Fire drills. Just say those words to anyone on campus and they will cringe. Once a semester around midnight the students of Oklahoma Christian University gather outside their living quarters to partake in a fire drill. Most nights it is cold, and most nights people are woken up suddenly. Every fire drill I have been a part of has seen some interesting twists and turns.
This semester marked my 10th fire drill here at Oklahoma Christian, and I am here to try to share some knowledge for those who will participate in fire drills to come.
Having a bad attitude about it will not change anything. You are still going to have to stand outside the same amount of time whether you are complaining about being there or not. I found this out quickly my freshman year, as I complained the entire time we were outside. Miraculously, this did not make the time go any faster. Actually it made the situation worse; I was worrying about it being cold or this being a waste of time.
Social media is not the place to take out your fire drill anger either. We understand there is a fire drill going on, we are all outside taking part in it. To see more about complaining, read the paragraph above.
Make the most of your fire drill. How often do you get to just hang out with your friends for 20 minutes or so? Take the time to get to talk and catch up with some of your friends you may not have seen in a while, or find someone you do not know, and get to know them better. Laughing and having fun makes the time go by much faster.
Use it as an excuse to go do something fun. This year I did see a positive on Twitter – many students skipped out on the standing outside and headed to Whataburger to hang out.
I guess this comes down to the old glass half-empty, half-full adage. If I could leave a suggestion to a younger Eric, and a younger generation of students, it is make the most of your fire drills. It is 20 minutes you get with no homework and some of your best friends. At the end of your time here, when you realize you have to grow up and get a real job, you will want those 20 minutes with some of your best friends back.
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