Usually the conversation goes something like this: “Yeah, this semester we should totally exercise. I mean, how about right before lunch, we’ll hit up the racquetball courts. It’d be really nice to have more stamina. And maybe, if I spend some time in the weight room, the ladies…”
The conversation continues. “I’ve gotta bring up the GPA too. I didn’t do so hot in Strepsirrhine Osteology. I mean, it was a pretty boring class, and not very useful, but I totally could have done better. I’m going for As and Bs this time around.”
By the end of the semester, however, there is no racquetball, there is no stamina, and there are certainly no ladies. The GPA is lower. Gosh, I can’t wait for summer break. I hate school.
Having goals and not meeting them is really disappointing, and the last thing we students need is more disappointment in life. Thus I propose two solutions.
The first one is easy: stop making goals. Let us be honest — none of us ever really expect to attain them anyway. Besides the feel-good-warm-fuzzy of having a semester plan, daydreaming about the gym is a waste of energy. Some of us are low-achievers religiously, and we’re happy to be that way.
But some may not like the sound of that — it is difficult to accept that one will always remain a sedentary under-achiever, which means that, maybe, this is the semester to head to the gym or the library.
How cool would it be to have a semester where your GPA actually increases?
Practically speaking, we’re all paying a lot of money to go here. At least, our parents are. Classes are pretty expensive, not to mention books. It doesn’t really make sense to pay $100 for a book that you don’t even read, or thousands of dollars not to go to a professor’s class. If I paid a thousand dollars for a ticket somewhere, I’d be there, no matter what was going on stage, just to make sure that the performer was doing what I paid them to do.
Same thing for the gym. We’re all paying fees to use the facilities (an indoor heated pool and free equipment rental!) and every day we don’t go is a waste. It beats any other gym membership.
So, you know, try something new this semester: go to class! Go work out, or eat right, or actually do that goal-thing that you had in mind. There’s nothing to lose by doing so — at best, it is squandered opportunity and lost money.
Tell Jay how you plan on using the various resources your fees pay for at [email protected].
