It’s Sunday night and you’ve officially spent more time at the library than sleeping last night. Your stomach’s grumbling so loud, you’re worried the hot guy studying next to you might hear. Luckily, your friends are also ready to grab some grub. You suggest getting salads and relaxing with a movie.
From there, all goes south. One girl suggests Chick-fil-a. Another proposes sushi. Pizza, Five Guys, Potbelly’s, do these girls know what calories are? Tempted, you weigh your options: go with your friends and shove some severely toxic garbage down your throat and induce early-onset diabetes or go to the diner alone and grab your everyday salad in hopes that it’ll make up for the one-too-many Tequila shots you effortlessly tossed back last night. The clock is ticking and this decision has the potential to make or break all your future dinner dates.
Whether it’s going out on a Tuesday night with all your friends, eating that bowl of ice cream that’s screaming your name, or going home with the guy you met at the bar, college is full of unexpected temptations. Taking a step back and analyzing the situation, especially before you are quite possibly inebriated enough to have tossed your inhibitions out the window, is necessary when it comes to avoiding major regrets.
When the tall, dark, and outrageously handsome guy from the bar asked if I wanted to go “talk more in private,” I was more than ready to head out and “take a tour” of his apartment. But, through the hazy cloud that was blurring my ability to make mom-approved decisions, I was able to quickly dissect the situation and consider the pros and cons of this delightful dilemma.
The good: make-out with a hot guy and maybe get a free, oversized tee (and hope the fumes of Axe and Old Spice come out in the wash).
The bad: endure an inevitably awkward conversation on the way back, run into his roommate(s) on a search for the bathroom, encounter a questionable photograph next to his bed, wake up sober in the morning (and hope he remembers your name), getting back home, and the consideration that, despite his extremely captivating appearance, he is a flaming psychopath. I’m sure you’re capable of concluding the practical plan-of-action.
In the moment, I was too captivated by his protruding jaw line, glistening green eyes, and bulked-up biceps to consider the disadvantages of what seemed to be an ideal situation. However, after recalling the cons of going home with this Ryan Reynolds look-a-like, I concluded that being stranded in a repulsive apartment with a stranger, no matter how hot, is much worse than a night spent tucked into my warm and cozy bed.
****************
It’s time to get ready for that dreaded 8 a.m. math class. You check your weather app: 37 degrees. You pull aside your shades: overcast and pouring rain. Your blankets are so perfectly wrapped around your body. You’re warm and dry and you know the second you walk outside, you’ll transform into a soaked, half-asleep zombie. It’s just math class: you can’t be missing that much. You still have a week and a half until finals; that’s enough time, right?
To skip or not to skip, that’s the question. But you reconsider, remembering an argument you prepared in case of such a dire emergency. Is an extra hour of sleep really worth your 4.0?
Maddie Braman, a freshman psychology major at Lehigh University, has managed to conquer her desire to skip class on several occasions. For Braman, it’s hard getting up for a class that you have little interest in or is all the way across campus. However, her main motivation for not skipping class is “knowing that [she’s] choosing to be here and that [her] parents are paying money for every class.” She proposes a great argument: “If I don’t go to class, then why am I even there?”
****************
You’ve been trying to prepare for your Poli Sci exam for days. While attempting to focus as best you can, your phone vibrates. You glance over at your phone and see that it’s a message from that hot frat guy in your history lecture. Now you have to answer. He has sent you an invite to his frat’s 80’s-themed party. You LOVE the 80’s!
Your deliberation begins. You’ve been studying for four hours and your exam isn’t until 10 a.m., so you should be fine.
Then you start having doubts. There’s a high possibility that you’ll get home past 2 a.m., miss your alarm, and show up half asleep, half drunk, or a healthy combination of both to your final. So a similar question applies: is one night out worth your course grade? It’s not the last party you’ll go to so set your priorities straight before you make a decision you’ll inevitably regret.
Freshman communications major Emma Burke is a big believer in “everything in moderation.” Burke acknowledges the importance of balancing school life and social life and sees value in prioritizing and planning. She believes “it’s important to prioritize everything” and an exam “should be at the top of your list!”
Normally, Burke plans a fun weekend to help her “power through the week.” She likes to finish all her work during the week so her weekends serve as a reward for all her hard work. To fulfill our dreams of a 4.0 and raging social life, Burke’s advice seems to be our best bet.
College isn’t like high school. You can’t sparknote a book, write a paper, and get an A. College requires effort and makes you question every ounce of confidence you once had in your ability to do well. The world of college requires balance. Doing well in school while also maintaining a routine workout schedule, eating healthy, and being social are tasks that require you to set priorities so you are able to achieve all your goals without sacrifice. These temptations aren’t going away. It’s on you whether to give in to the steaming plate of spaghetti, hot guy from the bar, frat party, and Chem lab. But remember, the pressure to resist temptation is less destructive than the consequences of giving in.