I'd like to take a short pause from my poetic narratives to talk about something that has affected us all as college students and citizens of the free world. Why don't you people ever speak up? And you call yourselves "New Yorkers"??
 Take out creative writing course for example. I would like to make an important distinction. Nobody seems too happy with the fact they have to comment on approximately 150 pieces by their peers, nor can most of us make it.The interesting phenomenon is that this is wrongly justified by self-accusations of laziness, which, if your thinking doesn't go deep enough to separate effectiveness from pure practice, probably wouldn't take you too far down the road of logic.
There is a difference between being lazy - refraining from doing simply because one doesn't feel inclined to put any effort into something productive, into a transformation of some sort - and not taking part in something one just isn't naturally meant to do. Of course, we are raised to act against our urges and not follow our desires. That is how societies are kept in order, and have been for hundreds or thousands of years (at least).
I agree with the idea that the best way, and maybe the only way, to improve one's writing is to read, read read. However, if one doesn't have the choice over what they read, the reading could feel forced, and thereby oppress one's sense of creativity, as any forced activity does. Each and every one of us has their own little world of emotions and associations, and naturally we are interested in different styles and subjects. I'm sure I wouldn't be alone to say, I really couldn't relate to and/or enjoy a lot of the pieces that I had to comment on in this class. I enjoyed some of them, some made me think. But I would have learned so much more if I was given the choice of reading from different sources as well, or focusing on works from fewer chosen people. In writing as in art (the two are entwined to me), it is more about quality, not quantity. Although I would have been happy reading just as much if I was given the choice, or at least a long list of names and pieces to choose from. Unlike many others, our teacher seemed like someone open-minded and approachable that you can talk to. And so my question to you, why did you remain silent?  I'm pretty sure the idea was giving everyone an equal treatment, which is a very nice way to go, but the world outside it cruel and we better get used to it, the sooner the better.