It never occurred to me that I was one of the lucky ones. When I was young, I thought every child had the same opportunities that I was given. I loved school, and it confused me that the other children in my class didn’t always feel the same way. Then I learned that some children don’t get to like or dislike school at all, because it isn’t available to them.

I’ve been told by multiple professors to relish my opportunities at Oakland University. Being college students makes us part of the elite. I agree with them completely. But I wonder if my collegiate peers haven’t learned that lesson yet.

My attitude towards learning hasn’t diminished — if anything it has only grown more intense. My attitude towards class clowns have changed dramatically. I’m no longer confused, I’m angry. The reason I’m angry is simple: I think a lot of students take the education they receive for granted.

The ones who make me the angriest are college students. I don’t understand why any person would pay for an education and then squander it by skipping class and neglecting homework. Drinking at the bar until 2 a.m. on a school night makes it easy for a student to hit that snooze button all the way through the next morning’s 8 a.m. class.

Distractions like Facebook.com, juicycampus.com and AIM make it difficult for a student to finish the paper that’s worth a third of the grade. The sports highlights on ESPN stop being background noise and instead become the main focus of the study group that is trying to prepare for an exam. Despite the lists of multiple “better” things to do, none of these seem as important as the work students are putting off — yet they still take

precedence for so many of us.

A portion of you reading this probably just looked sheepishly down at your shoes out of embarrassment, because I’m talking about you. Good — you should be embarrassed. The majority of you probably just rolled your eyes and told me to get a life. Go ahead — you’re going to be sorry for that attitude when you have nothing to back up your degree.

One of my professors recently told my class that approximately one percent of the world’s population has a college degree. Only one percent, yet so many students have the nerve to shrug off their responsibilities and move on to something less strenuous.

I see myself surrounded by brilliant professors, and I want to soak up what they have to offer like a sponge. Then I see the guy next to me asleep, and the girl behind me with her headphones on. I ask myself:

“Why doesn’t this person appreciate the opportunity to receive a college education?” I sometimes feel like telling these students to go waste somebody else’s time. I want to tell them to let a person who really wants this opportunity take their place.

It’s unfortunate that education is a privilege, instead of a right. It doesn’t seem like that’s going to change any time soon. So until changes are made to ensure every young adult receives a college education, maybe the people who are lucky enough to have one should start treating it like what it really is: a precious gift.