With both midterm season and football season in full swing, managing the work-hard, play-hard aspects of “Work Forest” can be a challenge. Freshman cheerleader, Carlos Lima, is no exception, but he gave some insight on how he is managing his busy schedule:
Her Campus: What’s your major/ desired career path?
Carlos Lima: “My desired career path is pre-med and I’m majoring in chemistry.”
HC: What extracurriculars are you involved in?
CL: “My extracurriculars that I am currently involved in are cheerleading, intramural flag football and handball, and possibly an internship.”
HC: What do you do for fun?
CL: “For fun I like to hang out with friends, either at parties or around campus. I also really enjoy going to the gym and playing basketball with some friends.”
HC: Why cheerleading? What drew you to it?
CL: “So the reason I joined cheerleading was because of a friend of mine, Jack Kinney, who was talked into going to the tryouts and afterwards he said it was fun and that I should join. I gave in and figured why not give it a shot. It’s good to try new things in college. So I went to the first practice and had a lot of fun so I’ve been sticking with it. The main reason I’ve stayed is not only because I’ve had a lot of fun performing stunts and tumbling but also because I’ve become pretty good friends with all of my teammates. They are a great group of people and we always make practice fun regardless of how hard we get pushed or how tired we are.”
HC: Okay, so as a pre-med freshman and a cheerleader how have you been tackling midterms? What are your strategies?
CL: “Being a cheerleader and keeping up with my academics has been a challenge, but the way I’ve worked my way through it all is by learning how to manage my time well. It’s a big mental game. A lot of times I’m not motivated at all to do my work, but I realize that the sooner I get my work done the sooner I get to sleep. And in college decent sleep is rare, so it’s a pretty big motivation factor. I also realize that the sooner I get all my work done, the more time I have to spend with friends and the more time I have to go out. Besides the mental strategy, I’ve made it a habit to plan out my days by the hour so that I have a set time to get all my work done. Having this type of schedule allows me to divide up my time between work and time to have fun/relax.”
HC: Now that you have made it halfway through your first semester at work forest, how would you describe your experience? What has been your favorite part?
CL: “My experience here at wake has been pretty good. I’ve had to do far more work than I prepared myself for but adjusting to it hasn’t been that bad. I’ve also had a great time meeting a lot of people and hanging out with them in the lounge, in my dorm room, at the gym or at parties. My favorite part has just been the people. Just about every person I’ve met here has been really fun and friendly. Most people here also know that there is a balance between work and having fun, so being able to get work done with a group of people and then go out and celebrate with them at the end of the week is pretty great.”