Céline Zahno | Nobody said it is easy being a student
Nobody said being a student is easy. At least not to SophieDisclaimer: Sophie is an imaginary student, invented for the purpose of satire. Any resemblance to real people is purely accidental. , a German political science student at the UvA. She is struggling, especially to manage all the time she has on her hands. A full day, from beginning to end, holds so much potential, yet so little to hold on to.
She has implemented some habits that help her find structure. She usually goes to the gym first thing when she wakes up (that is only after 11:00 though, so she does not arrive during rush hour). After that, she looks out the window while studying with her friends to count the clouds and ignore the countless readings she still has to do. In the evening, she finds it helpful to stay on her phone until late, so she does not wake up before rush hour ends again at the gym.
“I really wish that someone would have told me how tough it would be. Maintaining this routine takes a lot of my energy, so obviously my resources for concentration are limited”, she admits.
But there is a glimpse of hope: Sophie thinks that things could be different if education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf’s plan to lower the BSA would be approved. “I really think it can make a change. I’ve been failing some of my courses, but with even more courses that you do not have to pass, it will just be easier. I congratulate Minister Dijkgraaf on that decision. I am glad the political class finally takes the mental well-being of us people into account.”
Indeed, learning new things about how the world works all day long can be exhausting. Recently, Sophie has felt her brain forming so many new connections that she actually finds herself noticing new things in her daily life. “It can be a lot to handle, so I am working on creating a better study-life balance.” So far this has been going well for her.
“I try to actively ignore the things I learn at university in my day-to-day life. This has made it so much easier to do the same things I used to do, without having a bad conscience. For example, I recently booked a flight back home to Germany, even though I could have just gone by train! I almost paid more to compensate for the CO2 emissions but I managed not to.”
It is not always a smooth process though. “Recently more people are coming to the gym at 11:00. I need to find a new time and that is going to change my entire routine. But later in the day I have a seminar and I already failed the course once. I am hanging in there, but it is not easy.” With a lower BSA, students could overcome such struggles and opt for less “study” and more “life” in the equation.
Sophie does not think that potential disaster will await students when they have to retake all the failed courses on top of the normal coursework the year after. She recommends: “You can just extend your studies like I will. I am not planning to start working anytime soon anyways, since I’m struggling to wake up as early as would be required for a job.”
She considers getting one when she will be back in Germany. “Right now, the Dutch government pays for much of my education anyways. Since I am also not paying taxes, I am really getting the most out of my experience! I do have to admit, despite the hardships, I am enjoying it so much. To all potential new students: I know my situation sounds dire but take that into account too!”
Céline Zahno is a Political Science student at the UvA. She is from Switzerland.
