It’s a readily acknowledged fact that university students are stressed. It’s hard not to be given the difficulties in academia, the importance of extra-curriculars, and pressure from family and friends. What’s more, it’s all well and good to tell students to take breaks and socialise, but it’s so hard to fit in time to do that. We’re either constantly working, or too tired to properly have fun.
It makes relationships hard. It might just be that I am notably awful at time management – I can hardly find the time to make myself an actual dinner, let alone schedule a date – but when both halves of a couple are equally stressed, it can be a bit disheartening when you don’t even have time to see each other.
Lucky for every stressing student couple, the solution is a simple one: study dates.
You can’t afford to do absolutely everything you want to, and multitasking is a transferrable skill. Why waste your time studying in a silent library full of stressed strangers when you can get the same amount of work done in proximity to your partner?
Before you say, “It’ll be distracting!”, consider how much work you would have actually gotten done if you had forcibly isolated yourself. Sitting alone to work in silence can be a great method, but if you’re already stressed and haven’t seen a friendly face in weeks, you’re probably set to get distracted anyway. Admit it: you’d end up texting a sad string of emojis to your partner if you were working alone anyway.
On top of that, the venues are much nicer. Yes, libraries can be great places to study in, but lots of date settings can be repurposed for revision needs just as nicely. Coffeehouses, parks, even your kitchen table – they’re comfier, cosier, and you’re a lot less likely to be told off for bringing coffee and snacks with you.
You have an added bonus if you study the same subject, because then the possibilities are golden. Obviously there’s the option for quizzing each other, but on top of that is the chance to share resources, copy notes, and asking for help with whatever you didn’t understand. Even if you study wildly different topics, there’s no better break than listening to them excitedly tell you new things they’ve learnt.
Of course, you’ve gotta be wary of being too much of a distraction. A little bit of chit chat now and then to keep things light and breezy is good, but if you don’t let them do any work – or if you don’t do any work yourself – you’re being a little bit counterproductive.
At the end of the day, regardless of whether or not study dates are your style, you’ve gotta keep in mind that you’re not the Energiser Bunny. Even if studying in a cafe with your partner doesn’t work for you, you can’t hole yourself up in a silent room forever.
Take breaks to see those you care about – schoolwork is never more important than spending time with loved ones.