The main difference between life at home and life at college would have to be
the concept of free time. Say goodbye to the 7 straight hours of being in a high
school daily, 3 hours of after school athletics, and having down time on weeknights.
Then let’s say hello to free time all the time, where there is 2-3
hours of class a day, parties going on every night, and homework in your classes is optional. Sounds pretty
relaxing, right? Well, think again. Whereas in high school you spent your free time mainly in your
bed at home, watching TV and video chatting with your besties, in college your free time is completely at your disposal and it’s up to you on how to divide it up among homework, partying, and of course, sleep.
So if you’ve ever wondered why college students are always so sleepy, it’s
because not only did they go out Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but also because they then had to pull an all-nighter on Sunday to do all of their homework. Life’s tough. Although this might be somewhat of an exaggeration to depict college life, I find that it is fairly truthful. To put it simply, when dividing down time among the big three (work, partying, and sleep) sleep comes last for most college students.
It may seem silly to waste the precious hours of the day being unconscious
and unproductive, but it should actually be a college student’s highest priority to get
enough sleep. Think of it this way, if you do not get enough sleep how will you
possibly have enough energy to spend time doing homework or partying?! On a
more serious note though, the lack of sleep is just going to make you sick and therefore forcing you to be stuck in bed for days, not being able to do your homework, and definitely not able to go out and hangout with your friends. So when you think your no sleep strategy is fool proof, think again.
Sleep is extremely important in order to keep our bodies healthy.
While you are sleeping, the body works hard to fight off infections and support your metabolism.
As well, without an adequate amount of sleep to hold you over, performance in class will drop and the ability to make rational and safe decisions will dramatically decline.
So take a break and rest up! You’ll appreciate it more in the end and will be
able to be more efficient and productive through out the day. In general, you will
be way better off. Enjoy!