The general idea behind college is to get educated, expose yourself to new ideas and prepare for the working world. Whether we know our reasons or not, all of us have committed to years of academic pursuits.

So it always confuses me when no one seems all that interested in learning.

Lecture halls full of underclassmen meet a question with complete silence. Discussion posts are empty. Three people in a room of 30 have done the homework. Every single assignment is met with reluctance rather than enthusiasm.

Sitting in these environments, I don’t feel like learning is encouraged or welcome. I have to squeeze meaning out of my classes because my peers refuse to help.

Okay, I was called a teacher’s pet in high school. But I don’t think you need to be a try-hard to notice that there is a certain apathy plaguing our classrooms.

Of course, there are bad professors, more time-intensive majors. It can be hard to speak in front of a crowd. There are a million very valid reasons that classroom participation is difficult. However, the patterns of neglect go beyond these excuses. It feels like students have stopped seeing any value in their work. School has become an obligation to get through, rather than something to experience and grow from.

It’s a familiar story to students on college campuses. The combination of academic, social, economic and career responsibilities makes it feel like there are never enough hours in the day.

If the pressure mounts, it is only natural that students resort to survival mode. Doing the bare minimum for class is a necessity — we don’t have the time or energy to do more. There is no “thriving” or “stability.” Scraping by feels like the only way in college.

But where is the internal motivation? Where is there time for passion or love for the craft?

I have the privilege of studying something I really love, but won’t pretend that everyone is passionate about their coursework. I also understand that general education classes can be a drag. Trust me, learning about clouds and climate bored me to no end, and I am not above playing crosswords for entire class periods.

In my own hypocritical way, I find it endlessly irritating when my peers refuse to engage with class content. Every week, it feels like my professors beg for students to speak to them, to look at them. I can’t help but feel like something is deeply wrong. Aren’t we supposed to be trying here? Aren’t we supposed to be engaged and challenged?

For me, that was the appeal of university. I would finally be taking classes I cared about, surrounded by people who cared just as much. In reality, in classes I care about, I’m surrounded by people who couldn’t care less.

Students may be forgetting their reasons for attending college at all. They are getting caught up in the outside world — getting through classes rather than trying to learn.

This applies not only to in-class participation, but to homework. When you take a class with required reading, that is half of the takeaway. Professors assign works because they are meaningful, to expand your thinking or understanding of a subject.

That process is halted when students refuse to do work outside of class. I understand that some classes have to take a back-burner, and that completing every single assignment might not be a reasonable goal. But in the modern student’s mind, if something isn’t graded, it isn’t worth doing. This is inseparable from how we were raised and assessed throughout our youth — the value of your work came from the letter grade you were awarded at the end.

It has messed with our perception of value and learning. We no longer see learning as an individual pursuit in search of something greater. Rather, it is an obligation.

So, unpopular opinion, but school is supposed to be fun and interesting. School is supposed to be hard and frustrating. School is supposed to push you to do better and try new and scary things.

School is not supposed to be overwhelming and burdensome. School is not supposed to be useless content and meaningless grades.

I am not suggesting constant, whole-hearted attention. I am asking that we at least pretend to care about the content we are being taught. It is in the best interest of you and your classmates to speak up a little, to contribute an idea, to do the ten pages of reading, even if it seems useless.

I’m asking that you remember why you are here, studying what you are studying and what you find valuable about it. Why, at a time when high education doesn’t have the best reputation, are you paying to be here?

Let’s make classroom participation cool again. Let’s support each other every week, speak to our classmates and make eye contact with our professor. Let’s be there to remind each other what all this work is really about.