Rare voice of disagreement here, or at least an alternative perspective. I agree with basic idea, but it’s too specific.
My motto: One should not let school get in the way of one’s education. Sometimes that means taking fewer classes… Usually it means not wasting time in other ways, though. You shouldn’t cut classes until you’ve already cut out many other non-educational low impact things. Classes are usually the most valuable thing offered by a university—finding the good ones pays dividends longer than most other things one does in college.
After freshman year, I quit video games: a kind of sad but important decision. By senior year, I committed myself to hosting study parties on Friday nights instead of carousing—graduating a semester early.
I did one major, two minors, worked a tech job 12 − 15 hours a week, and was part of and eventual leader of several clubs, including one as a magazine editor. But I also knew my GPA was going to be lower as a result, and I didn’t care. Sometimes I would sacrifice school for long conversations on philosophy or reading a text in the arboretum… And I called that in ‘true education.’
I only took classes I wanted to take. I only studied under professors with good reputations for teaching. I joined organizations which I could learn from and make a difference.
Otoh, I also created more animosity between my vision of education and the university than was necessary.
The boring truth about these decisions is that there is a Production Possiblity Curve available to you, and you should get on it so that you can gain the most skills, taking the best classes, while crafting the best social system possible at a personally sustainable and efficient use of your time and resources.
Thanks for this! I might be more optimistic about how compatible our advice is—I’d say students should cut out both class and non-class activities that don’t go far toward advancing their goals. I’d also be curious to hear:
It sounds like maybe you consider the credential, networking, or research opportunities offered by universities to be significantly less valuable than classes (“Classes are usually the most valuable thing offered by a university ”). If so, what’s the thinking behind that?
You write: “You shouldn’t cut classes until you’ve already cut out many other non-educational low impact things. ” I’m not sure I follow—wouldn’t it be better to cut out both at the same time?
Maybe the worry is that low-impact activities like video games will expand to fill spare time? But for people who struggle with that, this caveat from the post seems applicable: “Some people’s productivity benefits a lot from oversight/accountability/deadlines. If that’s the case for you, consider alternatives to classes which provide that structure, e.g. part-time supervised work or collaborations.”
Rare voice of disagreement here, or at least an alternative perspective. I agree with basic idea, but it’s too specific.
My motto: One should not let school get in the way of one’s education. Sometimes that means taking fewer classes… Usually it means not wasting time in other ways, though. You shouldn’t cut classes until you’ve already cut out many other non-educational low impact things. Classes are usually the most valuable thing offered by a university—finding the good ones pays dividends longer than most other things one does in college.
After freshman year, I quit video games: a kind of sad but important decision. By senior year, I committed myself to hosting study parties on Friday nights instead of carousing—graduating a semester early.
I did one major, two minors, worked a tech job 12 − 15 hours a week, and was part of and eventual leader of several clubs, including one as a magazine editor. But I also knew my GPA was going to be lower as a result, and I didn’t care. Sometimes I would sacrifice school for long conversations on philosophy or reading a text in the arboretum… And I called that in ‘true education.’
I only took classes I wanted to take. I only studied under professors with good reputations for teaching. I joined organizations which I could learn from and make a difference.
Otoh, I also created more animosity between my vision of education and the university than was necessary.
The boring truth about these decisions is that there is a Production Possiblity Curve available to you, and you should get on it so that you can gain the most skills, taking the best classes, while crafting the best social system possible at a personally sustainable and efficient use of your time and resources.
Thanks for this! I might be more optimistic about how compatible our advice is—I’d say students should cut out both class and non-class activities that don’t go far toward advancing their goals. I’d also be curious to hear:
It sounds like maybe you consider the credential, networking, or research opportunities offered by universities to be significantly less valuable than classes (“Classes are usually the most valuable thing offered by a university ”). If so, what’s the thinking behind that?
You write: “You shouldn’t cut classes until you’ve already cut out many other non-educational low impact things. ” I’m not sure I follow—wouldn’t it be better to cut out both at the same time?
Maybe the worry is that low-impact activities like video games will expand to fill spare time? But for people who struggle with that, this caveat from the post seems applicable: “Some people’s productivity benefits a lot from oversight/accountability/deadlines. If that’s the case for you, consider alternatives to classes which provide that structure, e.g. part-time supervised work or collaborations.”