As sophomore Robert Mayville sat down to be "invaded," he explained how he needed to be out the door in a few minutes due to commitments as a Dante House mentor, and how he also needed to finish some chemistry problems, a differential equations midterm and constitutional law homework.
In the next breath, he said that his muscles were sore from a Geneseo Medieval Club outing on Saturday during which he "took a spear to the face at least three times."
Thus is the essence of Mayville: take a large academic workload (23 credits, to be exact), add a bunch of clubs and extracurricular activities (philosophy club, karate club, fencing, legal studies, pep band and mock trial - which he's president of) and subtract sleep.
"I originally registered for the maximum of 17 credits for this semester," Mayville recalled. "Then I was told I could go over that if I went to the Dean's office, so I overrode into a physics class with a lab for my major. That made 21. Then there are wind ensemble and clarinet lessons, which are each another credit."
Some who know Mayville call him an overachiever, but he doesn't think so. "I do what I think I can because I don't find it right to do less," he said. He is a physics and political science major with a great interest in philosophy.
"I could have come to Geneseo and finished the political science major and be looking at law school for next fall, but I want a real liberal education," Mayville said.
Mayville said he is inspired by a "personal motivation for learning," and the fact that "everything is connected; if you put it all together it has purpose and can be used for the better." Ultimately, Mayville said, "I want to help people because I think people are worthy of help. I want to contribute to the overall society, and physics and law are two fields that I'm good in and can very well do so through."
In junior high, Mayville recalled how he was voted "most likely to invent something," and then "class brain" for superlatives in high school.
The variety of clubs goes along with the many academic interests under one of Mayville's guiding life theses: "People experience so many different things, so the best way to understand people is to experience all these things. Some may say that's impossible, but it's a possibility."
Not only does Mayville attempt to experience all of these things, but he also tends to excel while doing so. He's a straight-A student, despite how thinly others believe he spreads himself.
So what's his secret? "I always finish what work I have. It makes no sense to me to not finish or to do anything sub-par … I also draw a lot of inspiration from my father," Mayville said.
Of course, he is still human and needs to go through the normal life processes … or so we think. "What is this sleep concept you speak of?" Mayville asked.
A tenet of Mayville's personality that he likes to exude is a mysterious persona. "We are all consistently mysterious, but most people are consistently different mysteries. I prefer to hold one mystery: myself," he said.
One thing he actually can't do but would like to is take on Socrates in a debate or discussion. But then again, nobody should say that there is anything Robert Mayville can't do. After all, he's the guy that played the system to take more credits.