January 30, 2017
HELP.
Something you don’t really hear in Columbia is an empassioned cry for help. Although NSOP is geared toward giving us the tools for finding help, nobody wants to really admit that they need it. In the first two weeks of this spring semester, warning shots have come up that education should not be this learning institution’s foremost concern.
Do students really need to be taught how to take care of themselves?
Fuck yes they should. For most people, college is their first extended time away from home. The peer pressure is greater because you’re surrounded solely by peers. What are the consequences of that? You’ve got kids drawing out whats the norm. On one extreme, you’ve got kids making partying the norm. You’re in college now, why even study? College is for trying out new things, exposing yourself to the world, finding out what’s out there — what’s a good fit for you. On the other end, you’ve got kids that only study. Study is what parents levied on us. Study is what we’ve been told all our lives. It’s worked to get us into this school, so now, when we don’t know what to do, why dont we just study and hope that brings us to the next step? Med school? Law school? Business school?
What about the people in the middle, the kids that achieve some balance between 24/7 studies and 24/7 hedonism? They’re great, talented individuals. Good for them. However, get this. They are weird. They are in the minority. They don’t fit in the norm. Why? For some reason we have made suffering the norm. Work hard play hard has been taken up the notch and stapled as the trademark of this university’s student body and we are facing the consequences. I blame columbia buy sell memes just about as much as I blame the university.
And after a rocky first two weeks, here’s to a happier week 3.