Let’s face it. College is hard; there’s homework that never ends, clubs you want to be involved in and you need to find a way to make money to actually pay for everything you want to do. If you are struggling with balancing these things, have no fear! It’s possible and it won’t make you feel super stressed out.
Homework
Homework, I believe, is the most important part of education, other than attending class. But when you are balancing 4-5 classes a week, that homework pile can just get higher and higher. You may feel like you are staying up until the wee hours of the morning just to get that biology assignment finished. That is not the best choice, and I would know, I’ve done it.
Firstly, think of homework not as a chore, but as something to benefit you. If you look at it from a strengths-based perspective (social work reference, anyone?), you’ll learn that homework isn’t as difficult as you make it to be. Designate a few hours every night to use for homework time instead of leaving it until the last minute. Create a to-do list of what is most important to least important and work your way down. If you are struggling with a specific assignment, its okay to take a break or move onto a different one.
Once you start getting into the groove of a new semester, you will figure out when you have free time to put towards doing homework, and suddenly, you will find how wisely you can use your time.
Clubs
Now that you have homework time calculated, you may still have some extra time during the week to join a club or student organization on campus. If you find several that interest you, figure out when they plan to meet every week and see what fits into your schedule. Normally, regular meetings for clubs or organizations don’t last more than an hour, and they usually don’t expect that you will stay the whole time or make it to every meeting, so they can definitely fit into a busy schedule.
Plus, clubs are a great way to take a break from life and spend some time with friends or peers. Not only are you investing some time into something you love, you’ll also get some pretty great relationships out of it! Keep your eyes peeled for campus clubs and org announcements, and if you are looking for something to join, we highly recommend you get involved with your school’s Her Campus Chapter. We’re a great resource and a very fun group!
Jobs
Most people I have met in college have been interested in, if not actively looking for a job they can have to make some extra cash during their time in college. People worry, however, that they won’t be able to fit a job into their schedules. I thought the same thing until I realized that I did practically nothing on my weekends. Maybe a little homework or Her Campus meetings on Sunday nights, but my days were so empty. I decided to seek a casual job that I could work on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and I definitely found a great one. Best part is that many jobs are looking for people specifically for the weekends, so it is definitely easy to score a sweet gig.
There are also a lot of options that you may find on campus, especially if you have federal work-study requirements to fulfill. Many on-campus jobs may only require you for a few hours out of one or two days a week, so not only are you working on something that is very low-key, but you’re also rolling in the dough!
I know that balancing these three things may feel stressful or worrisome, but I promise you that it won’t feel that way when you start to figure out your routine. In fact, these are just some of the ways that make college feel worth it. Everything will come together and you’ll suddenly feel like you can do it ALL! Go get em, tiger!