How do you keep a lifestyle going if college gets in your way?

I've always imagined college being a major prick in my behind. I'm assuming that studying, homework, and things like that would trap me into a corner. I'd definitely spend time with college-works; I just don't know how I would ever take a breather, if it were possible.

Tags: College

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Randall on March 1, 2010 at 7:47pm

I've imagined college like taking a break
Living there 24/7
Eat great food
Earn scholarships
And do lots and lots of homework assignments
Until you finally graduate and persue a career you've enjoyed best

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Hector Vega on March 1, 2010 at 11:00pm

First of all, chill. College is an important time in your life, yet it is also the best time to discover yourself and find how you can best use your talents in the world. It isn't high school, the work can be quite rigorous. you might trip and fall at times, but you can pick yourself up and learn from that.

The best way you will succeed is mastering time management. There's enough time to do what you want to do, academically and socially. If you think about it, you will have 4-5 classes per quarter/semester that don't last too long. There rest of the time is for you to manage adequately. Depending on your involvement on campus, you will be busy or just lay on the couch catching up with The Office and Family Guy.

At first, allow yourself to test the waters, don't get too involved and focus on what you think matters most. Soon you'll find out you have plenty of time for what you want to do most.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carlos on March 2, 2010 at 12:04pm

Leanna,

College is a wonderful experience and you can make of it a great experience or a horrible experience. It will be hard work at times, so it's good that you have expectations of it being tough because you won't slack off (hopefully).

Like Hector says, you have to feel it out your first Semester or your first Quarter. The most important skill you must be good at is to manage your time. You have the opportunity to design your own schedule. You can take the really early classes and be done before noon or you can start later and be done later as well. The choice is yours, but you also have to know what works best for you.

Knowing what to do when you're not in class is also important. Living on campus can be distracting, but if you learn to discipline yourself and get your stuff done, then you should be good to go.

Remember and don't be discouraged if you get a lower grade for a paper than you would in high school. For me, in my first college English class was where I got my first C for a writing assignment. I was used to A's and B's for the same type of work. Fortunately the professor was very encouraging and worked with me to increase my writing abilities.

Good luck and ask any questions you have!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lewis on March 2, 2010 at 1:54pm

Also, don't forget that choosing the right subjects to study makes all the difference.

Choosing classes is always a balance between achieving and moving forward toward your post-college goals and taking advantage of what interests you most.

But the point is: hopefully you will be studying something that is important to you, so that will make the studying easier and makes it all the important to have balance and give yourself free time and a break and time to have fun.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gregory Lambrecht on March 8, 2010 at 4:11pm

Leanna, I am surprised that you think college is a "major prick in the behind!" College will be one of the greatest times of your life! I understand it may be stressful, and your lifestyle will completely change, but you will learn, experience, and enjoy things you never would be able to outside of college. Although college may seem daunting, you actually only spend about 12-15 hours per week in class. This is much less than high school (40+). This gives you lots of free time to get homework done, socialize, and have a great time. Trust me, there is lots of time to take a breather in college, you just need to plan your schedule accordingly. Just be careful not to get drawn in to certain traps such as partying too much, spending too much time on social network sites (even Zoomz :D), and not allocating your time efficiently. My best advice to you is to embrace college head on, understand you will have a blast, and try not to worry too much. I think you will do great. Hope this helps.