The lines to the bar may be a little longer. The shelves of the liquor store may be barer. The music blaring from fraternity houses may be louder, at least compared to a typical Tuesday evening in State College.
This week, weeknights seem like weekends — all in an effort to commemorate “Syllabus Week,” the unofficial name given to the first week of a college semester when students supposedly only have to worry about going to class to get their syllabi and confess that they have webbed feet or got a new puppy for Christmas during an icebreaker.
No college campus is immune from having its students want to skate by with short classes and no homework at the onset of the spring semester, including Penn State.
As Penn State students ventured out of their apartments and dorms onto a snow-covered campus Monday afternoon, some chatted among themselves about where the special of the day would be.
Lucky for them, the Shandygaff tweeted that the downtown State College bar, located at 212 E. Calder Way, would open Monday evening for all their “Syllabus Week activities.”
And a few blocks away, students huddled together in their North Face jackets as they waited in line to enter Mad Mex, located at 240 S. Pugh St., for discounted drinks that same night.
The next day, it was evident by the many students wrapped in scarves and hats hurrying to their first classes of the semester that some were struggling to leave their homes.
“Don’t go to class, you’ll make me feel bad,” one student shouted from a snowcovered porch to a woman heading to class.
The woman shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to make plans to meet at the bar later that evening.
Though it may be tempting to take advantage of the easy first week course load by heading to the bars with friends who you haven’t seen since finals week in December, students shouldn’t lose sight of why they chose to attend Penn State — to receive a world-class education.
The first week of classes may be the most important week of class. It’s an opportunity to get acquainted with professors, learn their teaching styles and meet classmates you may be able to rely on for missed notes.
Endure the long lines in the bookstore — it’ll pay off to be on track with your reading schedule. Finals week will be here before we know it, and many of us may regret forgoing reading the first few chapters in our textbooks to take advantage of Syllabus Week.
Nearly all Penn State students make sacrifices to earn a Penn State diploma.
Last year, more than 74,000 students or 80 percent of Penn State students received some form of financial aid.
It’s unlikely that the cost of a college education will decrease any time soon.
Penn State tuition slightly rose last year and may continue to, depending on state appropriations.
To make ends meet, many students work several jobs to afford tuition payments.
But it’s almost impossible to escape debt. Last year, about two-thirds of Penn State students who graduated with baccalaureate degrees, graduated with student loan debt that exceeded the national average by $8,500.
Every class comes with a price tag. Students should value each day of their semesters, even the first week of classes.
College is a time of exploration. It’s a time to learn more about yourself before you begin working a job 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That’s why biology majors are required to take English classes and why journalism majors have to learn how to manage their checkbooks. Education has the power to transform your life.
Take advantage of every minute inside the classroom. When you’re sitting in an office, working the same job every day, you’ll miss sitting in a classroom and having the opportunity to exercise your brain.
Don’t skip that horticulture general education class because you have no interest in science. Go to it, maybe you’ll learn something. I heard you learn how beer is brewed in one of them.
If nothing else, maybe that’ll come in handy for spring break.
