During the course of life you go through many stages, and with each stage you gain more and more responsibilities. You have to dodge more and more obstacles, and everyone around you expects you to do so, without breaking a sweat and all the while smiling. Picture yourself standing on a thin wire sixty feet in the air, without a safety net in sight. At first you are just balancing yourself, and then your parents come along to sit on each shoulder, and you have to balance them. Then your siblings, pets, school, car, work; it all seems to add on, and you have to balance everything.
Life is like that, and it only gets more intense as you move on through the stages of life. College is one of these big steps. So, how do you balance work, school, intimate relationships, social relationships, social life, yourself, and your family all the while you are sixty feet in the air on a thin wire line?
First things first: RELAX. Understand and accept that you can’t do everything and anything that is asked of you. Accept that you might drop the ball in some situations because you are HUMAN (unless you aren’t then you are allowed to freak out).
1. Look at it like this: you have 100% of power and attention in you, and you have five things to give it to, to help you stay sane throughout college (and life in general) you should put about 20% in each category. Over time some will get 40% and others will drop significantly, maybe even to 0%. However, as you go on you will be able to recognize where the most attention should go, and where it should be dropped. When you attempt to give everything 100% you start to burn out completely.
2. Spend time creating a planning system and to-do-list that works for you. You can get help planning through your computer, cell phone, the Internet, or even in regular paperback form. Before you’re feeling confused and swamped go to Staples and grab a bi-annual planner, and post-it notes to be by your side at all times. That way if you’re in class and your professor brings up an exam and homework that isn’t on the syllabus, you can write it down in your planner or on a sticky note.
3. Keep your priorities straight. Are you more focused on your social life and enjoying life than school and work? Or are you focused in on your studies and making money? You’ve already been lectured on importance of college and keeping up on your studies, so now it is time to make your own decisions. However, it will help you out in the long run if you know where you want to put the most of your focus.
4. Don’t be afraid to drop everything and allow yourself some time to recharge. If you are working and going to school, try to pair up times when you don’t have any classes with days you request off from work. You are a human being; you need some time to relax and recuperate to become a healthier person. Trust me, your body will thank you!
5. Don’t be afraid to talk to people and let them understand your stressful situation and what you are trying to do. Suffolk University has great counseling services and other tools that will help you balance everything better. Life can be a burden at times, but it isn’t only your burden to bear, there are other people who would honestly love to help take care of you.
6. Have fun! Even if you want to focus on your studies, your job, your boyfriend of the week, your friends, or yourself, remember to have fun with it! It IS college! You are finally and adult living on your own. Balancing things will take a toll on you, and it is an every hour process, but once you get the hang of it you’ll learn to love life and cherish it for the moments you have.
During your first year at Suffolk University I wish you all the power and strength in balancing yourself, school, work, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, and life in general. Understand that you come first, and that you should take this opportunity to discover new tools that will help you wade through the powerful tides that life sends your way. Understand that you aren’t a robot, you’re human, you make mistakes, you drop the ball sometimes, but overall you CAN do it, you CAN balance it all, you CAN make your parents proud as you have fun and learn and party in school. Good luck Class of 2016!
About the Author:
Name: Jamilla Bailey
Hometown:Boston, Massachusetts
Major and Year of Graduation:English: Creative Writing; 2015
I love crocheting, reading, writing, watching movies and television and listening to music. I think I am thedorkiest, quirkiest, weirdest person ever. I am annoyingly shy and crass at times. I want to be a famous writer, singer and actress someday. My current celebrity crush is Tyler Okonma (Tyler, The Creator).