Very few people start the school year feeling concerned about whether or not they will actually learn the material set out by the syllabus.
School hasn’t started yet, but we are already feeling the pressure of UCLA life. Our student fees are rising, we’re about to get hit with reading and homework and, for some of us, there is still the worry of summer session grades. We’re also dealing with other worries that students face, like getting into graduate school, landing an internship or a job and passing classes.
There is one worry that often gets cast aside: how much are we actually learning? This question is of little concern for many students who simply want to get good grades and become successful in the real world. In spite of all the worries we face, attempting to learn seemingly unimportant material is the only way to make something of our undergraduate education.
With all the stresses students face, it is hard to blame them for shirking learning in favor of trying to get by with as little work as possible. Most students know how to get good grades in classes without reading, without working, even without going to class. This practice of simply skating by does not allow us to realize our potential.
When we do not put in the effort, we do not learn. We are not preparing ourselves for the working world, where trying to do the absolute least amount of work possible doesn’t cut it.
Oftentimes, I find myself avoiding really learning the material, especially as the quarter goes on and everything seems to pile on. But, to really make the most of our education, which will be $2,514 more expensive over the next year, we have to make time for classes and reading.
If we are unable to take time out of our busy lives to learn the material, then college is useless. When we do not attempt to learn, the thousands of dollars we spend amount to simply buying a pretty piece of paper with our names and a couple of words on it.
Of course, most of this column has been a bit idealistic; I realize that we aren’t going to learn or read everything set out by a professor. The most important thing we can do is at least make an effort to learn the material and try to come out of every class better students and better people. Although we may not become experts on the classes or the subjects, at least we won’t be wasting money and time, either.
E-mail Feeney at dfeeney@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.