You probably clicked on the link to this article thinking I would have the magical solution for you to figure out the answer to one of college’s most fundamental questions: “how do I balance school life and social life?” Unfortunately, I don’t have a magical solution. But I do have some tips, and thought that through writing this blog we could also possibly figure it out together.
- Google Calendar
My lifeline, my go-to, my bestie in college has been my Google calendar. I track quite literally everything in my GCAL. If you ask any of my friends here, they will tell you they receive a GCAL invite anytime we plan to hang out. That is the easiest way I am able to plan everything. However, as beautiful as GCAL is, it is only a schedule tracker. It does not help me determine what I should/should not commit to, and it does not ease any of the mental strain of my constant business. (Yet I still love it and any Oberlin student will tell you it is a must to keep your life in order.)
- Picking and Choosing
One of the biggest lessons I had to learn coming to Oberlin is that you cannot do it all. I was your stereotypical overachiever in high school (president of like 5 clubs, at school from 6am-10pm, all the things), and my plan was to just do the same thing in college. News flash: that is just absolutely impossible. It is not healthy for your mind or body, and frankly it isn’t as productive as you think it is. Being able to say no is a blessing. For example, I had the chance to do a big performance this semester, but I knew it would take up most of my time and effort. I knew going into this semester that I wanted to focus on myself, and actually have downtime to do that. So I said no. Did I feel guilty? SO guilty. But eventually the guilt faded, and now that I’m halfway through the semester, I really know that that was the right decision for me. Listen to your gut!!!!
- Meals
One of the best ways to stay connected with your friends is grabbing a meal together, even if it’s just a half hour. Your schedules may not line up for weeks for a “full-on hang out” but one thing that every student needs to do is eat meals. In between hurried bites, you can hear your friend rant about their week, you can rant about your roommate, so many things can come to light in these meal conversations!
I hope that these 3 tips were able to give you some new ideas to help you balance your different lives on this campus. They are all important, and all deserve your time :)
