Fourth year student Vijidha Rajkumar, known by her friends as V, is no newcomer to the stress of balancing a heavy workload with a busy social life. In addition to being an Honours Anatomy and Cell Biology Major, she is an executive member of two clubs, a TA in an anatomy lab, and volunteers at the Royal Victoria Hospital. In this interview, she covers all these topics and gives advice on how to manage this kind of stressful student life while staying put together.
Stephanie Gervais for Her Campus McGill (HC): What clubs do you lead on campus?
Vijidha Rajkumar (VR): I am Co-President of a fusion a cappella group called Raag. I arrange musical scores, sing and coordinate performances. I am also VP Events for the Student Research Initiative, where we create awareness about research at McGill and fundraise for undergraduate science research opportunities,
HC: What are some other responsibilities in your packed schedule?
VR: I am TA’ing ANAT 214 which is the Gross Anatomy lab where we teach students using human specimens (a cadaver lab). I also volunteer in the Emergency Room at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
HC: How do you manage all of these activities on top of your heavy courseload?
VR: Though my course work is also very daunting, the key is to get involved in things that you genuinely care about, that is what will motivate you to try your best and continue the effort. I also try to do different things, to keep myself well-rounded as you can see from my activities, so I am not doing the same thing.
HC: What advice do you have for students who are overwhelmed by their work?
VR: The best advice I can give students is to know their limit, and make sure they have at least one day in the week for themselves to de-stress. Everyone needs some time to recharge so make room for that. Finally, if you are overwhelmed, there is nothing wrong with taking a break to figure everything out. You don’t need to do everything at once; it can be draining, and the most important thing to every individual should be their health and sanity. With all that being said, I highly encourage getting involved in the community because that is where you will find like-minded people that will motivate you and maybe become your best friends!
To learn more about Vijidha’s clubs, check out the Facebook pages for Raag and the Student Research Initiative.
Image contributed by the interviewee.