Student Blog: Balancing College: The Dos and Don’ts

Being a college student is exciting; you are away from home for the first time and have more freedom than ever before. Creating good habits for yourself is essential to finding success in a new university setting.

When starting college, one of the first things you realize is how much free time there truly is. Classes may have breaks in between them, or you may only have one class in an entire day, which is extremely different from an eight-hour day of class in high school with sports, clubs, and activities immediately following. Finding a routine with classes is essential. Waking up and eating lunch at the same time may sound silly, but it helps build structure to the day. One of the biggest ways to be productive that has helped me is not going back to my dorm or apartment between classes. Sitting on campus in buildings such as the library or other areas that bring focus has allowed me to use my room as a place to decompress and relax.

Something that many college students tend to do frequently is skip classes. Especially if they are extremely early or late in the day, it can be easy to want to sleep in or do something else instead of attending. Once you skip a class once, it is hard to want to go back, so not getting into this routine is going to benefit you significantly. Smaller performing arts-based classes are usually unable to work fully if not everyone is present. Showing up is half the battle, and oftentimes attendance is graded or tracked. 

With having more downtime, getting involved on campus will allow for a sense of purpose and community. Being in a club for your major can help you meet people in classes, present or future. Freshmen do not always get to take a ton of classes for their intended major either, so joining these organizations will give you a head start and allow you to explore areas of study hands-on. Joining a variety of clubs, such as for your area of study, service, and for fun, can allow you to have a well-rounded experience and meet a ton of new people from across campus. It makes a larger school feel much smaller.

Most importantly, take time for yourself! Amid a busy college schedule, it can be easy to forget to have alone time or find time to simply watch a show or do something you love. You may even have to make time to do these things, but you will thank yourself during this time. It will bring a sense of peace and relaxation that everyone needs, especially a college student.