getting over lt

Unit1Gettingfamiliarwithuniversitylife

IfIwereaFreshmanAgain

ByThomasArkleClark

he

pastimesinwhicheveryoneperiodicallyindulgesisthepleasant

hallucinationthatifheweregiventheopportunitytolivehisyouth

allofus,eventhoughwehavenomorethanreachedmiddleage,

givesoneavirtuousfeelinginimaginationtododgeallerrorbutitis

extremelydoubtfulifmanyofus,evenifwehadacondchance,

wouldavoidmanyofthepitfallsintowhichwestumbled,orfollowa

merelypleasantforustoconjecturewhatweshoulddoifwehada

condtryatit,itmaybeprofitableforthowhoareyoungerto

foresightcouldbeasaccurateasthebackwardview!

Workfewerhours

IfIwereafreshmanagainIshouldnotworksomanyhoursas

enoughhourswithmybooksinmyhands,butIdid

udents

whomIknew,andIwasoneofthissort,spentagreatdealoftime

ookinhandtheylookoutofthe

windowatthecloudsorattheprettygirlspassingalongthestreet,

andallthetimetheydeceivethemlveswiththeideathattheyare

working.

Manyanevening,whentheworkwasheavy,Iwoulddetermine

tobeginearlyandgetitoverwith;butIcouldspendhalfanhourin

arrangingmybooksandgettingmylfatedinacomfortablechair.

asmuchtimein

goadingmylfontodutiesthatIshouldhavelikedtoshirkorin

eafreshmanI

shouldplanmywork,Ishouldtrytodevelopconcentration―I

shouldworkharderbutnotsolong.

Learntoworkwithpeopleaboutme

sIliveda

readingandmystudyingalone,and

thoughthereweresomeadvantagesinthismethod,therewere

stoftenworkunderdifferent

conditionsthanthobywhichIwassurroundedincollege;thereis

worktobedonewherethereisnoquiet,andIdoitwithdifficulty.

AsItriedonacrowdedoceansteamertoputthewandering

thoughtsonpaperIwasconstantlyannoyedbytheconfusionabout

meandbythespasmodicattemptsatconversationmadebya

learnedtoworkunderdifferentconversationsImighthaveturned

veitisa

greatadvantageforayoungmantodohisworkhimlf,buthe

shouldnotsubjecthimlftotheslaveryofdoingitalone.

Takemoredifficultwork

Ishouldtakeasafreshman,ifIhadmyworktodooveragain,

moreworkthatIhavenoespecialfondnessfororthatIfinddifficult.

Ilikeaneasytimeaswellasanyone,andIdonotwishtogivethe

impressionthatIthinkitanerrorforastudenttofollowthe

toffactI

believethatastudentshouldchootholinesofworkalongwhich

itverylikelythatthothingswedo

mosteasilyweshalldobest;butIhavefoundthattrainingcomes

throughstruggle,andthatthopeoplearedevelopedmostwho

resistmost,orwhostruggleagainstdifficultyandoppositionand

ownagoodmanygenius,buttheygenerally

hadthemostcommonplacecareersbecautheyneverlearnedto

dodifficultordisagreeablethings.

Studentscomeintomyofficeeverydaywhowanttogetoutof

workortodropasubject,ortocutaclasxercifornobetter

reasonthanthattheyfindthedutydifficultortheinstructororthe

ethings

Iamforcedtododuringthebusydaysofthecollegeyearareunpleasantthings

eenforcedto

learntogivethethingsmybestattentionwhetherIlikethemor

hadlearnedinmyfreshmanyeartodomoresuch

things.

JustyesterdayasIwassittingatthebreakfasttabletalkingtoa

youngfreshman,inwhomIhavearathervitalinterest,astonext

year'scour,IsuggestedasubjectwhichIthoughtgoodforhimto

take."Isiteasy?"washisfirstquestion,andwhenIansweredinthe

orldinwhichwemustintime

worktherearefeweasyroads,lbeforced

eafreshmanIshouldlearn

todosuchthingarly.

Becomeareadyspeaker

Likeagreatmanypeople,IsuppoIamnotnowdoingthe

ona

fatalist,butIamconvincedthatmenhavetheirworkchonfor

suppod

thatIshouldbecalledupontospeakonthemostunforeen

occasionsanduponthemostunfamiliartopics,Ishouldhavegiven

mylfwhileincollegethepracticewhichIbelieveisthemethod

learnedthat,soonerorlater,everyintelligentmaniscalledupon

publiclytoexpresshisideas,andnomatterhowabundantthe

thoughtsmaybe,hewillsuffermuchpainandhavelittlesuccess

unlesshehashadprettyregularandpersistentpractice.

Iranacrossanoldclassmatelastspring,anengineerofnolittle

repute,whomIhadnotmetsincethedayofourgraduation."How

wouldyouchangeyourcour,"Isaidtohim,expectingthathe

wouldlongformoremathematics,"ifyouhaditalltodoover

again?"

"IshouldlearntowriteandIshouldlearntospeak,"he

answered,"sIavoided

everyopportunitytodoeither,withtheideathatonlyministersand

lawyershaveneedofsuchpractice,

boyistobeanengineer,butIamgoingtoethathedoesnotmakethe

mistakethatImade."

WhenIamcalleduponunexpectedlytospeak,andmyknees

shake,andmyvoicefalters,andthewordthatIlongforcomeswith

difficulty,orfailstocomeatall,Iagreewithmyclassmate,andI

feelsurethatifIwereafreshmanagainIshouldlearntospeak

correctlyandwithoutnotes.

Learntoplaywellsomeathleticgames

IwishthatasafreshmanIhadlearnedtoplaywellsome

tentirelyforthepleasurethatIshouldhave

derivedorshouldbeabletoderivefromthisfactthatIfeelasIdo,

succeeds,asallhopetodo,

hegetsintoabusinesswhichislikelytobecruellyexacting,andhe

tisno

pleasuretohitabagthatsimplyboundsbacktobestruckagain,or

topullupaweightthatdropsstupidlyandinertlydowntoberaid

ratherhoeinthegarden,sawwood,orbeat

ovirtue

inanyofthemachineryorinanyofthe“systems”devidby

shrewdinventorsforkeepingthehumansysteminidealworking

ohavepleasureinexerci,Iwillnottakeitfrom

anofdutyonly;itmustbeinaphysicalcontestwhere

somethingdefinitecanbeaccomplished,whereIhaveagoalto

dratherplayagoodgameof

there

arefewthingsthathelpmoretokeepmenyoungandstrong,and

readyforthedailybattlesthangoodphysicalhealth;andthe

maylearn,ofcour,lateinhiscollegecareerorevenafterheisout

ofcollege;butpriceandawkwardness,andthemanifolddutiesof

thedaycomeinandpreventone’oesnotdevelop

someskillwhileafreshmanheisveryunlikelytodosolater.

…

Bemoreinterestedingeneralcollegeactivities

Iamwonttosaywhengivingadvicetoyoungmenjustentering

collegethattheonethingafreshmanshouldgivehistimetoisstudy–all

otherthingsarerelativelyunimportant;yetifIcouldbea

freshmanagainIshouldtrytobemoreinterestedingeneralcollege

matterssuchasconnectthemlveswithyoung

womenIthinkthefreshmanmayverysafelypostponeuntillaterin

s

arethemainthing,butnottheonlything,andthefreshmanwho

failstodevelopsomeoutsideinterestisusuallymakingamistake.

Themerebookwormisnotsolikelytobesuccessfulasthemanwho

ctoriansoftenmakeavery

commonplacecareerbecautheirinterestsaretoonarrowand

eafreshmanI

shouldhaveatleastoneavocation–onethingthatshouldgive

relaxationfromeverydayworkandbringmeintoclocontactwith

men.

Whatthissideinterestshouldbedepends,ofcour,uponthe

eathleticsifheshowsanyskillinthis

direction;itmaybereligion,ororatory,orpolitics;butIbelievehe

willbebetteroffifhegoesintosomethingthathelpshimtostudy

menaswellasfacts.

Itisadelightfulexperienceandagreatopportunitytobeable

tospendfouryearsincollege,butitisoneImaynothaveagain.I

madesomemistakes,Imisdsomeopportunities;butafterallIam

notsurebutthatthethingsIgotarebetterthanthethingsImisd,

andifIhaditalltodooveragainwhoknowsbutthatImightlack

tenttoletthingsbe

astheyare.

1900words