Thomas Jefferson said, “Never neglect your education for your studies.” When I first heard this quotation, it didn’t make sense, I failed to grasp the point of differentiation between education and studies. But the more I have thought about it the more I realize that it raises an important point. “Education” is more than just sitting in a classroom, taking notes, absorbing yourself in books, memorizing facts, taking tests, writings paper that will only ever be read by your teacher. Those things are just “studies.” Education requires immersion into the real world. It requires you to try, experience, fail, and try again. I realize this now, but I didn’t always feel this way.
Freshman year was easy. I coasted through school, meeting new people, trying new things. I was young, curious, interested in a lot but passionate about very little. Sophomore year, the academic rigor of high school began to pick up. Classes where harder and I had to work to attain the same level of academic achievement as Freshman year.
I became obsessed with my grades. All that mattered was an unrealistic pursuit of perfection in every class. I asked questions during break, I spent lunch in the library, I came straight home from school to start my homework, usually finishing studying around midnight. I didn’t sleep much. I worked all day, non-stop on weekends. I didn’t spend time with my friends and family. I studied and studied and, ultimately, I received stellar grades handed down to me by smiling teachers who made comments about the natural ease with which I seemed to achieve so much.
I was empty. I only engaged in limited activities outside of school. I told myself I didn’t have time. Volunteering might compromise my ability to study for my math test. I didn’t want to expand my interest in journalism because I wanted an A+ on the next English exam. I was learning about European history and angular velocity, but I didn’t understand the world around me. I wasn’t engaged with the world. I didn’t have time.
Junior year something changed, an irony given the fact that junior year was largely heralded as the year in which the rigor of the academics would become unbearable. Yet, after sophomore year, I knew I both needed and wanted a change. So, instead of telling myself I didn’t have time to do things outside of school, I just did them, and it worked.
True, things got a bit crazy. I slept even less. Family time was cut short. Vacations became periods to catch up on work. But I learned a lot. I left school after lunch on Tuesdays to lead a group of six and seven-year-olds at an intercity school through discussions about race, gentrification, and poverty. I missed school to attend a social justice advocacy conference at Wesleyan. I expanded my passion for journalism and began writing more, earning paid editor jobs at two website startups. I was picked to attend leadership conferences across the country. I began consulting for different companies trying to better understand and connect with young people — the New York Times, Wildfang, Wildness, Navigate. I led a school trip to a rural village in Nicaragua. I was flown to Chicago to give a presentation about research I’d done on the brand preferences of Gen Z.
The opportunities and experiences were incredible. The research company I work for in Chicago offered me a full-time job, asking me to keep working with them through college and to become a regular employee when I graduate. The CEO said they would pay me, but he also said, “It’s not about the money, it’s about the experience.” Don’t neglect your education for your studies.
Throughout this wild, crazy year, my grades didn’t suffer. I was spending less time on my homework, less time studying, less time in my teachers’ offices. My weekends were too full with meaningful activities to spend all day preparing for tests. My afternoons were too packed to devote six hours to homework. I wasn’t always perfect, but at the end of the year my report card reflected grades that were the same or better than the previous year.
And, I am happy. I have friends. I talk to my family. I get my schoolwork done more quickly and efficiently. And, most importantly, I supplement the work I do at school with work in the real world, learning not from a book, but from the world.
Senior year, I want to continue to do the same. I’m excited about my teachers and their classes. At the same time, I’m excited about the different projects and opportunities I’ll be pursuing outside of school — my next goals and challenges. As a senior, it seems only right that I perform well in school, but I’ll also be focusing on the future.
I know I’ve been lucky. I’ve been encouraged to pursue activities outside of school by my parents, friends, teachers, and mentors. They’ve suggested that I apply for things, been there for me when my schedule felt unmanageable, pushed me to see a value beyond academic perfection.
I call on schools, family, and society as a whole to promote a sense of flexibility similar to what I have been afforded for all young people. Allow us to experiment, have jobs, travel, be a part of the world. Much valuable learning happens within the classroom, but even more valuable learning happens outside of the classroom. Learning that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. So, let’s stop neglecting our educations for our studies!