By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer
College students are often described to either be party animals that go out every weekend, or students that are just trapped studying in their room. This then begs the question, could someone study and do well in school while also managing to make time for socializing? In addition to this, it may feel hard to get the college experience when you’re constantly in your room trying to pass a class. However, it is possible to find a balance between studying and getting schoolwork done, and socializing and spending time with your friends.
I find the most helpful thing to know when trying to hang out with friends is knowing what’s due in the coming days. One thing I would highly recommend to anyone going to college is downloading the app “Brightspace Pulse” – it's available on the Appstore and Google Play. This app helps by visually showing you what you need to get done for each of your classes week by week. In addition to this it also notifies you when grades are posted and lets you open WorldClass within the app.
Knowing when you have anything due is only the first step though. From there you can decide when you actually do your work, study, or socialize. Something I’m sure everyone has heard before is the classic saying: “Sleep more than you study, study more than you party, and party as much as you can.” That is a great rule of thumb, however for all of us not partying the lines can get a bit blurry. Let’s break it down.
We have 24 hours in a day, 168 in a week. Let’s say you sleep 7 hours every night. That leaves around 120 more hours. Then we subtract the time spent in class, let’s say about 15 hours a week. We are now left with just 105 hours of time to do anything else. Let’s now subtract time spent in the bathroom or showering, now were at about 100 hours. Then laundry and self-care, 95 hours left in your week.
Using the 95 hours, you can now choose where to fit in study times, mealtimes, and socializing. However not all of these are exclusive. You can study and eat, you can eat and socialize, and even study and socialize. The idea of studying more than you party doesn’t just mean going to huge house parties, social time also includes just hanging out in a study room with a friend or two.
Even if you have friends that are taking completely different classes, you can still get together in the student center and make small talk while going over your notes for a class. If you don’t want to study with your friends, another good way to fit them into your schedule is to have lunch or dinner together. You’re going to eat anyways, so might as well have some company with you.
The best way to manage your time in college is to remember what you’re paying for. Remember your time is valuable in every aspect, and you should be conscious of how you use it.