Everyone Has ADD!! ADD!! Especially At Col... Oooh! Cupcakes!
It's been a week since the fall semester of intellectual indoctrination began and we're already finding excuses not to study, even if it is just the syllabus. It's not like we don't want to study psychophysiology, far from it, there was just too much going on! First, there was the Student Involvement Expo where students could attain critical college wisdom and free necessities such as pizza, Jimmy Johns subs, tests for carry-conceal permits, iPods, and a spiffy bag to carry them in! Then we had to secure our football victory against Texas A&M Kingsville, even if it meant putting off studying to watching the game. We even went as far as to hire the UPD as an armed escort for the treacherous trip down Demers Ave and 42nd to the Alerus. It's been a busy week!
However, if you think that's bad, wait till you pile on the midterms, the papers, the research projects, the partying the night before the exam, all the while trying to live the college experience without waking up in the emergency room with no recollection of the night before. There's enough distractions here at UND to give even the most urban-dwelling city slicker prairie fever. Even with only four places in Grand Forks open 24 hours (that we know of but would love to hear of more), there's plenty on campus to distract us from studying.
First, there's the social networking that is Facebook and Myspace. Nothing pasts the time better than befriending Jesus, Ghandi, Barack Obama, and syphilis on Facebook or spending an entire class hour trying to reenact the six degrees of Kevin Bacon (By the way: Obama was my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room mate). Along with social networking, the Internet has other guilty pleasures such as youtube, which gives you the unique opportunity to experience a communist military parade without Stalinist side effects such as being purged, subjected to an artificial famine, or given the distinct honor of working for the people in Siberia.
Then there's student organizations where they offer as many special interests as the magazine shelf behind the gas station counter. If there was one of you in high school with interest A, chances are there's at least 20 of you in college with the same passion. With each group you join there's weekly meetings, quarterly events, occasional protests and disorderly conduct at the Republican National Convention, and leadership positions demanding more of your time. It doesn't take long for student organizations to take up more time than your class work.
Lastly, one of the largest distractions are your friends. Granted having close friends in college is an absolute must in order to survive, however, they can consume more time than a PBS telethon and you won't walk away with a free tote bag for time spent (this column made possible from the emotional support from readers like you!). You could be sitting at home, the deadline is tomorrow, you haven't started, but you and your friends are hanging out in front of a nondescript fence sipping on Alamo [root] beer breaking the silence every now and then with a nonchalant “yup,”or “mmm-hmmm.”
The trick to combating distraction is to simply eliminate them or learn to control them. For your first year or so at college leave your video games, television, hookah, personal vehicle (especially if you don't have a block heater), and, of course, your personal problems at home. Learn to manage your time before you bring your distractions with you. You, your parents, or the state is paying for you to learn here, not play with your Wii every night no matter how stimulating it may be.
However, if you think that's bad, wait till you pile on the midterms, the papers, the research projects, the partying the night before the exam, all the while trying to live the college experience without waking up in the emergency room with no recollection of the night before. There's enough distractions here at UND to give even the most urban-dwelling city slicker prairie fever. Even with only four places in Grand Forks open 24 hours (that we know of but would love to hear of more), there's plenty on campus to distract us from studying.
First, there's the social networking that is Facebook and Myspace. Nothing pasts the time better than befriending Jesus, Ghandi, Barack Obama, and syphilis on Facebook or spending an entire class hour trying to reenact the six degrees of Kevin Bacon (By the way: Obama was my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former room mate). Along with social networking, the Internet has other guilty pleasures such as youtube, which gives you the unique opportunity to experience a communist military parade without Stalinist side effects such as being purged, subjected to an artificial famine, or given the distinct honor of working for the people in Siberia.
Then there's student organizations where they offer as many special interests as the magazine shelf behind the gas station counter. If there was one of you in high school with interest A, chances are there's at least 20 of you in college with the same passion. With each group you join there's weekly meetings, quarterly events, occasional protests and disorderly conduct at the Republican National Convention, and leadership positions demanding more of your time. It doesn't take long for student organizations to take up more time than your class work.
Lastly, one of the largest distractions are your friends. Granted having close friends in college is an absolute must in order to survive, however, they can consume more time than a PBS telethon and you won't walk away with a free tote bag for time spent (this column made possible from the emotional support from readers like you!). You could be sitting at home, the deadline is tomorrow, you haven't started, but you and your friends are hanging out in front of a nondescript fence sipping on Alamo [root] beer breaking the silence every now and then with a nonchalant “yup,”or “mmm-hmmm.”
The trick to combating distraction is to simply eliminate them or learn to control them. For your first year or so at college leave your video games, television, hookah, personal vehicle (especially if you don't have a block heater), and, of course, your personal problems at home. Learn to manage your time before you bring your distractions with you. You, your parents, or the state is paying for you to learn here, not play with your Wii every night no matter how stimulating it may be.