2008 Woodie Awards
College experience the same at every school
By Mike Goodwin
Rocket Staff Writer
Issue date: 12/2/05 Section: Opinion
I was talking to a few friends of mine this past week and came to the conclusion that I'm just checked out. My bags are packed, my work is done, and graduate school deadlines approach. All signs point to winter break or, a word I'd like to annoy the editors with, Christmahanukwanzikah. My Philadelphia life awaits me: friends and police chases alike. I'm ready for this semester to be over.
I assume I should be enjoying this time too. It is my last fall semester at Slippery Rock with one more to go after all. I just can't though. I don't care enough anymore. I'm tired of writing reader responses (or learning logs, whatever teacher buzzword it is this year), required attendance for boring lectures (I'm talking to you Anthropology), and a truly hectic schedule.
It's not that I'm unappreciative for what the school has done for me. It has nothing to do with that, honestly. It's not even the work and the tedious nature of modern education that's decaying my brain. I think I've learned a majority of what I can from here so it's time to move on. I appreciate it all nonetheless. My problem though has everything to do with the people.
Another friend of mine called me over break and shared, as far as I'm concerned, the perspective of the year regarding this situation. She said, and I'm paraphrasing here because I can't remember the exact quote, that people may be distancing themselves from one another so it hurts less when we leave. Have you ever agreed with something and then felt sick about it? Enter that feeling here.
I've had this speculation that everyone has been so self-absorbed in their own lives that they're missing out on the last times we'll really have together. I stopped having friends over my place for this exact reason. It's like nobody gets along anymore; it's all fake and forced. There's more concern about rumors, who's sleeping with who (or is it whom? Grammarians! To the word correctness hole!), how much alleged work there is, and overall, how bad things are for each individual. It's like a game show of who can top who in negativity in describing what's wrong with everyone else.
I assume I should be enjoying this time too. It is my last fall semester at Slippery Rock with one more to go after all. I just can't though. I don't care enough anymore. I'm tired of writing reader responses (or learning logs, whatever teacher buzzword it is this year), required attendance for boring lectures (I'm talking to you Anthropology), and a truly hectic schedule.
It's not that I'm unappreciative for what the school has done for me. It has nothing to do with that, honestly. It's not even the work and the tedious nature of modern education that's decaying my brain. I think I've learned a majority of what I can from here so it's time to move on. I appreciate it all nonetheless. My problem though has everything to do with the people.
Another friend of mine called me over break and shared, as far as I'm concerned, the perspective of the year regarding this situation. She said, and I'm paraphrasing here because I can't remember the exact quote, that people may be distancing themselves from one another so it hurts less when we leave. Have you ever agreed with something and then felt sick about it? Enter that feeling here.
I've had this speculation that everyone has been so self-absorbed in their own lives that they're missing out on the last times we'll really have together. I stopped having friends over my place for this exact reason. It's like nobody gets along anymore; it's all fake and forced. There's more concern about rumors, who's sleeping with who (or is it whom? Grammarians! To the word correctness hole!), how much alleged work there is, and overall, how bad things are for each individual. It's like a game show of who can top who in negativity in describing what's wrong with everyone else.
