This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McGill chapter.
By: Katherine Rushby
Something most of our student campus celebrities have in common is a serious ability to achieve balance in a hectic schedule of commitments. This week’s campus celebrity is truly impressive in that regard, considering she accomplishes more on a weekly basis than pretty much anyone I know! Already balancing a job at the National Pardon Centre with a full class load, Caitlin regularly fosters adorable kittens for Cause 4 Paws, has volunteered for Enso Yoga, trained for and ran her first half-marathon this spring, and most recently, was part of the organizing committee for McGill’s Relay for Life.
How she finds the self-discipline to study on top of all that is beyond me, but girl is a force to be reckoned with, so we’ve asked her to share some of her best McGill wisdom and survival tips. Make sure to check out her plan for post-midterm stress relief :)
Program & Year: PSYC SOCI double major – 4th year
Favourite class taken at McGill: Ahhh so many good ones though! Okay, number one though has to be SOCI514 Criminology. It’s a great seminar with a fantastic professor (Prof. J Carmichael).
What drew you to McGill’s psychology program, and is it living up to your
expectations? Honestly, PSYC100. Not the class necessarily, but the textbook. It was just a really general overview of all different areas of psychology and a bunch of key studies. I just wanted to know more!
Most effective study habits: Making a study schedule and setting short-term goals. You can’t be too ambitious though, or you’ll get discouraged and give up quickly
Hardest part of balancing a job with classes? Having enough energy. Time management is one thing, but having enough energy once I get to each thing (work or studying) is a whole other story.
Your tips on maintaining some semblance of balance between academics, work, & leisure: Again, schedule. It seems lame, but I swear it works. You also need to make sure to sleep. It’s more important than most people think. Taking time for yourself is also key – keep up the motivation!
What you do to relax: Work out. It releases natural endorphins and you still feel productive while doing it. Also TV – of the trashiest nature.
What do you wish you had more time for? Just general catch up with friends! But everyone has their own crazy schedules, so it’s tough. Actually planning time to just hang out, and NOT do any studying is something that can be hard to justify during prime study hours.
Mid-way through your last undergrad year at McGill, do you think you’ll leave having achieved what you hoped to achieve when you decided to come here? To be honest, I don’t know what I was really hoping to achieve here besides my degree. I was so hyped on the new phase of my life that I just wanted to take on whatever came at me and let myself grow up. I’d say I tackled that well enough, still not done growing up though!
Favourite inspirational quotation: Remember why you started.
Aaand how will you be celebrating the end of your midterms? A margarita the size of my face.