It’s a question on every college student’s mind: “If I’m here to study, learn, and earn a degree, then why are there so many diversions to distract me from academic focus?”
This question is one I ask myself every single morning after I slink out of my bunk, bump my head on the bedpost, and gaze at the collage of yellow sticky notes plastered on my closet door telling me what I need to do on any given day (If I don’t write it down, then I’ll surely forget it). Believe me, fellow overwhelmed and bewildered students: I feel your stress. Just remember that it happens to everybody on any college campus, regardless of age, gender, organizational skills, or class standing.
So, what should you do about it? Here’s a very uncomplicated rule for this situation: “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
First off, everybody should realize there are too many things to do at college: I fully acknowledge this, but such was not the case during my first week of classes. Immediately after arriving at BGSU, I unpacked my stuff, met my roommate, made a few friends on my dorm floor, and explored campus a bit.
During all the frenzy of move-in week, I wanted to desperately get involved with some school activities. Quiz team, intramural or club sports, political clubs and organizations, radio and a literal ton of other things. After studying poster kiosks, activity posters, and asking students about activities, I had a basic knowledge of things, and I was confident I could do it all.
Then, the homework started flowing in.
Needless to say, I was no longer sure if I could participate in all the clubs and extra-curricular activities which I had plotted out time for in my oh-so-bookwork-fried head (Three essays due the day after a morning and afternoon crammed with schoolwork can do that to the mind).
After all of the confusion and low productivity associated with me floundering around Jerome Library like a caffeinated squirrel with its head on backwards, I decided to take a step back and” breathe.
As with any stress-inducing problem, calmness and simple prioritization are fundamental. By trying to attend almost every single introductory meeting for the organizations I wanted to get involved in, I was running myself ragged. I pulled multiple late-nighters within the first two weeks just to get all my work done. Consequently, I was sleep deprived for a while, making me unable to attend all the meetings ” I think you all know where this was going.
Essentially, I was heaping too much on my plate, at too early of a time to do so. The first couple of weeks are good for scoping and scouting out potential activities and clubs, but don’t do as I did: do not plan out a semester’s worth in a week and a half. Now that I am involved with a sensible number of extra-curriculars, I have more free time to devote to schoolwork.
Remember, students: although there are an almost infinite amount of things to do at college (parties, video games, sleep, sports, more sleep, clubs, community service, clubbing, etc.), the primary reason we are all here is for our studies and our academics. You don’t have to pay around $17,000 a year to hang out, go to parties, and be a hibernating sleep-addict. Believe me, it took me around two weeks to figure out how to properly manage my time around my classes and whatnot.
However, this is not to say there is no time for fun. As evidenced by college life itself, there is indeed much time for recreation at college. The hard part is deciding, “When should I start on that twelve-page essay” or “My exam is in two days and I haven’t studied. Should I start now?”
Take it from me: you need some fun time to balance out the hard work. Without recreation, we’d all be sleep-deprivation addled caffeine addicts and future dropouts with no incentive to stay focused. Remember: the fun stuff gives you a reason to do well in your classes!
As I stated earlier, there is plenty of time for fun at college. Every person just needs to find his or her state of balance where recreation and schoolwork are in equilibrium with each other. But, if you are ever in doubt about having enough time in your schedule to do something, then remember the age-old adage: “Everything in Moderation.” Follow this rule, and everything becomes much easier to manage. Trust me on this.
