On “The Perfect Kiss,” Bernard Sumner of New Order sings, “I have always thought about/Staying here and going out/Tonight I should have stayed at home… I said ‘let’s go out and have some fun.’” Besides belonging to the finest song ever released by the Manchester, England-based rock band, these seemingly nonsensical and contradictory lyrics speak to a dilemma faced by nearly all college students possessing both a taste for the nightlife and a desire to bring home a degree: staying in or going out?
We’ve all heard or are intimately familiar with the innumerable cautionary tales: the overprotected young man who went too hard, too quickly after his first taste of freedom from home; the sorority girl who discovered just how many free drinks can be earned purely on the premise of being attractive; the gaggle of freshmen who could never quite “beat the clock.” These stories exist because there are far too many realities disturbingly close to them. Unfortunately, many students do drop out of UF after being unable to successfully balance the demands of the academic pursuit and the quest for epicurean fulfillment at the bottom of a bottle. Although we have consistently proven to have one of the best graduation rates in the nation, an ideal world would see everyone who walks in as a Gator, leave as a Gator.
But we digress. For those of us who are still — and will hopefully remain — here, the decision remains difficult, complicated by nuances unique to one’s obligations, and above all else, class standing. The internal dialogue held by a freshman mulling over venturing out to Balls is very different from that of the senior looking to belt karaoke at The Backyard on a Monday evening. The freshman is worried about appearances and not vomiting all over his or her randomly selected roommate’s shower curtain. In contrast, the senior, at least the semi-responsible permutation, is concerned about making sure his or her end of the group project will be finished in time to overhaul his or her resume at a relatively early hour. Should that work out, then maybe, just maybe, if he or she finishes the freelance work that might translate into a full-time job at his or her dream publication, the senior will be able to go out and show off that killer rendition of “Promiscuous Girl” he or she has been promising his or her friends for weeks.
As simple as the contrast between these two scenarios may appear, it isn’t that straightforward. Yes, freshmen usually have less responsibilities to attend to: That’s a pretty uncontroversial stance. However, their time spent not managing twenty things at once is gearing them up for the time when they will. By the same token, it is critical that seniors make time in their schedules to not only let off steam, but enjoy what little time they have left being a college student in Gainesville.
As inane as it sounds, mastering the juggling act between hedonism and furthering one’s ambitions is one of the most important lessons college will impart. Upon graduation, the stakes are raised, and the decisions become more difficult. Choosing to get a “B” and a hangover over an “A” and a clear conscience is much easier than weighing financial security against happiness. For now, we’re happy to take the hangover.
