Dearest classmates,
First semester of freshman year is a semester meant for exploring, trying out new clubs and classes, and getting a sense for how college is going to be (I hear freshman fall is JUST like senior fall!!) For the most part, we haven’t pushed ourselves too far. We took the standard number of classes, maybe joined a club or two, went out a bit on the weekends, and as every workshop loves to say, we all “leaned into discomfort.” But, after the successful middle ground of first semester, it appears to me as though many of you view second semester as the point at which to drastically diverge from this, Robert Frost style. Some of you are pursuing vastly hedonic lifestyles, succumbing fully to the wonders of excessive sleep and liquid bread, while others turned to stoic existences, rife with ceaseless homework and either exacerbated or newfound coffee addictions (<– have Blue State’s sales gone up since the start of second semester? LMK).
To those who are going out on a Monday night: Spare your liver!!! I know that guy can regenerate and all, but let’s leave that to those salamanders that lose limbs. I know you will all adamantly claim that this lifestyle is totally conducive to maintaining a good academic record, and that you’re still getting good grades, but those are just alternative facts. For your own sake, please experience daylight a bit before you fully convert into a nocturnal creature.
To those who are in the SciLi basement until 3 a.m. on a Friday: Why are you pushing yourself like an actual work horse? The hard part was getting in!! Why are you living like this now??? Drop that 5th class this instant and get out of the SciLi basement before you get to the point that sunlight burns your retinas.
In the spirit of Goldilocks’ three bear friends, us Brunonian bears ought to pick what’s “just right” for us. I argue that extremes aren’t going to be successful for very long, and some stabilizing selection (thx @ Prof Miller) will bring everyone back to a more moderate lifestyle. So, either that will happen or some people will burn out. You can still evoke your uber nerd or party animal, my friends, just in moderation.
xx
