The first week of classes always feels ridiculously long, and I realized over the past few days that I bit off considerably more than I can chew. For some reason I thought it was smart to sign up for seven classes, three of them being advanced literature courses. I conveniently forgot that every literature class involves typically involves more reading homework than my brain can ever contain....and that amount is infinitely beyond my abilities (and sanity) when multiplied times three. So when I mentioned to my friends how overwhelmed I felt with my semester workload, they immediately proposed a logical solution: drop one of the classes. Their reasoning was solid, as they reminded me that I would be able to get that same credit during the semester I'm planning to study abroad. As they listed all the reasons why it would make sense for me to make my life easier by dropping the class, I found myself arguing with them....and I couldn't even figure out why I was putting up a fight.
Ultimately, I didn't want to admit I couldn't do it. This was absurd... first, because it's insanely prideful, and second, because I imposed this workload on myself. Dropping a class seemed like an admission of failure, when I'm really just admitting I'm human and that I need my sanity. It was a good wake up call at the beginning of the semester, to see the unreasonable amount of self-worth I put in academic performance and success. This is the last semester that I get to invest in the lives of many of my closest friends....why would I want to spend it pouring miserably over literature anthologies?
So I dropped a class, and I feel really good about it. I'll still have plenty of work (lots of Chaucer, Donne, and Milton in my future) but hopefully not to the point of insanity.
On a less serious note (maybe)......
Great things of an “entertainment” nature this week: Watching “24” while decorating my friends' wedding invitations (that combination just seems ironic to me), enjoying the two hour Lost premiere (twice), and our annual viewing of Lord of the Rings (we only got through the first one, but I'm looking forward to more in the months to come)!
Ultimately, I didn't want to admit I couldn't do it. This was absurd... first, because it's insanely prideful, and second, because I imposed this workload on myself. Dropping a class seemed like an admission of failure, when I'm really just admitting I'm human and that I need my sanity. It was a good wake up call at the beginning of the semester, to see the unreasonable amount of self-worth I put in academic performance and success. This is the last semester that I get to invest in the lives of many of my closest friends....why would I want to spend it pouring miserably over literature anthologies?
So I dropped a class, and I feel really good about it. I'll still have plenty of work (lots of Chaucer, Donne, and Milton in my future) but hopefully not to the point of insanity.
On a less serious note (maybe)......
Great things of an “entertainment” nature this week: Watching “24” while decorating my friends' wedding invitations (that combination just seems ironic to me), enjoying the two hour Lost premiere (twice), and our annual viewing of Lord of the Rings (we only got through the first one, but I'm looking forward to more in the months to come)!
January 26, 2009 at 7:26 PM
Probably a good move dropping that class. I'm often amazed at how much academic work you can handle, but even you have limits. You need your sanity!
January 30, 2009 at 10:55 AM
i had to drop a class last semester. I went through the same turmoil. Way too much work/stress load on my brain. Very glad I did that.