This evening I listened to Professor Dan Schwarz speak regarding his thoughts on the college experience. What I got out of this talk was that there is both an emphasis, as Professor Schwarz said and I would agree with, on seizing opportunities today but also keeping perspective on the future. Oftentimes it is very easy for people to solely focus on either a) living today like it is their last or b) planning out the future so it is perfect. The line between too much of one of the other is very fine – thus imbalance is easily the outcome.
I believe that the keys to reaching the perfect balance of seizing the day and making it count towards tomorrow are as follows:
Make connections and nurture these connections
Engage in an activity that allows you to grow as a person (i.e. a job, club)
Know what you are good at, keep practicing, and learn new things
Lastly, as Professor Schwarz said, “Everybody find a place and make a space” (I hope I didn’t botch this quote up!).
With these key points in mind, I believe people can successfully find opportunities today to have fun, grow, and learn while also benefitting themselves for the future.
Whether it is today or tomorrow, the final suggestion I have, which Professor Schwarz would likely endorse, is to always enjoy what you are doing. Do something that makes you feel satisfied.
I also attended Professor Schwarz’s talk but really appreciated your analysis of it. There has been a lot of research and discussion about the balance between gratification in the present and planning for the future. One famous study in particular is “The Marshmallow Test” which was conducted at Stanford and found that children who delayed gratification (eating a marshmallow) in order to reap a larger reward (getting two marshmallows) were more successful later in life.
However, during university it is both hard to seize present opportunities and to invest in one’s future. It is difficult to seize present opportunities because there are so many opportunities that it becomes overwhelming to choose between them. And it can be difficult to take time away from school work to appreciate the other opportunities being on a university campus affords such as visiting speakers, leadership programs, etc. Planning for the future can also be difficult because difficult coursework can make it so that one is always preparing for the thing right around the corner – the next problem set that is due or the next test. But university is a formative experience so seizing the moment and planning for the future are extremely important to prioritize during this time.