By Randall Elvin · Entertainment Editor
Make memories, study hard, take advantage of every opportunity on campus because these four years will go by quickly. We hear it everywhere from parents, professors and alumni alike.
There are two common messages about college that seem to contradict each other. The first is that college is the time to have fun. Say yes to the invitation and do not spend your entire college career studying. You do not want to graduate and realize you spent four years with your nose in books.
The second message is that college is the time to build your future. Get the best grades possible, join organizations, gain leadership experience and pursue internships. Every opportunity is promoted as another necessary step on the academic ladder of success.
Both messages have some truth. College is a great time to make memories and build relationships, but it is also an important time to prepare for the future. The problem comes when either message becomes the only one we listen to.
There was a fire drill the other day, and I’m sure there were people drawn out who had never left their room before. On the flip side, there are others who seem to try out every club and extracurricular at once. Some people fill their calendar while others keep it void.
Both lifestyles have their negatives. One could say it’s almost unnatural, the amount of control and freedom we have over our day. Depending on your classes and responsibilities, you might be able to sleep in, take a nap, spend an evening with friends or stay in your room and do absolutely nothing productive.
Later in life, a full-time job, family responsibilities and other obligations may make it harder to decide on a random Tuesday afternoon that you want to sleep for two hours. That does not mean adulthood is something to dread. It simply means the freedom we have now is worth appreciating.
Yet we “Groverachievers” often treat that freedom as another thing we must use efficiently. We worry about wasting time, missing opportunities or falling behind everyone else. Instead of enjoying the flexibility college gives us, we can become so focused on maximizing it that we forget to appreciate it.
For one student, it might be grades. For another, it might be the fear of missing out. We are all a slave to something. Someone else might be a slave to sleep, comfort or the desire to avoid anything difficult. And some of us can become slaves to productivity itself, feeling guilty whenever we are not working toward something. And despite how it may look sometimes, neither obsessive adherence to efficiency nor complete avoidance of responsibility is living in freedom.
As Christians, we are called to serve others, and that sometimes means putting someone else’s needs ahead of our own preferences. If you join a team, accept a leadership position, agree to help with a project or promise a friend that you will be there, people may be counting on you. Serving others does not mean saying yes to everything, and being responsible does not mean sacrificing every bit of personal freedom. It means using that freedom thoughtfully.
College will eventually end, and our schedules will change. The real lesson college gives is learning how to work hard without burning out and having fun without neglecting responsibilities.
Choose to study. Choose to sleep in. Choose to say yes to your friends and choose to say no when you need to. Choose to serve the people who depend on you. Don’t lose yourself to something, but also don’t let others lose out because of you.
