THIS IS the hardest university in America. Or the easiest. Or somewhere in between. It all depends on you.
Enrolling at this University means you've opened a door, a door that can lead to places and experiences you've not yet imagined. But no one is going to make you walk through it.
It's entirely possible to spend four years here and get a degree without learning much at all. Plenty of people do it every year. But it's also possible to get an education unsurpassed by any other available in the country. Where in that range the quality of your education falls is entirely within your control.
The University does not provide an education -- at least not to everyone. It can't force something on people who don't want it. It does, however, provide the opportunity to get an education -- one of the best. No one is going to make you take that offer. But it's there if you want it.
It's a little like going to a buffet-style restaurant. You pay the same price no matter what you eat. You're free to have as little or as much as you want. And regardless of what you choose, you've still had dinner.
You've already agreed to pay the flat rate to feast at Mr. Jefferson's table of knowledge. No matter what you do during the next four years, you'll still have gotten a degree. But how much or little of an education you get is in your hands.
Starting now, think about why you're coming here. What do you want out of college? Do you just want a degree, a bullet on a résumé? Is college simply a means to a larger end -- a job, a salary, a house, a car? Or are you actually interested in getting an education?
If it's just a degree you want, there's not much to say that isn't obvious. Inertia is powerful -- things at rest tend to stay at rest. It's not hard to do nothing.
Take easy classes. Don't talk to your professors. Stay away from the library. Don't write a thesis. Do only the class work that is absolutely required. If it doesn't contribute to your grade, don't worry about it. Don't get involved in student organizations. Don't read the newspaper. Don't go to plays or lectures or events. Cruise right on through.
But if that sounds like a waste of four years and a lot of money, if it's an education you want, you're in for a great trip. A lot of the details work out as you go along. But the basic principle is a simple one -- education comes from pure hard work.
Take the hardest classes you can possibly manage. If you're not sure if you can handle it, do it anyway. Figure out what you can comfortably deal with, and then go one step further. Push yourself.
Get in slightly over your head. That leaves you with two options: retreat to shallower water, or grow taller. Choose the latter. Stand your ground, and before you know it, you won't be over your head anymore.
Sleep less. If you're sleeping eight hours a night, you can take on more. Not sleeping is good for you. It won't seem like it at first, but it is. It's part of what college is all about -- testing yourself, stretching your limits, examining and expanding your capabilities.
Don't misunderstand me. I don't mean that all of this will get you a better job when you graduate, or make your résumé more impressive, or even that anyone will recognize you for the hard work. It doesn't necessarily pay off when other people look at your record. But it will pay off for the most important person who's going to evaluate your educational experience -- you. And it'll pay off at the most unusual times.
It'll pay off one night at about 4 a.m. when you've just finished a paper and you're staring at the night sky or have walked to the Lawn. For it's at those times, exhausted and swimming in the quiet of the pre-dawn hours, that we can't help being honest with ourselves about who we are. At that point, the sleep deprivation and stress won't matter. There's not a better feeling than sitting in solitude, and knowing contentedly that you've pushed yourself, that you are responsible for getting the best education you can get.
Those are the moments that make college wonderful. Just remember, they're there for the taking. But no one's going to hand them to you on a platter.
(Bryan Maxwell is a Cavalier Daily associate editor.)
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