fourth year evan lasseter

Ah, yes. Mid-August and the student body is back in Athens. It looks different, and for good reason. Most of us are reading our syllabi from the desks in our homes, or from our beds in my case, instead of at a desk in a classroom of our peers. Most days, Tate looks more like a deserted bar in an old Western film than the bustling hub of campus we know it as. Thanks to the University’s cluster of a COVID plan people are still required to migrate to classes on campus. There are still people here, but noticeably less. I have to admit the vibe of the change is strange, but unquestionably necessary.

So here we are folks, in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar and daunting start to the semester. In fact, it seems like everything is different except one tiny fact. When I'm scrolling through my syllabi from the comfort of bed, I still find a swath of overpriced textbooks— and boom. As the reality of COVID’s impact on our college life is resting over me, the reality that school and work and learning won’t be stopped hits too. I have fifty pages of textbook reading due for Zoom class in three days. Yet the reading is just past the punch of the price tag– and is it even safe to go to the bookstore?

My hunch is that reading textbooks is the unspoken bane of academic college life. The myths surround big tests or projects. The same old tales of “you better study because your whole grade is based on three tests” are prominent. These oral legends from high school teachers or guidance counselors hold truth, but no one tells you about the week to week grind of mowing down academic writing. Most of us may not even do it, yet a lot of us have to. My AP Biology teacher told us we needed to read the textbook for her class. I didn’t of course, but I still made an A (Made a 2 on the exam tho). When college hit I quickly learned when the professor says you need to read the text, you probably need to read the text.

So I did. I found that textbooks can be fun. What’s the key, you might ask? Loving what you learn about. I think the most central piece of advice I could give to anyone entering college revolves around that. Truly live by the cliché of “follow your heart,” because college can be daunting. Being impassioned by what you read and what you hear in lecture can make the academic rigor sustainable. Like duh, an Ecology textbook is tolerable for someone who really gives a shit about the environment. I love theology, so The Historical Figure of Jesus by E.P Sanders actually gets me turnt. You can’t love learning if you don’t love what you learn. So screw money, screw a parent’s idea of success, and chase what you love. Pursue what will fulfill your spirit because that will help get you through those 50 pages when you really need the grade.

Text about Textbooks