After two full years of college, I have gained a tiny bit of college gal wisdom. One of the hardest things about college is balancing your time. We are in college to get an education, so school should always have priority. But at the same time, college is supposed to be the best time of our lives, right? How are we supposed to meet our lifelong friends if we’re studying all the time? How are we supposed to get a degree if we’re out socializing all the time? Finding the balance between school and your social life can be hard, but I have a few tips to help make it a little bit easier.
PHOTO: Valerie Cammack
1—Get a planner
This one seems obvious, but learning to use a planner every day will help you stay more organized and more relaxed. I recommend looking at the syllabus for each of your classes and writing in all of your upcoming due dates for the entire semester. This seems a little excessive, but if you have all your important school dates written down, you can plan your social events a lot easier and you won’t have anything surprise you and cause you to bail on any plans. Say hello to a planner and goodbye to cancelled plans!
2—Eat at home most nights
I love to eat out, but I recommend eating at home because it saves you money that can be used for things like birthday gifts, travel, or shopping with your friends. Eat at home when you can, and save that money for social events! When you eat at home, you can also work on homework or study while you’re cooking and eating, giving you even more free time to socialize!
3—Meet up with friends when you have a break
Even if you only have a 30-minute break between classes once a week, ask a friend or two to meet you for coffee. Standing in the Starbucks line for 15 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a quick, easy way to catch up with your pals when you have a busy schedule. Incorporating your friends into your daily activities can give your brain a break from school and help you stay connected with everyone.
PHOTO: Maddy Haller
4—Plan a weekly dinner date
My friends and I plan a weekly family dinner on Sunday nights and everyone brings a dish or ingredients to someone’s house, we bring out our cutest wine glasses, and we eat together. It only takes about two hours and is a great way to start the week and catch up after the weekend. If you just dedicate one night a week to dinner with friends, you will have a refreshing social evening every single week, and eventually it will start to become routine.
How do you balance your social life with school? Let me know in the comments below!
