Throughout my entire high school career — and, I suspect, the careers of my fellow University students — adults told me again and again I needed to appear “well-rounded” on my college applications. I was expected to do it all. In the name of well-roundedness, for example, I played the clarinet for much longer than I reasonably should have even though I was absolutely terrible and never practiced. An unfortunate number of band concerts later, I’m still recovering from that dark time in my life. No, I don’t want to talk about it.
Unfortunately, college can be an extension of this routine of resume building, only now it’s for the sake of getting into graduate school or landing a dream job. I’m not saying this is the case for everyone, or that the students here lack fervor and true passion for what they do. I’m just saying the pressure of having a 4.0 and getting job experience is omnipresent, and it can take away from what college should be — a place to learn.
Allow me to clarify. It’s not a bad thing to strive toward something and work hard. And at some point we do have to face the reality of finding a job — cue stressed-out groan. But I have always hated the superficial cycle of obsessively working to reach the next platform of success. What end does this actually serve?
The concept of learning simply for the sake of learning can seem trite and impractical. Yet, one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was to think of pursuits in terms of “learning goals” rather than “performance goals.” There is something empowering in focusing on what you can learn and how you can grow from an experience — an internship, a class, a club — rather than on how it can be a means to an end. Learning itself should be an end.
There should be no stigma associated with taking a class just because it sounds interesting, taking a day to read that book that’s been collecting dust on your desk for a year now or spending your time doing anything productive that wouldn’t help build your resume.
Students who focus more on experience and personal growth do better than their grade-obsessed counterparts, not only in terms of skill development, but also academically.
It can seem silly and self-absorbed to emphasize the importance of doing something you legitimately enjoy, and as a recovering overachiever I definitely feel the pressure to do everything and excel at it. But there is no substitute for genuine learning. Not memorization or good grades — actual learning. Even Thomas Jefferson agrees with me — yes, I went there. “The extent of what we can learn has no limit, and this learning process never ends.”
Abby’s column runs biweekly Wednesdays. She can be reached at a.teitgen@cavalierdaily.com.
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