Taylor Swift inspires academic dedication
If you are a Taylor Swift fan, you probably have recently posted something on your Instagram story with Swift’s song “august” playing in the background.
Swifties know that “Taylor” season is coming, otherwise known as fall, for the non-Swift fans. But along with autumn, school comes too.
Pretending to be the principle character of a Swift soundtrack and romanticizing my routine is the best way I have found to stay motivated throughout the semester.
One Sunday night, I was reading an essay for my First-Year Seminar class after a great weekend with my friends. I was really tired, but I knew I needed to finish the reading for my Monday morning class.
While reading a random chapter that night, I started to reference the material to some of Swift's songs, like "The Man." Comparing those songs to my homework was the only way I found to stay awake and motivated to finish my work.
After that night, I noticed how it is possible to relate Swift's lyrics to academic topics, especially class readings.
Swift doesn't have lyrics that talk about finances or the circulatory system, but she carefully constructs her albums so they have characters and plots and analyze social norms. Students learn this type of analysis in school to help them think critically and better interpret academic readings.
Having a good academic experience requires one more thing: motivation.
We should romanticize our lives because sometimes it is not easy to follow a routine. If we don't have motivation to go ahead, we cannot successfully complete our academic tasks.
For freshmen like me, I will skip that speech about how we have entered a new chapter or how college may be hard. We all know about the difficulty of college. Instead, we need to think about how to survive college life.
As Swift said in her New York University commencement speech in 2022, “the bad news is: you’re on your own now. But the cool news is, you’re on your own now.”
For me, having a successful experience in university requires you to have a great academic life, stay free of worries and avoid bad responsibilities. Of course I am not talking only about grades but caring for yourself and being safe mentally.
When you are not in a good phase, always remember: Swift has 11 music albums. At least one of those will help you, and then you will enjoy your college experience or just be content with life.
