Nowadays, with an increasing amount of activities filling up a rigid time frame, there is always the problem of deciding what to devote your time to. When we decide what to do, we are influenced by the people we know, the events that have happened, and our own preferences.. Encompassing all these influences, in my opinion, are two categories: short-term and long-term. Whether or not one gives an action priority depends on whether or not one looks at the consequences in the near future or in distant future.
This issue came up recently when I had trouble deciding what path to follow: study fastidiously for standardized tests or continue to participate in sports at Uni. Looking at this conundrum through my short-term lenses, or perhaps my parents', the former path seemed more logical. I sacrifice a portion of my social life and some of my physical health for a better chance of entering a well-acclaimed institution of higher learning. Imagining myself standing in my 25-year-old shoes, studying hard for these tests clearly seemed like the right choice. My parents would be as proud as I would be if I got into a good school. I would be surrounded by intellectuals and I would be getting payed high salaries. I probably improved the quality of my life significantly by getting accepted into this great college.
You may be wondering why I categorized this as a short-term priority, because it seems so far away. Let us take a bigger step back.
I now imagine myself standing in my 65-year-old shoes, and suddenly devoting huge amounts of time to these tests seem kind of foolish. When I think of my teenage-years, will I remember the long hours studying into the night, or the happy moments that I spent with my cross-country and track teammates? More importantly, will I want to relive those tedious moments? No, I'd want to remember myself as a playful youth rather than a child who wants to grow up too fast. True, getting into a better college may beget more great memories than a sports-season can, but they won't be the same.
This issue came up recently when I had trouble deciding what path to follow: study fastidiously for standardized tests or continue to participate in sports at Uni. Looking at this conundrum through my short-term lenses, or perhaps my parents', the former path seemed more logical. I sacrifice a portion of my social life and some of my physical health for a better chance of entering a well-acclaimed institution of higher learning. Imagining myself standing in my 25-year-old shoes, studying hard for these tests clearly seemed like the right choice. My parents would be as proud as I would be if I got into a good school. I would be surrounded by intellectuals and I would be getting payed high salaries. I probably improved the quality of my life significantly by getting accepted into this great college.
You may be wondering why I categorized this as a short-term priority, because it seems so far away. Let us take a bigger step back.
I now imagine myself standing in my 65-year-old shoes, and suddenly devoting huge amounts of time to these tests seem kind of foolish. When I think of my teenage-years, will I remember the long hours studying into the night, or the happy moments that I spent with my cross-country and track teammates? More importantly, will I want to relive those tedious moments? No, I'd want to remember myself as a playful youth rather than a child who wants to grow up too fast. True, getting into a better college may beget more great memories than a sports-season can, but they won't be the same.
Wow. I never really thought about testing this way. I always get incredibly stressed out when I think about standardized testing because I make everything such a big deal. "If I don't study I won't do well on the test and I won't get into college and I won't get a job and blahblahblah" I forget that I need to stop and realize that THEY AREN'T A BIG DEAL. at least not in the (very) long run.
ReplyDeleteNice post Vinay!
Vinay, this post does a good job of putting the different stresses in our lives in perspective. While we are required to take standardized tests in order to apply to college, the other things that we choose to do (like playing sports or participating in other extracurricular activities) are what make a lasting impression on us and truly show our personalities. I think a lot of other students can relate to the self-reflection you have; they identify themselves more by how dedicated they are to the sports they play than by how much they study a night or their test scores. The final paragraph of this post is really well-written. You make a convincing argument for why colleges should focus less on standardized testing and instead direct their attention to applicants' extracurricular activities.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...this is a different take on the age old issue of academics versus social life and athletics. I think you did a nice job of summing up why exactly athletics and high school memories will be important to us as humans in the long run. I also agree with what Gabby said about putting the stresses in our lives into perspective. I think it's cool that you think so far into the future. I guess only time will tell, in the sense that growing older will reveal the quality of previous decisions we made.
ReplyDeleteVinay, I think you made the right decision, especially because no matter how much you study for standardized tests you can only do so well, and colleges will actually be very happy to see your dedication to sports (especially because you're such a great athlete) and that may help you get in to great schools too! Colleges don't like kids who only use their time to study. Of course, test scores are important but passion and dedication to extra curricular activities are important too. Try not to stress out too much about the whole process and enjoy you high school years! I think you're doing the perfect thing.
ReplyDeleteGrace Anastasio
P.S. Of course it's good to go to a really good school, but no matter what you do now I know you will get into a great school, and honestly employers don't much care where you went to college. They care more about graduate school. Just something to keep in mind!
This was a great post! I often think about where I will be 10 years in the future, and for me that is long-term thinking. I rarely think about what my life will be like 50 years from now! It's so refreshing to put things into that perspective. I'll try thinking that way next time I freak out about something :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I have actually never thought about that before! Imagining myself at 65 savoring memories from my youth makes me feel better about spending so much time having fun and so little time actually diligently studying. Though I suppose there's a balance as well; if we didn't study at all, we might have a wealth of bad memories of not being able to get into a good college and such. I think Grace made a good point, colleges do pay attention to extracurriculars, and I think if you can balance out the two then you can manage to have a good time in the long term and short term (or long term and very long term, depending on how you think about it).
ReplyDelete