But why?
Odds are that my third sleepless night was not particularly constructive, but judging by the fact that Wu library was filled with people, I knew that my peers were still toiling away even after I was exhausted. Princeton's endless work cycle is one of the few things that actually separates us from our peer schools, but I am concerned about they type of work it fosters. The sleepless nights spent behind desks improve a very specific type of skill set. There are certainly other important things to learn besides memorizing dates, equations and vocabulary; unfortunately, a very specific type of self-improvement is encouraged here. In part, I think the administration has inculcated the workaholic lifestyle into Princeton students.
While at home this winter break, my friends from high school went on exotic vacations or spent time at home sharing stories with their families. They were all comfortably divorced from the hectic world of college life. I, on the other hand, was constantly thinking about my foreign language exam and the dozens of vocabulary words that slipped my mind every night. Eventually I riffled through my bag and reviewed vocabulary to put my mind at ease. The academic calendar is a structural impediment to valuable self-reflection.
As easy as it is to blame administrators for my non-vacation, there is also a student-reinforced culture of overwork. As I transition from schoolwork to summer work, I have asked some of my friends what their summer plans are. Here is a brief sampling of their activities: going to St. Petersburg, Russia to learn Russian, interning for the United Nations in Khartoum, researching cell division in breast cancer, taking four pre-med courses at Duke University, working two internships in Washington, D.C., and training for the Olympics.
I was both impressed and horrified by my friends' wide spate of activities.
Even in the few precious weeks that Princeton students are totally unburdened, we find ways to work 18-hour days and rob ourselves of sleep and relaxation. Whatever happened to the idea of summer as a time to relax, sit back and lazily spend your days with friends on the beach? While I appreciate the desire to work in a field that you are passionate about, it seems a little crazy that in our "down time" Princeton students lead just as hectic lives. My peers are just as guilty as any calendar-planning administrator.
I asked a high school friend what he was doing the summer after senior year. He slowly responded, "Nothing; I just want to enjoy my time here." I quickly prodded, "OK, but after you enjoy your time, what are you going to do?"
I had clearly missed the point. There is something to be said for spending time with the people you love, and that certainly cannot be taught at an eight-week internship or while working for the United Nations.
Perhaps our compulsion to work is a function of the type of people that Princeton accepts: Highly motivated, deeply passionate, work-loving tools. My own inability to enjoy unstructured time probably has a direct correlation to my high school successes. I make daily schedules, write down everything of possible interest and am always five minutes early to every event I attend. Sure, I might be a little anal, but at Princeton, my type of behavior is rewarded. I have yet to meet anyone at Princeton whose summer plans are to "hang out" at home.
Maybe Princeton is full of incurably dorky, work-loving students. If that is true - and my brief time on this campus seems to confirm that - then my only hope is that we are all working at jobs that speak to our passions. If you are hopelessly in love with financial services, enjoy your corporate internship. If you have recurring dreams about protein synthesis, run off to the lab for eight weeks.
As for me, I will be traveling to Tanzania for an eight-week intensive Swahili language program and helping underprivileged youth in Dar es Salaam. I will enjoy every second of it.
Michael Collins is a freshman from Glastonbury, Conn. He can be reached at mjcollin@princeton.edu.
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