Studying Blues? Go For a Drive!
Andrew Korchok
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: News
It's that time of year again.
A time of year where students cringe and cram as final papers are due and the ever-lurking horror known as exam season looms closer and closer like the dark clouds that steal away the fresh autumn weather. It's a time of stress and anxiety for many students and the pressure of multiple assignments and life-altering exams can be downright maddening. So what can one do to alleviate the studying woes? Get lost!
First of all, get out of your house. Being crammed into a stuffy, windowless room with one roomate playing Guitar Hero and the other engaged in a futile attempt to make Kraft dinner by putting it in the oven really is not an environment that lends itself to producing essay ideas, and the constant smell of burnt macaroni really won't help you memorize the passive periphrastic of the third Latin conjugation. Resist the urge to get sucked into the beguiling peril of academia known as Facebook, because you always, always spend way more time on the internet than you plan. Don't turn on the TV, lest you get caught up in the mind-meltingly addictive drama that is the new 90210. And no, watching House does not qualify as studying for biology.
So you have to get out of the house. Fine. You can go for a walk. How relaxing that will be. The biting autumn wind coupled with the plethora of cars speeding by isn't exactly my idea of tranquility, and the traffic lights and high-rises really don't add up to make a relaxing bit of scenery. So that's out. Go to the mall? You could, but then all you'll do is come out with a bunch of clothes you'll never wear.
When I was young I used to loathe car rides with my parents. Sunday afternoon they would tear me away from whatever form of electronic entertainment I was glued to at the time, toss me in the back of the van, and off we'd go on a scenic country drive. I hated it. Strapped in the back seat with no Gameboy and nothing to do, I was relegated to staring out the window at row upon row of trees and bushes, wishing I was instead at home watching Beast Wars. I used to wonder why on earth my parents found this pleasant. I thought it was perhaps one of the most brutally boring forms of torture a young boy could endure. Now, however, I think I understand what they saw in it. Driving sets you free from daily life in a way a trip to the mall or a walk outside never can. You can go anywhere, and nowhere. For that afternoon, you don't have to worry about the deadlines, the exams or the essays. All you have to worry about is keeping the car on the road.
A time of year where students cringe and cram as final papers are due and the ever-lurking horror known as exam season looms closer and closer like the dark clouds that steal away the fresh autumn weather. It's a time of stress and anxiety for many students and the pressure of multiple assignments and life-altering exams can be downright maddening. So what can one do to alleviate the studying woes? Get lost!
First of all, get out of your house. Being crammed into a stuffy, windowless room with one roomate playing Guitar Hero and the other engaged in a futile attempt to make Kraft dinner by putting it in the oven really is not an environment that lends itself to producing essay ideas, and the constant smell of burnt macaroni really won't help you memorize the passive periphrastic of the third Latin conjugation. Resist the urge to get sucked into the beguiling peril of academia known as Facebook, because you always, always spend way more time on the internet than you plan. Don't turn on the TV, lest you get caught up in the mind-meltingly addictive drama that is the new 90210. And no, watching House does not qualify as studying for biology.
So you have to get out of the house. Fine. You can go for a walk. How relaxing that will be. The biting autumn wind coupled with the plethora of cars speeding by isn't exactly my idea of tranquility, and the traffic lights and high-rises really don't add up to make a relaxing bit of scenery. So that's out. Go to the mall? You could, but then all you'll do is come out with a bunch of clothes you'll never wear.
When I was young I used to loathe car rides with my parents. Sunday afternoon they would tear me away from whatever form of electronic entertainment I was glued to at the time, toss me in the back of the van, and off we'd go on a scenic country drive. I hated it. Strapped in the back seat with no Gameboy and nothing to do, I was relegated to staring out the window at row upon row of trees and bushes, wishing I was instead at home watching Beast Wars. I used to wonder why on earth my parents found this pleasant. I thought it was perhaps one of the most brutally boring forms of torture a young boy could endure. Now, however, I think I understand what they saw in it. Driving sets you free from daily life in a way a trip to the mall or a walk outside never can. You can go anywhere, and nowhere. For that afternoon, you don't have to worry about the deadlines, the exams or the essays. All you have to worry about is keeping the car on the road.
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