Concentrate or kick back? Make a decision soon

Work hard, party hard. Ultimately, balance is key.

By Molly Ball and Emily Bell

By the time you leave Yale, you (or your parents) will have spent about $120,000 on your education. That's enough to buy a Ferrari. Although you can't go through four years converting every class to dollars, you should be sure to get your money's worth.

Your parents, teachers and friends have always encouraged you. But you have your own expectations to meet. Your achievements from high school likely came from a powerful internal motivation. Chances are, you won't be satisfied with mediocrity. But for many of you, Yale will be your first chance to let loose. Why not shatter that nerd image you carried throughout high school? Slack off, party, take easy classes, and sleep all day.

College provides the perfect opportunity to explore new identities, but your social life shouldn't become the focus of your existence. Your image will survive a little nerdiness. Everyone here knows the value of hard work and hard play; no one will shun you for staying in to study. Chances are, the drunken frat guy next to you at Funnel Fest spent last night in writing a brilliant term paper. No one plays all the time.

A glance through the Blue Book will show you how much more there is to college than what appears in Animal House. If you're intent on squeaking by, you're going to miss a lot of the Yale experience.

Focus from the beginning and decide what you want out of your Yale experience. Undoubtedly, you have passions beyond academics, so pursue them. Also take the time to get to know the people around you. You really will learn just as much outside of the classroom as inside.

Balancing all of these facets of college life may seem overwhelming. No one is expecting you to do it flawlessly. Just remember to keep everything in perspective and to choose deliberately. You only have one shot at Yale.

You've paid your dues. Enjoy the next four years.

You've been waiting for years to go to college, to get away and see what you can do. You've spent four years of your life working hard in high school so that you could go to one of the best universities in the world. Now it's time to enjoy life. Why worry about your grades, your activities, and your major now? You've got plenty of time for that. You've got to live a little and have fun.

Go to all the parties that you never went to in high school. Start the rock band you always wanted to start. Act in a play. Paint. Strip. Maybe you'll find a talent you never knew you had. Freshman year is all about enjoying yourself, and not worrying about the consequences. I'm not condoning lethargy. I spent my freshman year dabbling in tons of activities and didn't find what I liked until my sophomore year. I was not alone. Most of my friends were also trying to figure out what they wanted out of college.

We all had clean slates coming in, and we could mold ourselves however we wanted. It was tough, though, and it required lots of exploration. But after dozens of parties and hours of hanging out, we saw that we had something invaluable--a lot of friends and memories we'd never forget. And that's what will make your Yale experience worthwhile. When you return for your 25th reunion, what are you going to remember? All the hours you spent studying or all the adventures you had with your friends?

You'll certainly find time to get your work done. You'll find a major that interests you. You'll come up with something to do when you graduate. There's time for all of that later. Right now, go crazy. Do everything you always wanted to do and then some. Discover everything that Yale has to offer. You've never had this much freedom before--seize the day!

Graphic by Matt Wiegle.

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