IN JUST over a month, stu-dents will walk down the Lawn for the last time, as graduates. And if your commencement is anything like mine in high school, I'm sure you heard the line about being "the future leaders of our country" as many times as you skipped class senior year.
As cliched as it sounds, though, our teachers and counselors spoke the truth. One day, we will lead this country.
But that time has not yet arrived. Going to college, we have freedom and the time to enjoy it before we really grow up. It's supposed to be the twilight of our youth, like some dream out of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
But who are we really kidding? Far from taking time out, it seems as though many students are increasingly overextending in their pursuits.
Most students here have schedules crammed full of activities and commitments. The rigor of classes and schoolwork keep many busy even on Saturday night. With little extra time, we catch each other on the go with cell phones and plan to "do lunch," quickly entering the date into Palm Pilots. And the pressure of an application, job interview, or competition almost always looms.
But in reality, we are just students, here to earn an education. This basic principle is increasingly challenged by the ethos of our generation. In particular, the "elite students" of this country who comprise the University's student body are characterized by a strong desire to achieve, please and accept authority, according to David Brooks, a journalist for The Atlantic Monthly.
Mr. Brooks recently wrote an article entitled "The Organization Kid," about students similar to us here at the University (The Atlantic Monthly, April 2001). Though he visited Princeton University to shadow and interview undergraduates, his conclusions are no less striking and relevant to our own community. He identifies many trends among current students that are visible every day of the week around Grounds. Several of his general observations are interesting and reflect well on us, such as our motivation, politeness and dedication to service. But he made some less flattering characterizations, as well.
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Sure we're motivated - but only for big bucks careers and lifestyles. Yes, we're polite because it will get us where we want to go. And volunteering is a great way to build that resume. In short, he asserts that we'll be good leaders, but we're misguided in our goals.
In spite of Mr. Brooks' cynical and distorted view of reality, there are several truths to his reflections. As one of my professors frankly said, "Too many students spend too little time thinking about what they're doing and why." He went on to say that "they're consumed by doing everything possible, doing it better than everyone else, and they don't leave enough time for the important things in life." In other words, focusing too narrowly does not benefit us as much as we may think.
Clearly, one cannot paint with broad strokes. We can point to various subcultures all over the University that defy these observations. But for many, life runs by the date book - and there are few blank spaces. As Mr. Brooks observed from conversations with students at Princeton, their daily schedules "sounded like a session of Future Workaholics of America." Ferris Bueller we are not.
The quality of students that schools such as Princeton and the University attract explains part of Brooks' story. However, once we get here, the competition continues. The constant pressure to stand out among our peers only increases.
Granted, this isn't an entirely bad trend. It certainly doesn't imply that we should drop out or stop caring. And we all know that life isn't a vacation. But this ethos can have many negative effects, despite the merits of hard work. Poor mental and physical health often results, including depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, sleeping disorders and anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health's Web site.
So next time you are on your way to a meeting or activity, stop and think about who's expectations you're fulfilling. Sometimes, we all need a break.
It's worth considering how you want to feel walking down the Lawn when it's your turn. You still probably will get that job if you cut an activity out. Talk to someone about stress if it seems hard to manage. And it's O.K. to take a day off once if necessary.
Just make sure to have as much fun as Ferris did.
(Katherine Martini's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kmartini@cavalierdaily.com.)
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