You’ve all heard infamous stories told in movies and books about the university or college student who went to all the wildest parties, got that 4.0 GPA all four years, stayed in immaculate shape, volunteered at the soup kitchen, and still got eight hours of sleep a night. I don’t mean to be the harbinger of your fate at U of T, but being that close to subjective perfection is quite nearly impossible.
Despite this, I like to think I’ve gotten fairly close to getting the holy trinity of a academic, social, and personal life down to a tee. (Disclaimer: I am nowhere near the well-rounded kid that I’ve described above.) Finding the balance between these three supposed pillars of a student’s happiness and success is a long and difficult journey that just might never end – there are always things to improve on and, more importantly, there always has to be some give-and-take.
University is a time where students are now expected to be building up their networks and opportunities – so understandably, many of you have at one point been overwhelmed with joining clubs, working internships or jobs, and trying to get in your professor’s good books.
Piled on with trying to meet people and make friends, taking care of yourself, and other personal commitments – university (or maybe just early adulthood, for that matter) – doesn’t seem to be very promising. However, with a little support from your friends and family, finding a healthy balance that allows you to still be happy is attainable. Here are a few tips on how to make the best of your university life:
- Firstly, while it’s always good to strive to be the best possible person that you can, time constraints and your own health should be kept in mind before committing to too many things. Before you can begin to build up your resume and social/personal life, you have to understand your own boundaries and capabilities.
- Keep yourself organized and don’t stop exploring until you find something that you really love to do. I know it sounds cliché, but doing things that you love really does wonders on creating less stress – and you’ll likely do better when you find something that you’re passionate about.
- Know that it’s okay to mix parts of your academic and social life. Plan study dates with some of your peers at a library and go out for drinks and dinner after – or study at a cool new coffee shop that you’ve all been dying to check out! Make friends with the people you learn and work with, as you’ll likely have many of the same interests.
- Find outlets for your stress – whether it’s going on a run to stay in shape, making art, or just taking naps every now and then – you deserve it.
These might not be the keys to the perfect and idealistic lifestyle of fortune and fame, but they just might be enough to help you get by the next few years with a little less stress. Most importantly, keep looking for ways to study and socialize that work for you – once you find a good and healthy balance, you’ll undoubtedly be on the path to success.