College can be a lot of work, and it is a huge transition from high school if you live away from home. It is not good to let the amount of work you have consume your life though. There are other things in life that are just as important to make time for, and the social aspect of college is one of them. Creating an appropriate balance between schoolwork and social life is necessary for college. A great education is definitely something most people want to obtain from their college years, but these years can also help you to develop you social skills further, and make friends that will be there for you for the rest of your life. During spring semester freshman year, I wrote a blog entry each week explaining how I was dealing with the transitions and what I did to make sure I was taking advantage of the educational side of college as well as the social half. To see my full blog you can click the link below, and below the link are some sample posts that I have revised.
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Blog Post 1: Social Life Stress-free
First semester, as I was trying to get the hang of this whole college thing I didn’t realize how important the social aspect of college really is. All I could worry about was getting my school work done and maintaining a 3.4 GPA to stay in the Honors College. There is a lot more in life though than just hard work and academics. This semester I got involved in the Student Council of the Honors College and it has truly changed my college experience. Feeling like you are part of a group that is making a difference, but still having fun while they do it makes the harder aspects of college much easier to get through. I would highly suggest getting involved in some sort of club because it helps you find your home within a big school like Penn State. Of course getting all of your work done is important too, but being involved in a club will not stop you. Club meetings tend to only be one night a week for an hour, and no matter how many classes you take, you can definitely give up an hour each week. And then when you have extra time you can get involved in the different activities the club holds. I have been giving tours with the student council on Friday and Sunday afternoons, which is an example of fun little things a club would provide for you to do with a bunch of the friends you meet through the club.
Building a social life in college is a great way to keep you happy, which in turn will help you maintain your grades. I know when I am happier and having a lot of fun during the times I’m not doing my work, it makes me a lot more willing to get my work done, and I can concentrate a lot easier. You’re around a bunch of other people your age through college so take advantage of it! Whether it is a club or just hanging out with friends on your floor, everyone needs a break from studying or you will never really get anything done efficiently. Make your college experience a fun one, while you get a great education. You will not regret it!
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Blog Post 2: Spring Break Hangover
After every break, it always seems so hard to get back into the swing of things. The classes, homework, and getting up early is never as easy after a nice relaxing break, but with only 8 weeks left it seems like it’s possible. It always makes things more manageable when you can start to count down how many exams and papers you have left. Another thing that is causing some distraction from schoolwork is the weather. With the weather getting much nicer and the sun shining, it is tempting to just go outside and play a sport with your friends. A good way to get outside though is to just do your homework outside. There are benches all over campus, or you could always put a blanket down on the hub lawn and get some work done. I find it very relaxing to do homework outside; being relaxed can help to get a lot of work done. You can also skip going to the gym and go for a run, or play a sport with your friends; just make sure to limit yourself to only playing for about an hour so that you are able to get all of your schoolwork done. You need exercise anyway and if you usually go to the gym for an hour, playing a sport for an hour will work just as well.
Don't let the changing season and laziness from Spring break distract you. The end is in sight so keep up all your hard work that you have put in. Use the sunlight to your advantage. I know when it stays light out longer it helps me to stay awake as I'm doing my homework. And just think if you do all of your homework through the week then you will have more time on the weekends to enjoy the nice weather! A Saturday afternoon would be perfect to go for a nice walk around campus or downtown. Even through the week, if you feel like you need to get out because you can't focus on your homework anymore, then taking a quick 15 minute walk. It will help to clear your mind so that you are able to study again. Spring is my favorite season and I can't wait to take advantage of it!
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Blog 3: Post-THON
THON of course took up most of the weekend like expected, and it seems like all of my classes dumped a ton of work on me for the next two weeks. With State Patty's Day this weekend and THON last weekend, on top of the unordinary large amount of work, it was definitely necessary to buckle down this week. Weeks like this happen though, and when it does you just need to trudge through. Getting stressed about it and complaining doesn't help at all. Having a mind-set like that just makes it impossible to get work done because you aren’t able to think clearly and your work to take a lot longer than it should.
In order to make sure you don't get stressed, it’s best to make a list of everything that you need to do before you start your work. That way as you're doing one assignment, you aren't thinking, "Oh I can't forget to do my chem homework". With a list written down, it will help you focus on one subject at a time and not get side-tracked by the other assignments you have. Sometimes I find myself worrying about another homework assignment while I'm trying to read or something, and it really doesn't help, it just makes the reading take longer.
The list also helps because once you finish one assignment, you can cross it off your list. You can actually see the progress you've made with this system, and soon enough you'll be down to just one or two more things to do and it'll make you feel great! Even when you have a ton of work to do in all of your classes, just remember the sooner you get it done the sooner you can truly relax! And spring break is coming very soon, so then you'll be able to catch up on sleep and forget about all your work for a few days =]
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Blog 4: Canning!!!
As many of you probably know THON is just two weeks away and this weekend is the last opportunity to go canning this year. I wanted to make sure I got involved with THON, so I decided that I was going to go canning this weekend with the Honors College Student Council. We will be leaving Friday afternoon at 3:30 and getting back late afternoon on Sunday, so it is taking a lot of time away that I usually have on weekends to get some extra homework done.
Although I may say I'll get homework done over the weekend during canning, deep down I know I really won't. So I faced the truth and made sure that this week I got the majority of my work done. I still went to the gym though during the week because it is important to me to live a healthy lifestyle and the gym helps to relieve stress, so it is still a productive way to spend your time. I just made sure that I didn't put off assignments as much. I have online physics homework that is due every Monday and I usually wait until Sunday to do it, but I already am about two thirds of the way done with it, and its only Thursday. Canning is a major part of THON and Penn State, so I wanted to have a great experience without stressing about school work while I did it. I buckled down during the week to make sure that a stress free weekend was possible.
It feels great to get your work done ahead of time when you know you will have little time for it later. There are times in college when you will have commitments outside of schoolwork that you need to attend to, so one week you may need to work harder than the next. It’s just something you need to get used to, but it usually is worth it in the end. Now you shouldn't completely ignore your social life if you have a busy week because it is impossible to concentrate and study without human interaction. A good way to do it though would be to eat dinner for 45 minutes with your friends instead of an hour and a half. Also, even if you just have just an hour chunk of time, make sure you get work done. These hour time slots can be a lot more productive than you would think. So, if you have a busy weekend, make sure to get your work done ahead of time and truly enjoy yourself!