Unfortunately, even in the second semester of my sophomore year, there are people who do not see the limitations on their freedom; they believe that college means freedom from responsibility, consequences, and life in general. This is not so.
While a college experience can mean the opportunity to explore your interests as a person both inside and outside the classroom, college is more than the opportunity to party, drink, and have fun. College, is about learning. It is about going into school one person and coming out someone else—even if that person is merely a distilled version of who you were when you entered.
It is about allowing yourself to experience modes of thought that differ from your own. It is about taking the time to engage with ideas that you never thought couldhave existed before you were confronted with them.
Ultimately, I think a lot of my fellow college students—especially my fellow Wake Forest students—let four years pass them by without fully allowing themselves to experience the magnificence that is the abundance of resources at our fingertips.
While some people spend their days toiling away only to “make enough money to get [their] broke asses home” at the end of the week, we here at Wake Forest have the opportunity to take advantage of resources some people can only dream of. Career counseling, amazing gym facilities, healthy and tasty food options, free psychological assistance from the University Counseling Center and much more, but people on this campus take this for granted.
It occurs to me that one might want to know what gives me the impression that these resources are being taken for granted on this campus. Well, the fact that I have had classes with people who think it is acceptable to skip class on a regular basis is one thing that gives me this impression.
The fact that people, myself included, have the nerve to complain about the food options—and I want to be clear, I’m not talking about people who have dietary restrictions or needs that are not met—here on campus gives me that impression. The fact that people fix their mouths to complain about the people who prepare their food, clean their buildings, and so much more gives me this impression.
When I look around Winston-Salem and see the pervasiveness of poverty, or the expanse of the local food desert, my impression that Wake students take these resources for granted is increased. When I talk to people who complain about the free washing facilities while others have to spend over $50 and an entire day to wash half of their wardrobe, I get the impression that the resources we have are being taken for granted.
But, most of all, when I encounter people who are left perplexed by the concept that my time here at Wake Forest is dominated by academic pursuits and leadership positions. When I encounter people who do not understand why I don’t drink underage or enjoy going out and wasting time at a party while I have work to do, I am struck dumb by the sheer lack of focus on their futures.
This isn’t to say that students who party or drink are bad people, it also isn’t an attack on those who enjoy drinking, but the reality of the situation is that participating in those situations can be an obstacle to an individual’s future. Drinking underage or partaking in drugs can completely derail an individual’s life, regardless of how commonplace it is here on campus.
I spend my time pursuing lifelong loves such as martial arts, music, and knowledge in general. All in all, everything I do while I’m in college has utility for my life and I think that people who realize that they can participate in activities which are relaxing but simultaneously utile are the people who truly get the purpose of college.
We’re here for at least four years, and in that time, we should take classes, participate in extra-curriculars and take advantage of every opportunity we can, but we should do so with the understanding that the reason we are here is to build ourselves as people—to build our futures. I guess the crux of this entire article is that some of my fellow students need to check their priorities.
As usual, feel free to disagree. Far be it from me to stifle dissent in a college setting, it’s that dissent which leads to productive conversation and involved learning after all.
