1 minute read
Free me from the freeloaders
By Danica Ela P. Armendarez
Do you know what’s the most challenging thing about college? Freeloaders.
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Freeloaders are people who take advantage of others’ generosity without giving anything in return. In college, these people take the form of classmates or blockmates who don’t put in the effort during group work. They will take a heavy toll on you and, in some cases, hinder you at your best. With their half-baked presentations, bare minimum efforts, and the amount of excuses they come up with, their irresponsibility is something nobody should tolerate.
With my first two years taken away by the pandemic, entering college seemed to be a whole different story. And so, I taught myself the essence of independence. I took note of my class standing, chose my academic group, and strived for good grades. As a student scholar, I had to maintain that level of grit. At this point, I expected the same level of proficiency from my fellow student. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Slowly transitioning to the current face-toface setup only made things more difficult. But what really burdens me the most is handling codependent or freeloader students. Countless times, I had to carry their academic responsibilities and take on their assigned parts. I do care about valid reasons, but we’re all just as busy juggling the student and social life. What annoys me the most is how some of them even have the audacity to blame you for their deviant grades. If you really wanted a good grade, you should have performed well from the get-go.
There is a thin line between seeking help and flat-out depending on others. You can’t be irresponsible and expect people to shoulder your academic negligence. Rather, you must own up to your shortcomings and do the work—do it better, even.
Thus, we should never hold ourselves liable for bearing the weight of other’s academic burdens. After all, unnecessary load would only hinder us from moving forward.C
We should never hold ourselves liable for bearing the weight of other’s academic burdens.
