Sitting on the Lawn today, I joined legions of slackliners, girls in sundresses and boys reminiscent of Easter eggs. What started as a group of three blossomed into almost 10 as friends joined after classes. Aside from receiving my first sunburn of 2015, I had one of my loveliest afternoons at the University. We played Hozier’s album twice, crashed a Guide’s tour and indulged — for the first and last time — in blueberry coffee.
While I browsed my email and finalized a study abroad application, I listened to a nearby group of girls reviewing for an economics test. I soon realized that, two weeks prior, I had fully expected to be cramming for the same exam.
I recently withdrew from Macroeconomics, but not because I hated the subject or found it too difficult. In fact, Professor Coppock’s lectures were compelling and relevant to my Global Studies and public policy majors. Instead, I withdrew because I didn’t have time to genuinely learn the material.
If I had been studying today, I would not have been doing so on the Lawn. I likely would have turned into an over-caffeinated yet exhausted social recluse, feebly attempting to catch up on a myriad of unread textbook chapters. I do not have a natural affinity for economics, and if I had stuck with the course, I would have needed to regularly put in several extra hours to learn and understand the material. When it came down to it, I was unwilling to make that commitment.
I joined a handful of fairly time-intensive organizations this semester, all of which I am extremely excited and passionate about. I gave up economics not only to concentrate on my other courses, but also to dedicate more attention to refining my public speaking, writing and photography skills. Nonetheless, this decision was not made without a considerable internal debate.
For University students, letting go — frankly, admitting fallibility at all — is an agonizing endeavor. Dropping Macroeconomics, often deemed an easy course, produced feelings of embarrassment and shame. I compared myself to a friend in the Engineering School who has a 23-credit semester — a course load nearly twice my own.
If I learned anything from my abbreviated time in economics, it is that life is about tradeoffs. By withdrawing, I gave up any possibility of receiving intermediate honors. I must now accept the consequences that come with a blemished transcript — though, according to my dean, the abominable stigma behind the “W” is almost entirely student-constructed.
I intend to pick up Macroeconomics again in the summer — I think that understanding the material is far more important than when I take the course. With just one month until finals, I’m definitely busy, but not drowning like many of my classmates. And for the first time since entering college, I get eight hours of sleep fairly regularly.
I’m not condoning slacking off, but I do want to urge my peers to remember to be kind to yourself. Withdrawing from a class in order to pursue non-academic interests was one of the best decisions I’ve made at the University. This semester has been one of consistent, unequivocal happiness which has permeated the atmosphere and people around me — truly a positive externality.
Tori’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at v.travers@cavalierdaily.com.
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