Semester’s best one-liners: Outtakes from The Editorial Board

Gwen Ueding | Cartoonist

By The Editorial Board

Throughout the semester, The Editorial Board meets once a week for a couple hours to discuss the topics we will be writing an opinion on for the following week. The seven people who constitute the board pitch two ideas each, and once everyone has said their spiel, we cast a vote to decide which of the opinions we will be writing on. Given that there are fresh ideas every week and not all of them can make it to the website, we decided to share the pitches we think are notable enough to put online without full editorials being written for them. So, without further ado, here are 12 of The Editorial Board’s best one-liner opinions that didn’t make the final cut.

  • College is the first time in your life when you decide where you want to go to school and if you even want to go to school at all. Many people in the world don’t get the opportunity, so don’t waste it, because college is a privilege.
  • We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: No one is watching you and no one cares, so do what you want to do and do what makes you happy — as long as it’s not criminal.
  • The things you go through on a day-to-day basis are challenging, yes, but that does not mean you have a harder job or life than someone else. So, don’t think less of someone’s job because you think yours is harder or because you think they do less than you do. Everyone has different struggles they have to face that you don’t know about.
  • It’s that time in the semester when students flock to office hours on their hands and knees, asking professors to have mercy in Canvas. But realize that you can’t expect much from your professors if they couldn’t expect you to put in the work throughout the semester. We’re not saying grade bumps aren’t a blessing; we’re only saying that you can’t expect your professors to have grace with you if you barely showed up to class.
  • In only a few short weeks, we all get to go home and take a load off from school. Use this break to rest in whatever fashion is best for you. Maybe it’s picking up a new book, sleeping in, visiting family and friends or cranking out a couple hours of courses.
  • Gossip is a fact of life. It’s the forbidden fruit of society. But before you use your “fear of confrontation” as an excuse to get away with talking bad, bring it to the person to try and solve it. At the same time, don’t discredit the need to externally process before working on the problem.
  • Yes, other people have struggles too. Yes, those might be issues you wouldn’t know how to begin to face. But be realistic. You have a right to be upset about what you’re dealing with. Other people may think that you’re the one who has it worse, so don’t brush off what you have on your plate.
  • Look on the bright side of things first instead of finding something to complain about. Instead of talking about how you’re going to fail your final or how much you have to do, try replacing those topics of conversation with positivity or problem-solving. The way you talk about things impacts your mindset and actions. Complaining to your friends and family is a healthy form of venting, but try to limit the negativity and incorporate more positive talk into your daily life.
  • Before now, most of your friends were just people you saw every day who were easy to keep up with. But you’re in college and you know which kinds of people you need in your life, so be picky with who you keep in your inner circle.