You’re sitting in a comfy booth at Java City, papers sprawled everywhere, and a large cup of coffee an arm’s distance away. Your book is open for the first time this semester, and you even have a thick highlighter at your disposal. I’m ready for this. Tonight is the night I’m going to get a lot done. I’m going to be productive.
And then…your cell lights up, vibrating its way over to you, and you just have to pick it up. It’s your friend, the same one you have been meaning to see all semester, and she’s going out tonight. Ten minutes later, you’re scraping up your books and wishing you had something decent to wear.
Balancing the library and Knight Library can leave you feeling like part of a very tricky circus act, unaware of how to maintain equilibrium without dropping something of crucial importance. You don’t want to abandon your social life, yet you cannot afford to abandon your books.
Many people have a thought in their head somewhere along the lines of, this is college! If not now, when? Those people party to their hearts content and their books rank a distant second or third place in their priorities.
Then you have people sitting on the other extreme: picturing college as the bottom rungs of a ladder they intend on climbing, without pause, until they reach their destination.
Truth is, college is a little of both, and balance is what ultimately keeps you not only surviving, but also successful.
Many underestimate the power of a planner. Jacquelynne Bernstein, a Contributing Writer for Her Campus UCF, puts a creative twist on the basic to-do list. She said you can divide the list into four sections: two on top, two on bottom, and each section will be for a certain area of your life. She used the examples of school, life, social/work, and time for yourself. The sections on the top part would be of greater importance than the bottom two. However, she explained, you can modify it to fit your life.
Alyssa Nation, the Secretary of Her Campus UCF, said this, “Your advisor is your BEST friend! I wish I had been told to keep in touch with mine more often, because I could have avoided taking classes and credits that I didn’t need.”
“Don’t leave your homework (if it’s a lot) or papers/projects until the day before they are due!!” Ally Smith, a Contributing Writer/Editor/PR and Events for Her Campus UCF said.
Jara Lipman, the Vice President of Her Campus UCF, suggested staying on top of the reading, as in reading before the actual class.
Her Campus UCF’s Her Gay Best Friend, Justin Gilbert, mentioned something that many tend to forget as Friday rolls around, “There are parties every weekend, but there are only 3 tests.” There is always something to do around here, so remember, if not tonight, tomorrow!
Kacey Langston, Her Campus UCF’s PR/Events Director, had this tip, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and everything comes together in the end!”
So as you leave the library to head out to that party tonight, don’t forget about your books tomorrow.