Why is it that in many situations we work best under the most stress? This question has perplexed me time and time again, especially when racing the clock to rationalize the inconceivable amount of hours I’ve pissed away doing anything besides being a prepared student.

When I finally reach the goal of finishing what I should have started long ago, I do achieve a sense of satisfaction, although it’s not for fulfilling my original vision of the project. The inspiration behind this satisfaction is merely knowing that in a matter of hours, I completed the work that should have taken weeks.

Unfortunately, even if my work merits an A, it feels just as bad as plagiarizing. The purpose of a cumulative assignment is to solidify the knowledge you’ve gained throughout the quarter. Regurgitating facts and arranging them in a moderately coherent manner without the extensive knowledge of the subject matter that the course has to offer means that on the whole, little information was retained.

This severely compromises academic integrity – a concept that is almost as alien and undervalued as work ethic to our generation, except to a handful of overachievers.

Like many students, I am guilty of heinous procrastination with little room to criticize others for sub-par study habits, and (like many students) this has not significantly sabotaged my GPA. I feel guilty for not genuinely earning the grades I’ve received, but I’ve been able to maintain a 3.4 GPA without prioritizing academics over personal interests.

Contrary to my overzealous assessment of contemporary education’s excessive shortcomings, the hard truth is that this egotistical attitude is a feeble facade. The miniscule amount of people in this world living up to their maximum potential compensates for the majority of mankind willing to settle for mediocrity. I believe this to be a product of fear, because those who embrace every daily opportunity maintain an unfaltering sense of confidence.

OK, OK, I may have strayed a bit too far off the tracks of the train of thought that I was formerly riding on. When it comes down to brass tacks, there are many textbooks I wish I had actually read, and many tests I wish I would have studied for. And it may be too late to change the past, but it’s never too late to change the future.