College is the ultimate balancing act between studying, socializing and sleeping, so how are we supposed to add extra activities like clubs or even a job?!
Sure, extra activities would look great on a resume and can help pay for all of those late-night food runs, but it seems impossible to get everything done on a daily basis.
According to the Current Population Survey, 40 percent of students in the U.S. balanced employment along with a full-time course load, and 76 percent of students did so with a part-time course load. Based on these statistics, around 8,074 of the 20,186 students enrolled at Cal Poly SLO are finding a way to juggle the demands of the real world.
Here are five ways to ensure you are just as successful being a working college student!
1. Do your assignments before the due date.
Procrastination is extremely common in college students, and is almost impossible to avoid. According to the American Psychological Association, between 80 and 95 percent of us procrastinate on our schoolwork. Even though the assignment may not be due for another week, try to get it done as soon as possible to avoid last minute cramming. Look at it this way: if you get it done early, you can have stress-free fun instead of worrying about a big assignment while at dinner with your friends.
2. Allocate your time properly.
Creating a schedule for almost everything in your life will become your obsession once you add a job into your already busy lifestyle. Trying to remember every item on your to-do list can give you an instant headache when you have so much going on, so ensuring you have everything scheduled out properly will allow you to have a second to breathe before diving into your next project.
3. Set priorities for your daily activities.
With your free time disappearing almost entirely once you get that “You’re hired!” phone call, it will become extremely important to set priorities for literally everything throughout your day. You’ll have to make hard decisions on a daily basis in order to keep on track for good grades along with everything else. You might even want to get used to apologizing to your S.O. if you have to cancel dinner plans because you are too exhausted from your shift at work and still need to finish writing that essay that’s due on Monday.
4. Eat. Sleep. Gym. Repeat.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle along with your hectic schedule will be key for keeping you on track for all of your daily duties. Try going to bed at a decent hour (yes, it’s okay to pull an occasional all-nighter because you just had to binge-watch Grey’s Anatomy instead of working on your assignment), and waking up early for a morning workout before going on with your day. You will be pleasantly surprised with how a solid sleep schedule and consistent exercising will positively affect your body.
5. Remember to have fun.
Just because you have decided to add another responsibility to your list, it does not mean you have to avoid all sources of fun in order to get the items on your to-do list finished. Don’t forget that you are still young, and that college is the prime place to make memories you will never want to forget.
The balancing act of working while in college is totally do-able with just a little extra planning and time-management skills. Good luck collegiettes!