Looking at some strategies towards balancing student life and social life
Beginning your first year on your own and your first year of university can become quite the balancing act. From all the excitement and freedom from living on your own to the copious amounts of school work which will inevitably pile on, it is important to effectively manage your time. Some students get carried away with their social life and neglect their school work, while others stay locked in their rooms with no signs of life. These are both extreme cases, and as a student, it is your responsibility to effectively create a balance between the time you spend with friends and time for your education. Once you find a good balance of your social life and your work habits, your first year experience can grow and become more meaningful as you progress throughout your university program.
That being said, there is no singular correct formula for a student to follow to ensure success. Each person has different preferences towards how they spend their time- the trick is to avoid the extremes. One way to do this is by building daily habits. For example, by setting a certain amount of time towards studying, your daily habit will become established and keep you grounded. This is important in order to avoid falling too heavily into one category. Just as too much partying will affect your academics, dedicating no time for friends or relaxing can lead to stress. Building a daily habit, whether it’s going over your notes for thirty minutes or going for a walk, can effectively help you manage your time in your busy first year.
Another strategy towards managing your time during the school year is goal setting. More importantly, setting realistic goals will boost morale and overall motivation. Setting goals can help tremendously with time management by reinforcing positive actions. However, there is a difference between realistic goals and goals that are counter-productive. If you set a goal to read the entire Harry Potter series within your first semester, chances are that the time being spent fulfilling that goal can harm your academics rather than improve them. Keeping in mind that you will already have a lot of reading for your classes, this goal may not be the best way to spend your time. In this scenario however, setting a more realistic goal would still be able to involve reading for leisure, but at a more controlled rate. Reading every night before bed could be a compromise for this goal which would still leave room for assigned school readings. If the goals you are setting for yourself are unrealistic, you will be less likely to achieve them. When goals are attainable, you will gain a sense of accomplishment and can build towards further improvements during your years at university.
Time management is one of the most important tools you can possess for your first year. Finding a balance between school, friends, building habits, and setting realistic goals can help keep you grounded during the excitement surrounding your first year. It is easy to get swept away from your routine as student life can get hectic, but in being aware of how you are spending your time, you can avoid becoming overwhelmed and stressed by your first year. The key to finding balance in your first year is managing your time realistically while fitting your own individual needs.