For most people, college represents their first time living away from home. While it’s a thrilling prospect, the sudden step-up in pace and the drastic change of scenery is liable to send you reeling. So how do you keep things balanced in college? How is it possible to stay productive while having the time of your life?
Find Time for Your Hobbies
Don’t let yourself get too consumed by your studies or the pressure to go out on the town every night. Keeping up a hobby that you love will help you to retain your identity. It can also provide you with a little relief and some distraction from the pressures of further or higher education.
Be Sensible with Self Care
It’s important to book a little downtime for yourself and stick to it. You also need to think about your physical health. Fast food, ramen noodles, and beer are not conducive to a healthy diet, so remember to stock up on fruit and vegetables. Go for runs, practice yoga, or work out at the college gym regularly too. Your wellbeing is just as important as your studies and your social life.
Budget Properly
Most students need to take out a loan, whether they’re doing an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree, a graduate MBA degree or a Ph.D. If the amount is paid into your bank account before being collected by your college, it’s tempting to get over-excited and splash out. But remember, that money is for your education – not for you. Keep a strict budget. Take note of the amount of money coming into your account each month and how much you spend. You might need to cut down on a few unnecessary luxuries occasionally, but that’s better than running out of cash.
Seek Advice
You’re in an establishment with some of the smartest people you’ll likely to come across in your life – so take advantage of that. Ask them questions and allow yourself to be curious. However, the advice isn’t just available when you want to learn more. There will also be help on hand for when you’re feeling low, confused, or stressed. All you have to do is ask – don’t be ashamed.
Explore
If something mentioned in a lecture piques your interest, go and read into it further – it could be the key to your future career path. Discuss your assignments and ideas with your peers, delve into the details of the field, get inspired, and start to make your mark. If you’ve moved to a new city to study, you’ll have even more opportunities for exploration. Don’t hole yourself up in your room studying every hour – go and take a look around and see what you can get involved in outside of class.
Get a Job
It may not sound exciting, but working throughout your college years will make you more financially stable and may provide you with a cushion after graduation. After all, it’s much more comforting to know that there are opportunities to progress within a job that you already have instead of suddenly finding yourself out of education and with nowhere to turn.
