October 2018
To go, or not to go: it shouldn’t be a question:
Whether attendance justifies enduring
The trains and traffic of College Station,
Or to hold fast to the decadence of home,
And by remaining to stay? To stay: to sleep…
This is my version of Shakespeare’s famous “nunnery scene.” At this moment, Hamlet is going through his own existential crisis. He weighs his reasons for living and laments the trials that it come with. While my personal experiences here in College Station haven’t led me to that particular crisis, it has led me down a path where I lament the morning rush. “To go, or not to go,” I’m calling out to every young professional who’ve found themselves walking into their 9:15 a.m. course at 9:18 a.m., or your 1:50 p.m. STAT 651 course at 2:00 p.m.
Now there are really two scenarios in either case: 1) you gather your strength, walk in, look at your eight classmates (9:15 class), and sit down like nothing happened or 2) you concede defeat and spend your class time working on your research protocol instead. Your choice.
Now I'm not saying I do any of these things but here are some things I have learned in order to combat tardiness. For those earlier classes, being in the right mindset when you wake up can really help so I like to wake up to some peaceful sounds —whether it be Daniel Ceasar, the smooth sounds of KOKOROKO (Youtube it!), or even nature sounds.
The next part is probably the hardest — actually getting up. My most honest advice would be to get a pet, as my dog seems to know exactly when my eyes open and will just sit and stare at me until I get up. However, for those of you with allergies or a weird dislike for animals (yes, I said weird), try moving your alarm clock or radio, and when you get up to turn it off, drink some water and wash your face. I promise, after going through both the hassle of procuring water to drink and washing your face, you won’t want to go back to bed.
The last step is what I believe catches most people —as this is the hardest for myself – getting to your destination…ON TIME! There are many ways to get to campus and I can’t really say any of them are too reliable if you’re operating within a 15 minute window. Therein I recommend leaving at least 30 minutes before you’re supposed to be there. This is a personal struggle for me as I tend to use alternative means of transportation (skateboard, longboard, bikes, etc.) and can estimate pretty well how long it should take to get to my destination.
BUT, there are other nefarious elements at play. They come unpredictably and detract from your forward momentum. Yes, I’m talking about the weather, and as of late, it’s been an issue. You always have to be a little bit more careful when it’s wet outside, not to mention fighting the wind.
So as part of your morning preparations, factor in travel time and monitor the weather. Now, to answer the question “to go, or not to go,” I don’t know. Throughout my time in college, both as an undergrad and master’s student, I’ve been exposed to many different types of graduate students and I was honestly surprised at how many said that your research comes first and classes come second. So I guess I might talk about that next.
---
Chiefsweets
Whether attendance justifies enduring
The trains and traffic of College Station,
Or to hold fast to the decadence of home,
And by remaining to stay? To stay: to sleep…
This is my version of Shakespeare’s famous “nunnery scene.” At this moment, Hamlet is going through his own existential crisis. He weighs his reasons for living and laments the trials that it come with. While my personal experiences here in College Station haven’t led me to that particular crisis, it has led me down a path where I lament the morning rush. “To go, or not to go,” I’m calling out to every young professional who’ve found themselves walking into their 9:15 a.m. course at 9:18 a.m., or your 1:50 p.m. STAT 651 course at 2:00 p.m.
Now there are really two scenarios in either case: 1) you gather your strength, walk in, look at your eight classmates (9:15 class), and sit down like nothing happened or 2) you concede defeat and spend your class time working on your research protocol instead. Your choice.
Now I'm not saying I do any of these things but here are some things I have learned in order to combat tardiness. For those earlier classes, being in the right mindset when you wake up can really help so I like to wake up to some peaceful sounds —whether it be Daniel Ceasar, the smooth sounds of KOKOROKO (Youtube it!), or even nature sounds.
The next part is probably the hardest — actually getting up. My most honest advice would be to get a pet, as my dog seems to know exactly when my eyes open and will just sit and stare at me until I get up. However, for those of you with allergies or a weird dislike for animals (yes, I said weird), try moving your alarm clock or radio, and when you get up to turn it off, drink some water and wash your face. I promise, after going through both the hassle of procuring water to drink and washing your face, you won’t want to go back to bed.
The last step is what I believe catches most people —as this is the hardest for myself – getting to your destination…ON TIME! There are many ways to get to campus and I can’t really say any of them are too reliable if you’re operating within a 15 minute window. Therein I recommend leaving at least 30 minutes before you’re supposed to be there. This is a personal struggle for me as I tend to use alternative means of transportation (skateboard, longboard, bikes, etc.) and can estimate pretty well how long it should take to get to my destination.
BUT, there are other nefarious elements at play. They come unpredictably and detract from your forward momentum. Yes, I’m talking about the weather, and as of late, it’s been an issue. You always have to be a little bit more careful when it’s wet outside, not to mention fighting the wind.
So as part of your morning preparations, factor in travel time and monitor the weather. Now, to answer the question “to go, or not to go,” I don’t know. Throughout my time in college, both as an undergrad and master’s student, I’ve been exposed to many different types of graduate students and I was honestly surprised at how many said that your research comes first and classes come second. So I guess I might talk about that next.
---
Chiefsweets