The first day of classes is often affectionately called "syllabus day." Many times, there's little homework assigned, besides perhaps reading or purchasing a new notebook. Sometimes, class even gets out early. Very rarely is there actually a quiz or other form of assessment beyond, "How do you pronounce that last name?"
And so, the semester begins. It chugs along easily, and students slide back into the rhythm of readings, essays, problem sets, quizzes, projects, exams and whatever else a professor throws their way. But then the weeks wear on and the pace picks up, not just in class, but in life. Fall break approaches and suddenly there's five readings, four papers, three exams, two group projects, one fundraiser for an organization and zero time to breathe, think or remember how to be anything besides a hamster spinning mindlessly on a wheel, just trying to keep pace.
Take heart. This is not a sentiment limited to just one student. Most people probably feel this panic at one time or another. And perhaps those students may find it comforting to remember this: a college experience is more than just the sum of its parts. It is more than grades and PowerPoint slides and T-shirts from philanthropy events.
A college experience is a wholly organic journey of discovery on many levels, both personal, intellectual, emotional and for some, even spiritual. And this experience is about more than what is put into it. It's about what is taken out of it, interpreted, learned from and then reapplied again.
No one method of approaching college is the right one, and no two people can ever replicate the same experience.
But what might be a comfort to know is that no one, including worrisome parents or strict professors, expects any one piece of the college puzzle to be the singular defining factor. Classes, residence life, volunteer work, sports, relationships, study abroad experiences, late-night runs to Cookout, SUB Movies on the Lawn, coffee shop guitarists and any other number of things mesh in their own unique way.
And remember this: becoming a good student of the world is equally as important as becoming a good student in any specific classroom. So check out a book, a newspaper, a podcast, an instrument or a tennis racket. Nourish your soul with just as much enthusiasm as you would nourish your brain.
Now, no one is condoning flunking out, or abandoning studies to chase a good time. But there is such a thing as a healthy balance, and learning that now can be a useful tool later in life.
The lesson in all of this is simple: twenty years from now, it won't matter if you got an "A" or a "B+" on that paper on the mating patterns of fruit flies or the textile exports of China. What will matter will be the person you became, both within the boundaries of this institution and outside of them.