I know your parents don't want to hear this, but Oberlin students use a bunch of dirty language. One of our favorites is work.
It's heard all the time in passing conversation, and you'll even use it yourself without catching it. Work is this amorphous body of things that must be done by some set future time, whether it be next week or the end of the semester. It can come in the form of reading, paper writing, studying, projects, group meetings, etc. It's an all-encompassing word that is used as the predominant excuse for not going somewhere or doing something, and it hangs over us in the evenings, on weekends, or anytime that we know we're supposed to be good little students but just really want to do something else. And we say it with bitterness, and heaviness, but know it is a horsepill we must swallow to make us good students and even better people.
Understanding the concept of work indicates a level of development in a college student's life. However, part of knowing what it means and entails also means that we know when a deadline isn't immediate. So sometimes we choose to head for the more time-pressing issues: fascinating lectures and forums, concerts at the 'Sco, recitals, and theater and dance performances.
Chances are the non-work options available to you are educational, culturally enhancing, and the kind of thing that you'd kick yourself for not going to. Is there a magical solution? One would say balancing work and play, but if you think about it... play is a four letter word too.
Are Oberlin students procrastinators? Not exactly. We just decide to organize our time to make sure we get the most of our educational experience.
