Once upon a time, going to college meant getting an education. Attending a university was a means of attaining higher knowledge. Being a student was a discipline. Learning was a commodity in itself. This sounds like a fairy tale compared with the reality of our day. College has become a place that everyone who graduates from high school is expected to trudge off to. They go to seek after the most painless way to earn a piece of paper that will get them a high paying job. The pursuit of true scholarship and wisdom is an afterthought, if it is considered at all.

It doesn't have to be this way. College does not have to be just one more meaningless holding area where you are kept until you can begin your stint in the "real" world. It need not be yet another hoop to jump through. College can be a thrilling time, an adventure, a challenge, the launching pad for an excellent and satisfying life. In order for it to be all these things to you, you need to see your years of secondary schooling for what they truly are; a time of advanced learning.

People who seek after advanced learning will take difficult classes. Your motive for signing up for courses you know to be thoroughly challenging and enriching should not be ego driven. Don't aspire to be learned to look good at cocktail parties. Don't take hard classes because you are trying to prove to the world (IE. your parents or your professors) that you are a genius. Simply devise your course load in a way that will present you with the best opportunity for optimum understanding. Be open and eager to experience the basics of every discipline. This will only equip and prepare you to excel in your own area of expertise. Educated people know a little bit about everything. They know how to learn and are always desirous to ingest more knowledge.

The first day of any class you will witness a stark contrast. Just glance around at the faces of your classmates as they look over the class syllabus. Drop/add period has become the time for students to shop around for an easy class to pass. Many of them will look immediately for the bottom line: How many papers, how many books, how tough is the material, how tough is the grading scale. If any of these proves to be the least bit intimidating, you won't be seeing this person come next class period. I challenge any student to ignore the concept of drop/add. Don't be tempted to bail out if a professor seems too intense. If you signed up for the class and are able to arrive and pay for it, attend it and do your very best.

Empty "A"'s are like empty calories. Easy classes are the cakes and candies of college life that may seem sweet at first but soon leave you feeling empty and hungry for something real. Anyone with brains can show up to class and coast through college doing the bare minimum. If all you want is a diploma, it is possible to get through college without a whole lot of effort. If what you want is to be exposed to a variety of subjects taught by high level academics who will stretch the limits of your understanding and ability, don't settle for cake classes. Satisfy your hunger for learning with the most serious courses you can sign up for.

A college degree is meant to teach you more than academic subject matter. You should also learn the discipline of hard work, time management, self sacrifice, and how to cope with failure. Taking difficult classes in college will teach you these important life lessons and more. Do yourself a favor when signing up for your next semester; take some tough courses. You'll get your money's worth, expand your personal borders, and learn something incredible in the process.

Learn more about this author, Tiffany Coley.
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