Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School

Popular searches:

Independent University Newspaper

Copenhagen Business School

Here’s to the mess we didn’t make 

We all remember the Oscar shocker, when La La Land was announced Best Picture by mistake and Moonlight was delayed in getting the praise it deserved. Golden statue or not, I still perceive La La Land to be the best, as it showed me, as a student, something I hadn’t seen in a long time – both in fiction and real life.

To be more specific, I recall the scene where our protagonist Mia, through her tears, tells Sebastian that she thinks, she may not be good enough. That even though she has dreams and hopes for her future, she has to come to terms with the reality of it all and that she may not have what it takes to achieve them. And that’s when it hit me. My own doubt. A doubt about oneself, which others must have too – especially here at CBS.

Because even though CBS is a place of dreams, with various dream courses, possibilities of a dream job, meeting the person of your dreams or just letting ourselves dream away during finals, I start to wonder what these dreams are made of.

Just like Mia, I too am an actor and I aim to play the role of student to perfection. This means that I would need to get the best grades, a prestigious student job with great networking possibilities, an overbooked social calendar and killer social media accounts. If I really want to be a front-runner in the awards season, I can add ‘saving the world’ volunteer work and a best friend relationship with my parents.

But as time has allowed me to go in depth with the role, the distinction between myself and student has become more and more blurry. It’s method acting on a new level, and it is as if the script has become my reality rather than a piece of fiction – and I am not alone. This is not a one-woman show, as I am surrounded by an excellent cast, who themselves aim to nail the role.

Even though CBS is a place of dreams, I start to wonder what these dreams are made of.

Caroline Boas

So where does this leave us? Our performances are greatly acclaimed and admired by the public and our friends and family. We are declared to be the most ambitious generation of performers and we thrive on the applause we get from the audience – always craving the next praise and compliment. But as the curtain falls and the performance ends, if only for a while, the doubt appears.

Every day is like a casting call, where I feel like I need to perform in accordance to what others expect of me, so that I remain to be ‘the perfect student’. The pressure is enormous and the competition is immense, as I sit in the waiting room like Mia, with people in similar clothes and with similar CVs, expecting to get the chance of a lifetime. We want to succeed and therefore we keep pushing the requirements for the role, in the hopes that we get it.

I need to keep up because if I don’t follow the script, my reviews will be bad and I become a box office failure. I therefore make sure I know every line and follow every instruction from the director. But then comes the doubt. Is this truly what I want? Is this what I originally set out for? Is this really the role of my dreams or just a copy and repeat? If that is the case, then where did all the creativity go?

Being ‘the perfect student’ is not as much an achievement anymore, as it is a given, and this concerns me. In our quest for success, it seems as though I and everyone around me are scared to go off script and improvise. Scared to develop the role on our own terms and afraid of an empty audience. But then again, why should we? With a promising script in hand, all we have to do is memorize the lines and enter the stage. Applause, degree, a bow and a full-time job later, the dream came true – or so we think. Because do we come out on the other side with innovative stories and creative minds, or as replicated roles ready for the next remake?

We need to permit ourselves to actually feel scared about our performance and ask whether or not we can make it.

Caroline Boas

Our lives have become a foreseeable plot of fiction, where the authenticity is lacking and the performances are being standardized. We dare not doubt the doubt and we dare not dream the dreams. The ones where the impossible is possible and where rationality is absent.

Where is the vulnerability in our dreams? Where is the freedom to dream irrationally? La La Land reminded me of the doubt and the possibilities, and about the risk we need to take in order to create something great. Mia exemplified how we need to permit ourselves to actually feel scared about our performance and ask whether or not we can make it. We need to embrace insecurities and discover what lies beyond the written material. We simply need to bring our real dreams back, regardless of their content.

So, here’s to the fools who dream.

Crazy as they may seem, I think it may be better for everyone – myself included – to join in, break character and surrender to our abstract thoughts and ideas. Let’s not be afraid to make a mess and let’s get the courage to take more chances. We might miss out on a standing ovation or be left with empty seats, but the gain may also be far more spectacular and ultimately help us become ‘the perfect student’.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Here’s to the mess we didn’t make by

  • News

    Snapshots: CBS staff busy preparing for a new semester

    For the staff at CBS, the weeks and sometimes even months leading up to study start are spent busily preparing for new and returning students and a brand-new semester.

  • Guide

    Those odd little words

    Some words of advice from CBS WIRE’s proofreader Helen Dyrbye, a British expat who has lived in Denmark for decades. Here she explains a few tiny words that can occasionally spell BIG trouble.

  • News

    Community is key for study start 2023

    This year, showing both new and returning students the concept of ‘community’ at CBS is a top priority. There is room for everyone, and you can find others that share the same interests as you. Those are the key messages from the Student Communications team. This is highlighted by two campaigns, during the introduction week and at the Bachelor Kick Off.

  • News

    CBS at Copenhagen Pride – in photos

    2023 is the first year for the new organisation Colorful CBS to organise the participation in Copenhagen Pride Parade.

  • News

    Cutbacks lead to reduction of 60-70 fulltime staff

    It’s been ‘welcome back’ from the summer holidays for a few weeks now – and soon goodbye to some with a message many had anticipated with dread: a reduction totalling at least the equivalent of 60-70 full-time staff members.

  • News

    It actually is rocket science! CBS student competences wanted at student rocketry association DanSTAR

    DanSTAR – a successful student rocketry association based at DTU – wants to enlist CBS students and their competences. CBS WIRE followed along on an excursion to the rocket garage.

  • Gif of the week

Follow CBS students studying abroad

CBS WIRE collaborates with Videnskab.dk

Stay connected

Close