Photo: Holabird Sports

DONT WORK

By Editor 6 years ago

Pema I’Anson advises against taking academia too seriously.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article detailing why it’s okay to stay in. Today, I’m here to let you know why academic work isn’t as important as you think. Phrased differently, these two articles might seem contradictory, but bear with me. We don’t live in a black-and-white world where you’re either working or partying. I’m arguing for enjoying yourself.

It can seem like academic work is the focus of your life. You’re at university, after all; one of the best universities in the country! You’ve travelled hundreds – thousands? – of miles to be here, your parents have spent ridiculous amounts of money on fees (unless you’re Scottish), and you’ve worked really hard to get here. You’re taking subjects you supposedly like, your parents expect you to do well, and you have high standards for yourself, too. Who will you be if you’re not getting consistently high grades like you always have? Essays are learning experiences – imagine the horrors of reaching honours and realising you don’t know how to write!

 But.

 You need to relax.

Trust me on this one. You’ve got many, many reasons to do academic work. Those listed above are a few of mine; yours may be similar, or very different. Either way, these things aren’t as important as you think.

University doesn’t, and shouldn’t, define the rest of your life. If you’re in Honours, you may be worried about the level of degree you’ll end up with – but you’re still going to be perfectly capable of getting a job no matter what your degree is. If you’re in sub-Honours, you still have at least two years to worry about these things. You’ve got ages left to learn how to do things properly, to figure out how to write a first class essay in a night, to figure out what subject you actually want to do. Don’t stress yourself out about things that aren’t relevant yet. You’ll have time for that later.

Next: you don’t want to burn out before you’ve reached the ripe old age of 23. Honestly. Stress will give you grey hairs, and wrinkles, and I can guarantee, when you graduate, you’ll look back and think, why did I worry so much about that? I could have done less work and still come out with grades I’m happy with. So pre-empt your future regrets, and have fun now. Just think – these are supposed to be the best years of our lives. Do you think that’s because we spent all their time in the library? No. Go out for £3.50 margaritas in Mammacita’s (Mon – Wed), go to the cheesiest-themed Bop of the year, play board games until 3 am with your friends, sneak back into your old halls and eat a meal there. Or don’t, actually, because hall food is crap, but you get the gist. 

Do things for the fun of it, not because you have a looming deadline and you’re terrified of what will happen if you don’t meet it. You get a mark deducted? Who cares? Your grade goes from a 12 to an 11, because you’ve already taken my advice and haven’t been aiming for 18s anyway, so you’re fine. There’s not a whole lot of difference between those numbers, and you’ll know that you enjoyed the movie you stayed up all night watching instead of writing your essay. Who cares if every essay you write is better than the last one? Not me, not your tutor, and not you, I hope. In twenty years, you’ll look back, and remember the times you spent enjoying yourself and bonding with your friends- not the time you wrote a pretty decent essay and got a pretty decent mark and felt pretty decent for about a day afterwards.

I could go on for days, but I’d bore you. You already know all the reasons not to work. Just access them. Justify it to yourself. Work when you feel like working, because likely if you’re here you have a decent work ethic anyway. But try to have fun, too. Don’t stress. Besides, If you’re in a good mental health state, caused by having fun and not stressing out too much, you’ll be much more productive. So in the end – by not working, you’ll actually improve your grades. Trust me, it’s science.

Comments

comments

Tags:

111 thoughts on “DONT WORK”

  2. Hey there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the fantastic work!|

    Reply

  4. You actually make it appear really easy along with your presentation but I in finding this topic to be actually something which I feel I might by no means understand. It sort of feels too complicated and extremely huge for me. I am having a look ahead for your next submit, I’ll try to get the grasp of it!|

    Reply

  10. May I just say what a relief to find an individual who really knows what they are talking about online. You definitely understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people really need to read this and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you’re not more popular because you certainly have the gift.|

    Reply

  12. Unquestionably consider that that you said. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the easiest factor to bear in mind of. I say to you, I certainly get irked whilst other folks think about concerns that they just don’t recognise about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as neatly as outlined out the whole thing without having side effect , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks|

    Reply
  13. Pingback: bahis siteleri

  14. I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme? Exceptional work!|

    Reply

  15. Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your weblog. You have some really good articles and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Many thanks!|

    Reply

  18. Excellent beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how could i subscribe for a blog site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear concept|

    Reply

  19. Magnificent beat ! I wish to apprentice at the same time as you amend your web site, how could i subscribe for a blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I were a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided vibrant transparent concept|

    Reply

  22. Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue solved soon. Thanks|

    Reply

  23. Hi, Neat post. There’s an issue with your web site in web explorer, may check this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a large portion of folks will leave out your excellent writing because of this problem.|

    Reply

  24. Neat blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your design. Appreciate it|

    Reply

  26. Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I in finding It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to present one thing again and help others like you helped me.|

    Reply

  27. Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after going through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly pleased I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!|

    Reply

  28. Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day.
    It’s always exciting to read through articles from other writers and use something from their websites.

    Reply

  31. I just like the helpful info you supply to your articles. I will bookmark your blog and take a look at again here frequently. I am rather sure I will be told plenty of new stuff proper here! Best of luck for the next!|

    Reply

  32. Hello there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Many thanks|

    Reply

  33. We are a bunch of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community. Your website offered us with helpful information to work on. You have done a formidable process and our whole community might be grateful to you.|

    Reply

  35. I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!|

    Reply
  38. Pingback: A片

  39. Of course, your article is good enough, casinosite but I thought it would be much better to see professional photos and videos together. There are articles and photos on these topics on my homepage, so please visit and share your opinions.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

THE STAND