Many students first arrive at college thrilled to finally study something they love and expand their horizons, like everyone promised them that they would. Then, they find themselves halfway through their sophomore year and knee-deep in their major’s upper-level courses, and learning becomes more about passing their next midterm than the initial passion they entered with.
Suddenly, they resent their major and wonder where their love of learning has gone. As an English major, I’ve gone to literary readings and lectures, and getting to sit and listen without the looming threat of a pop quiz or an essay reminds me of why I chose my major in the first place.
I genuinely love my subject, but the classroom setting can replace personal interest with obligation. Seeing speakers who have survived my position as an undergraduate and are now pursuing their niches has also inspired and revamped my excitement for my studies.
If you feel like your intellectual endeavors have become mechanical, or that you stopped being a “student of the world” to be a “survivor of chemistry,” view Campus Life Experiences as a couples therapist for your relationship with learning.
CLEs offer a unique experience where you can engage with any topic on a deep level with no strings attached. They are often free, don’t impact your grade and don’t require any commitment to engage further after the event. They let you learn for learning’s sake.
Though attending CLEs is a graduation requirement, which can attach a sense of obligation to the events, they are actually a chance for autonomy over your curiosity. Without letter grades on the line, you can go to lectures or workshops for any subject that interests you and engage with it, free from any external pressures that take away from the fun.
I’ve gotten to see political speakers, learn about social issues, watch musical performances and hear art history lectures — none of which have anything to do with my majors or career plans — and I have always come out with my curiosity reinvigorated.
Though CLEs don’t demand further interest after the lecture or workshop, I often find myself naturally doing follow-up research or looking for more campus events in a similar field. A few times, an insight I’ve gained from a speaker has snowballed into a passion project or a new idea for an opinion column.
By offering a more elective learning experience, campus events nurture your sense of intrinsic motivation, which people find to be much longer-lasting and satisfying than learning motivated by grades. While pursuing knowledge with careers in mind, it is important to have autonomous outlets for curiosity so that we don’t lose touch with intellectual passion.
