University students are turning to “circus” strategies to survive in today’s world and economy, writes Alison Taylor (University of British Columbia). Taylor describes the many “circus arts”—ranging from high-wire walking (adjusting and recalibrating activities and expectations) to sword swallowing (expending energy instrumentally to avoid burnout)—that students engage in within their academic, work, and social lives. The author writes that students learn to take up these “arts” in different ways depending on their personal situations. While youth may be seen as autonomous and able to stretch themselves into the systems they face, she explains that “contorting” themselves like this comes at a cost. Taylor concludes by detailing the need for a paradigm shift that provides students with the time and space they need to develop their aspirations.
