Getting the full college experience means being able to balance all aspects of our lives, specifically relating to our academic and social lives. As students, it is easy to lose sight of how we are balancing out these aspects, potentially putting too much stress on one or the other. Emphasizing our social lives too much can have negative effects; it can cause us to digress in the classroom and even have a direct correlation to the amount of material and information we retain in school. However, an overemphasis on our academic lives can create feelings of mental exhaustion and loneliness, doing more damage to ourselves than we may even realize.
Finau Fakahua, a student-athlete at SNU, credits a mental checklist for her ability to effectively balance out these two aspects of her life. “I try to do small amounts of homework throughout the week, just to make sure I’m never stressing about doing lots of it at one time. This helps me to make time for friends on a regular basis because I don’t typically feel too overwhelmed with the schoolwork I have.” When asked about how she views the importance of balancing out these two areas of her life, Finau said, “It’s very important. I think that it’s easy to get caught up in one area, but making a schedule for what works best for us is crucial.”
Cj Cardenas, another student at SNU, said, “It took me a while to figure out how to balance my social and school life, but now I feel like I have a weekly routine that helps me with this.” He continued saying that this scheduled routine has helped in all aspects of his life, and that “it has really helped me with stress. I feel like I can fit everything into my routine with tons of time to spare still.”
It can be very beneficial to create a specific schedule to balance out these areas, much like the two students interviewed. However, if this doesn’t fit the needs of an unpredictable schedule, simply understanding the importance of a balance between a social and academic life is all that is needed. This will help a student to figure out what works best for them and apply it to their own lifestyle. Because of this, setting foundational habits for ourselves as college students is something that should be taken very seriously, and in such a way that prioritizes all areas of our lives.
Photo by: Marvin Meyer on Unsplash