The deeper value in procrastination
Paromita De
Issue date: 5/5/08 Section: Forum
Right as my high school graduation party was wrapping up one night four years ago, someone told me that college would be the best four years of my life and to make the most of my experience. I didn't take his advice seriously at the time because I thought it was cliché and didn't think living my undergraduate years in a meaningful way would be difficult. It is only now that his statement resonates with me the most, for as I write this column only three weeks of college remain. While college gave me many occasions to wonder if I was making the right choices and making the most of my time at Wash. U., looking back, I really don't see how, for me, life could have been lived any other way.
When I asked my dad what subject to write about for this piece, he jokingly suggested, "Well, just tell the truth. You were lazy for four years, and you didn't do any work."
While I won't claim that I didn't do work for four years (okay….maybe my total work done in college amounts to three years), there have been instances where my laziness has been oddly justified. Somehow, whatever I did when I was unproductive tended to lead to different academic opportunities never open to me before.
My tendency to meditate on the meaning of life in the middle of my calculus section and jot down poems in the margins of psych notes during lecture made me realize that I personally was taking the wrong sort of classes, and the programs in English/writing and Social Thought and Analysis helped set me straight in channeling my random thoughts-whoever thought people could appreciate a sestina on lost opportunity and cake?
Another major reason to avoid work in college was my love of Bollywood movies. Nights with friends were spent indulging in the saga of Veer and Zaara or being impressed with the crime-fighting skills of Mr. India. Since I invested greatly in these movies, I decided to take Hindi, just as the language program here really started to bloom. The establishment of a Hindi minor, starting next fall, and the possibility of a South Asian studies program are exciting and I cannot wait to see how they grow.
However, the biggest cause of procrastination over these last four years had to be Facebook. Time that could have been spent outlining chapters or highlighting text were instead used to go log in and answer such pertinent questions as "are they really going out with each other?" and "who does he think he is-Kevin Federline?" However, when those questions turned into "how did people ever go to college without Facebook?" and "how is Facebook changing Wash. U.?," I was motivated to write my senior STA thesis on Facebook and the Wash. U. community-an experience that was both challenging and eye-opening. It seems strange that what I did when I was unproductive turned out to work in my favor. However, I think it shows that in choosing what we study and really what we devote our minds to for four years, we really have to go with what engages us. For the undergrads still waiting for their Commencement, I recommend you choose classes-whether for a major or an elective-based on what you love to do and the questions you find that you ask yourself. Whether you seek answers as to why a certain painting is historically significant or how you can succeed in the corporate world, using your years at Wash. U. to answer those questions will never be time wasted.
While I now understand the depth of the advice given to me after high school, now that I have completed college, I don't see why the best experiences of our lives have to be limited to only four years. Even though I know the real world and the Wash. U. bubble are vastly different, I hope that in whatever jobs we work at or lives we pursue, that we-the Class of 2008-use what we learned in college about what we value and what makes us happy to make our post-college days just as fulfilling for us.
Since this is the last opportunity I have to speak to everyone as an undergrad, I would like to give my thanks to Wash. U. Thanks to the faculty like Prof. Brockmann who have encouraged me to voice my opinions, and our thesis group advisor Bret Gustafson whose support during my thesis writing has been like that of a friend, not necessarily because thesis writing has taken me away from all of my other friends.
To everyone I have worked with in ResLife, the Office of Publications and the School of Law, thanks for giving me opportunities to give back to the University and grow in ways I could have never imagined. I look up to all of you, and I will definitely listen to the pointers in life that you all have given me.
To my residents, old and current, I can honestly say that I have gained something positive from meeting each and every one of you, even if you were one of the bad babies (and you know who you are...Jason Feldman!). I wish you all the best with your remaining undergrad years and encourage you to go ahead and have all the fun that you want-hey, I certainly won't be here to break up any more of your parties! (Though someone else probably will be there...sorry….)
To my buddies who have made college an exhilarating and wonderful time, thank you for always being there for me and teaching me through your kindness and strength what a true friend is. Some of you are going to law school, med school, TFA and some of you are even getting married, but I hope that wherever life after college takes you, you find your bliss.
Class of 2008, its been a long and crazy ride, and I was glad to take it with all of you. Congratulations!
Paromita De is graduating from the college of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached by e-mail at pde@artsci.wustl.edu.
When I asked my dad what subject to write about for this piece, he jokingly suggested, "Well, just tell the truth. You were lazy for four years, and you didn't do any work."
While I won't claim that I didn't do work for four years (okay….maybe my total work done in college amounts to three years), there have been instances where my laziness has been oddly justified. Somehow, whatever I did when I was unproductive tended to lead to different academic opportunities never open to me before.
My tendency to meditate on the meaning of life in the middle of my calculus section and jot down poems in the margins of psych notes during lecture made me realize that I personally was taking the wrong sort of classes, and the programs in English/writing and Social Thought and Analysis helped set me straight in channeling my random thoughts-whoever thought people could appreciate a sestina on lost opportunity and cake?
Another major reason to avoid work in college was my love of Bollywood movies. Nights with friends were spent indulging in the saga of Veer and Zaara or being impressed with the crime-fighting skills of Mr. India. Since I invested greatly in these movies, I decided to take Hindi, just as the language program here really started to bloom. The establishment of a Hindi minor, starting next fall, and the possibility of a South Asian studies program are exciting and I cannot wait to see how they grow.
However, the biggest cause of procrastination over these last four years had to be Facebook. Time that could have been spent outlining chapters or highlighting text were instead used to go log in and answer such pertinent questions as "are they really going out with each other?" and "who does he think he is-Kevin Federline?" However, when those questions turned into "how did people ever go to college without Facebook?" and "how is Facebook changing Wash. U.?," I was motivated to write my senior STA thesis on Facebook and the Wash. U. community-an experience that was both challenging and eye-opening. It seems strange that what I did when I was unproductive turned out to work in my favor. However, I think it shows that in choosing what we study and really what we devote our minds to for four years, we really have to go with what engages us. For the undergrads still waiting for their Commencement, I recommend you choose classes-whether for a major or an elective-based on what you love to do and the questions you find that you ask yourself. Whether you seek answers as to why a certain painting is historically significant or how you can succeed in the corporate world, using your years at Wash. U. to answer those questions will never be time wasted.
While I now understand the depth of the advice given to me after high school, now that I have completed college, I don't see why the best experiences of our lives have to be limited to only four years. Even though I know the real world and the Wash. U. bubble are vastly different, I hope that in whatever jobs we work at or lives we pursue, that we-the Class of 2008-use what we learned in college about what we value and what makes us happy to make our post-college days just as fulfilling for us.
Since this is the last opportunity I have to speak to everyone as an undergrad, I would like to give my thanks to Wash. U. Thanks to the faculty like Prof. Brockmann who have encouraged me to voice my opinions, and our thesis group advisor Bret Gustafson whose support during my thesis writing has been like that of a friend, not necessarily because thesis writing has taken me away from all of my other friends.
To everyone I have worked with in ResLife, the Office of Publications and the School of Law, thanks for giving me opportunities to give back to the University and grow in ways I could have never imagined. I look up to all of you, and I will definitely listen to the pointers in life that you all have given me.
To my residents, old and current, I can honestly say that I have gained something positive from meeting each and every one of you, even if you were one of the bad babies (and you know who you are...Jason Feldman!). I wish you all the best with your remaining undergrad years and encourage you to go ahead and have all the fun that you want-hey, I certainly won't be here to break up any more of your parties! (Though someone else probably will be there...sorry….)
To my buddies who have made college an exhilarating and wonderful time, thank you for always being there for me and teaching me through your kindness and strength what a true friend is. Some of you are going to law school, med school, TFA and some of you are even getting married, but I hope that wherever life after college takes you, you find your bliss.
Class of 2008, its been a long and crazy ride, and I was glad to take it with all of you. Congratulations!
Paromita De is graduating from the college of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached by e-mail at pde@artsci.wustl.edu.
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