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Tips for Balancing School and Your Social Life

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Manhattan chapter.

Emily Gianni

Balancing school work and social life is super important.  It is super important to get good grades but also leave time for your friends, family, and activities.  When it comes to school work, you should create a homework schedule.  I always try to get all of my homework done on Friday afternoons for the weekend befor the weekend actually starts.  This way, I can enjoy my weekend without having to think about homework.  During the week, I also carry my homework around with me.  For example, when I go to work, I bring my homework so when there is any down time, I can get my work done.  I always make sure that school comes first: before I hangout with anyone, I make sure that my work is done so I can enjoy my time out.  WHen it comes to scheduling, I do not only plan out time for homework, but I also plan out time for activities.  When I have gym time or sorority time, I add that into my schedule so I know that I cannot do work during that same time.  Whatever relaxing time and fun activities you want to plan into your schedule, just add it in, but still focus on school.

When I do my homework, I give myself a select amount of time to do it.  I will not let myself do homework past a certain time at night so I can spend my evenings doing enjoyable things.  When I do work, I will also put my phone away to avoid distractions.  When my phone is there, I used to get very distracted and I would end up doing homework for more time and not being able to enjoy my social life.  I always do my homework the same day I get it.  This way, there is no way of procrastination.  The night before my day, I make a list of things I need to do and get done.  I can focus on what I need to do throughout the day and I know whether or not I can have time with my friends.  Sometimes, I also say yes to spontaneous social activities.  I normally follow my weekly schedule of activities and work, but sometimes if a fun activity pops up randomly, I will say yes just to get out of the room or out of my regular schedule.  It is important to relax a little bit.  Last but not least, ask for help if you need it.  If you need a due date extended or need time off from an activity, make sure you ask for help.  Mental health comes first so although school is important, you need to make sure you have time to relax as well.

Emily Gianni

Manhattan '24

Hi I'm Emily! I am in my Senior Year at Manhattan College, graduating in Spring 2024. I am studying Childhood Special Education with an upward extension to middle school with a double major in English. My goal in life is to teach elementary school and later on, teach middle school. Although I don't have a position in my Her Campus chapter, I am still an active writer for Her Campus! I write about all different topics for Her Campus, anything that interests me or that I believe other girls will find useful and informational. I am a team captain on the Manhattan College cheerleading team, so I may write about that sometimes. I also love sorority rush season so I have written about my sorority a few times. I believe that Her Campus is an amazing source for women to put their work out there and influence other girls. I love being a part of this organization and being able to write about whatever I love. This is the best outlet for me to learn more about my writing style, experiment with different topics that I would not be allowed to write about in a class, and grow as a writer.