Am I the only one who’s tired of being labeled as apathetic, just because I’m a college student?
I may not have a mortgage, but I certainly have a lot going on. Every day students deal with research papers, three-part exams, power point presentations, and endless lectures on afternoons when we want nothing more than to be outside enjoying the sun.
Being a student is a full-time commitment that takes consistency, creativity, and organization. Not to mention the fact that on top of four or five academic subjects, we’re also juggling sports, hobbies, socializing, and working.
So why does there seem to be a universal understanding that our age group contributes the least to society?
I think that the main reason for this stereotype is that many of us don’t vote. The consensus is that we don’t vote because we don’t care. False. Of course we care.
Current economic hardships are leading to inflated fuel and food prices, but whether we carpool or bike or walk, we all make it to class. And whether we scrounge for enough change to pick up $5 foot longs, or create diets based on top ramen and cheap booze, we’re all still eating, and staying at least marginally healthy. And we’re working towards degrees so we can better our futures and the collective future of our society.
So instead of writing us off and deciding that we must not vote because we don’t care, maybe it’s time that we examine why we don’t vote.
Look at the major campaign platforms and the issues addressed in public debates. They talk about retirement funds and family life, not subjects that reflect the concerns of your average college student.
They don’t talk to us, so a lot of us don’t listen. If they want more of us to vote, they should care about us a little more instead of yelling at us. Yes, I vote, and I hope you do, too, but I’m not going label an overworked classmate as a useless slob just because he or she has other things on their mind.
Another reason why we’re labeled as apathetic is because adults often take for granted that being independent and taking care of yourself takes effort when you’re not practiced enough for it to be second nature.
Children are supposed to be taken care of, adults are supposed to run the world, but are teenagers and college kids just useless?
Maybe if it was acknowledged that jumping from childhood to adulthood is not a simple one-step transition, our elders could see that we’re actually doing exactly what we should be doing: focusing on figuring ourselves out so that we can become the citizens who contribute as much as they do.
We are independent, hard working, and good-natured, and while we may be ditzy or klutzy or inarticulate or unorganized, we are by no means lazy. Anyone in our age group who takes care of themselves deserves a pardon from the label of apathetic, anyone who works deserves praise, and anyone who is manages to work and be a full-time student practically deserves a Nobel Prize. It’s simply impossible to juggle all those things without ambition and effort.
Please don’t think less of us just because we’re still growing up. The expression “apathetic college student” should be considered an oxymoron.