Salisbury University student Colin McEvers exhibiting signs of burnout.
Salisbury University students are entering their fifth week of classes for the semester, which means those happy-go-lucky attitudes may be diminishing and the will to complete your assignments may be waning. Learning fatigue is a real phenomenon, with approximately 45% of students struggling with emotional exhaustion and 7% of students facing direct academic burnout.
Thankfully, SU students have access to an array of helpful resources such as teacher office hours, the counseling center, the writing center and even tutoring. But perhaps those solutions aren’t appealing to you. After all, how can you find the time for any of that when you’re juggling a job and a lab science? Luckily for you, I’ve listed 5 more solutions to overcoming your schoolwork that would only partially hinder your education.
Dropout
Do you really need that diploma? Or would it just look nice on your wall?
Let’s just get this one out of the way since it is the most bold. It may be too late to drop out of that pesky English course (although not too late to withdraw) but it’s never too late to drop out of college entirely. Sure, you won’t get your diploma, but McDonald’s will start you out at $12.92 an hour which isn’t that bad for the golden arches.
However, dropping out wouldn’t resolve your crippling student loan debt; that would be a reality you’d still need to face. Rest assured, only 70% of college dropouts regret their decision in giving up on their diploma. If you’re a betting man like myself, you might say you’d like those odds.
2. Let it be
Speaking words of wisdom.
Let’s not cut to the extreme just yet though. Maybe it’s best to look at that trusty class syllabus. Maybe that analysis you complain to your friends about doing is only worth 15% of your final grade. In this case… just let it be! With some efficient studying for exams, consistent in-class participation and a sleepless night during finals week, you’re still looking at a maximum 85%.
Granted this 85% is going to be really hard to achieve, after all someone didn’t do their homework. But the name of the game is to stay above 60%. It’s like my high school history teacher said, “C’s get degrees!”
3. Pay that kid in your cluster to do it
I’m sure he won’t mind...
Perhaps you already tried tutoring and found out that the real dilemma is that you really do understand the material and you just don’t want to do the work yourself. In that case, find that kid you wouldn’t otherwise talk to and just peer pressure him to do your work. It’s not like it’s morally wrong or he has his own classes to worry about. If he seems a little reluctant maybe introduce him to your good friend in your pocket, 16th President Abe Lincoln.
It’s important to note that this is the riskiest solution as this is considered academic dishonesty and could result in a zero or more severe consequences like expulsion. On a completely unrelated note, did you know that 95% of college cheaters don’t get caught? A statistic I’m not entirely comfortable sharing to be honest with you!
4. Cry about it
It’s okay to let it out.
Let’s be honest, no heart-wrenching novel will ever make us sob more than Patterns of World History Volume Two. And once we accept that fact, maybe more of us will openly cry about our work before simply… doing it.
Maybe it’s just best if we accept the struggles of schoolwork and have a quick crying session to help reset the mind. After all, 50% of Junior University males reported crying once a month and 30% of Junior University females reported crying everyday! So next time you want to cry, tear that page of that textbook out and use it as a tissue. The bookstore won’t inspect it that closely when you return it. Maybe we need to start crying in order to start trying.
5. Flee the country
Sometimes the best solution is the one most complicated.
Sick of all the homework and no other solution seems to fit your criteria? Just leave. Go. Just tell someone that you’re moving first so you don’t end up on 48 Hours, but seriously, isn’t this a great idea? Who hasn’t wanted to just pack up and move in the midst of their life struggles instead of working everything out? Just take that first step. You’ll figure it out after the fact.
A passport book in the US is only $130. A passport card is $30. All it takes is a 13 hour shift on that sweet McDonald’s starting wage. What is it? Worried someone will stop you? Chase after you? You shouldn’t. Some of us are too busy doing our schoolwork.
By DAVID BOHENICK
Staff Writer
Featured image courtesy of David Bohenick