In the year of 2025, paying attention in college lectures has become almost an impossible task. Our computers host an unbelievable, endless number of distractions. New York Times Games, homework, text messages, Instagram, Canvas, ChatGPT…the list goes on forever. On top of that, we sit in lecture amongst hundreds of other students, who are also often not paying attention, all while the professor drones on about earthquakes or equations or English literature, all information that we probably don’t even need to pass the class.Â
Given the obstructions to our attention, it only makes sense to not pay attention. After all, nobody is, except the few we deem as try-hards or teachers’ pets. But, even though most people are doing it, does that mean it’s the right thing? The end all question I find myself pondering is: how much should we really care about our college classes?Â
Paying too much attention in class, or doing all the readings, feels ridiculously fruitless. I think it is in part because academic learning for the sake of learning is an increasingly dead art. We’re in college, paying tens of thousands of dollars, to ultimately advance our careers and lead a successful life in the path we pursue. So, if we are required to take General Education classes about dinosaurs or rocks that are unrelated to what we want to study, why try to learn? What do you gain from it?
A career-focused college experience comes with the constant thought of getting internships and networking. So many students spend so much of their time focused on networking and extracurriculars that can advance their future opportunities, like clubs or applications. This is certainly smart, and necessary, in an age where every successful adult I know has emphasized networking over anything else. However, this also takes away massively from our classes, prioritizing activities like these that are strenuous already and putting classwork that is often unimportant to us on the back burner.Â
Given these undeniable circumstances of our modern world, truly caring about college classes seems not only impossible, but also futile. Nonetheless, deep learning and intellectual curiosity are highly important during this unique time of our lives, where we can truly gain knowledge and make use of the hours and hours we spend attempting to learn. Some of my favorite classes have been ones where I’m not allowed to use technology, forcing me to pay attention. It’s undeniable that actually learning can be useful, despite our environment telling us to do as little as possible to get by.
So what’s the solution? Here’s what I think. For starters, think hard about what you enjoy learning, and pursue that relentlessly. Make pains to take classes that you are actually passionate about, because when you do, it changes everything; you’re not only wanting to care about your classes, but you’re actually gaining something useful out of it. Even if they challenge you, you might find that you end up being grateful for that.
Learning for the sake of learning is so, so difficult. I can’t blame you if you can’t care about the material in your classes given everything else you have to do, including even social life, a massive point that I didn’t even touch on. But, I’ll say this: it feels good to learn and care about your classes. Maybe not every class, sure. But doing more than what’s enough to scrape by in your classes can actually turn out for the best. This is as much a reminder to you as it is to me!