RSS
« 2008 Burghies, better than a Bloggie | Home | Comfort zone »
How not to successfully earn a college degree
March 18, 2008
During my first semester of college at a state university, I was perplexed at the situation I found myself in. I was five hours from Pittsburgh, and at the time, let me tell you, I was happy to be away from that place. I mean, there had to be better places! With people, who were completely different! And better skyscrapers, in different shapes!
I ended up out in the country, at a nice school that was somewhere between Harrisburg and 12,465 cornfields. “This is it,” I told myself. “This is the college part of my life. And good golly, am I ever ready!”
And so I lived in a dorm. I went to class. I met some learners. And then I went back to my dorm. Now what?
Well, there are parties tonight, with people from the college! And we have studying to do, for the college! We can take a stroll to that park near the college! We can play a game of basketball at the gym at our college!
We could drive somewhere, but we need to stay close! To the college!
And someone from home would call and ask, “Hey, what’s going on with college?”
And the only answer was EVERYTHING.
Eventually I came back to Pittsburgh, transferring a couple times until I felt comfortable enough with my school : life ratio. It took a few tries.
The point of all this? That’s a dangerous thing to do. Because now, the only interest I have in college is being done with it. I’m like that annoying kid in 10th grade algebra — Math? Maaath? Why do I need maaath? Can’t I please use this 50 minutes to read this Anne Boleyn Wikipedia article 57 times? I like it more than maaath.
It seems as if I’m turning into a more simple version of myself, which is completely backwards. I really wish I had the motivation to write a four-page paper on mitosis, but I’ll wait until tomorrow. Because really? I’d rather just sit in that chair and cross-stitch for six hours. But not seven, because King of Queens comes on at 9.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Ok so, if anything, this will probably motivate you in the other direction, but in 80 years, when your fiction is part of an anthology, I could totally see your intro biography going something like,
“During her early life and education, she struggled with the conventions of higher education, becoming restless and unsatisfied with university life. Following five years of tension, including her family’s expectations of a proper living and the stress of the 2009 economy, she fled to South Carolina to complete her first novel…”
Maybe there would be something about blogging too.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Ah, you and me and our college indecisions.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Lisa - Does this mean you’ll be writing my biography? I sure hope so.
Alicia - I’m pretty much decided on that fact that I’m over it.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I feel that. I feel that like woah. So much that I’m squeezing a million and five courses into this upcoming year so that I can graduate early.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Fear not. After 10 plus years in school I’ve really started to enjoy it. I got into a master’s program with no aims of what to do with it afterwards. I get to take the classes I want and tailor my education to my interests. Much more rewarding. Then again maybe school has just become a hobby.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I couldn’t wait to finish my “required” classes when I was in undergrad. I didn’t necessarily hate them (okay, so I probably hated Math and Stats, but I could at least see the value of Stats), but I would do something incredibly stupid– I’d just start taking classes that interested me (Usually lit classes, or “arts” classes. I did drop medieval art, though, because the professor sucked). I did this to the point where I was taking 7 and 8 classes a semester… And yes, I burned out. Fast. And hard.
Then I went to graduate school… where I got to spend as much time as I wanted reading any and everything I wanted. It gets better…. I promise. Just don’t lose that deisre to sit around and cross-stitch, or watch “fluff” TV, or go out and be silly with friends. It’s what will keep you sane!
March 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I really hated undergrad, mostly because I hated that whole, “for four years, your life is college and only college,” thing.
I wanted to just move things along.
And there hasn’t been a moment where I’ve said, man, I miss college. I miss being young. I do not miss undergrad.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
My life has degraded to: “Why should I do homework when I can do other stuff? Like clean? Oh I could clean the bathroom! And then I could clean the kitchen! Oh! I could watch Oprah! Oh, even better, I can watch The Bachelor, even though I get angrier and angrier at it! Oh, time for bed.” Somewhere in there, I usually end up reading something totally fascinating on Wikipedia.
Lack of motivation = boooooo. I’m glad I’m not the only one!
March 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Speaking as a voice of experience (whoever would see THAT coming?) don’t go to library school. It’s worse. There’s no math, but lots of “why do I need to know this?” moments.
What I’m saying is I hear ya. Solidarity?
March 18th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I think that becoming a simpler version of yourself is a natural and healthy progression. It’s kind of like cleaning out all of the crap in your closet that doesn’t fit or “I might need” and starting the next chapter with the stuff that really matters. I think that’s a good thing!
March 18th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Four pages on mitosis? Oh shit, I’m a Bio major. I’m gonna have to do stuff like that, aren’t I?
March 18th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
the only interest I have in college is being done with it.
Ditto. Hang in there, the pointlessness is nearly over!
March 19th, 2008 at 6:32 am
I’m currently on spring break and am now tragically reminded of the copious amounts of paper-writing I have to get done this week as well… best of luck on the four pages of mitosis! Sounds riveting. :-)
March 19th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I’m in the same boat… it stinks. Going on year 5 of my undergrad with 1 more to go. It just gets harder and harder to care each semester.
March 19th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Gina - That would equal a major burn out for me, but you’re awesome. Good luck!
Scott - My biggest worry is being so thankful to be out of undergrad, that I dread any more school afterwards.
Dawn - I did the same thing my first year, but coincidentally, I enjoyed my first year’s classes the most out of the past four years.
Ray - I don’t think I’ll miss it, either.
Katrina - HA! Same boat.
ChristyLouWho - Library school?! That sounds oddly fascinating. I wonder if there are any near by…
thecatladyin5b - That was an incredibly comforting comment, thank you.
Arielle - BEWARE!
Jasmin - Pointlessness is a good word.
cici - Ugh. I’m still backed up from all of the things I should’ve done, but didn’t do, over spring break.
Jennifre - I think I’ll be in a similar position time-wise.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Let me just say that I have always been happy with my 2-year associate degree…and was living at home at the time…and did plenty of other things while I went to school!
This article has now fully confirmed that feeling. :-)
March 19th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Really though, why do we need higher level math?
You’ll get through it, and then you’ll miss it.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
someone started out at penn state, huh? my friend took me to a party there once. i distinctly remember driving through nothing for forever, and then…tada! we were in a city! but it wasn’t really a city, it was just the college! with the houses and the dorms and some kegs and a few stores where you could buy grateful dead tshirts and other college student needs!
i got really drunk and went home the next afternoon, never to return. i did buy a really funky pair of shoes while i was there, though.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
*ok coming out of lurkerville* teehee
you sound like me haha…ive been in college (and three separate ones at that) for ummm 7 years now? And still no degree to show for it. Now if I would just pick a major and stick with it that might help lol.
love your blog btw…hope you don’t mind-ive been reading for a bit now and added you to my link of favorites
March 19th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Eric - I often wish I went that route.
Jake - NO! I really don’t think I will. :)
supertiff - Nope!:) There are actually quite a few “state” schools(http://www.passhe.edu/about/pages/facts.aspx) I went through two of them.
deeg - 7 years? I hope to never experience it, but I can see how easily that could happen. Wow. Scary thought.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
well…in all fairness i’ve been trying to juggle work and being a single mom to boot onto the mix…so im not really doing college the “traditional” way…but I am still doing it!