Like many others, I entered college with a glamorized version of how it was going to be: friends, partying, sports games, etc. I thought balancing my life would come easy to me.
Finding balance meant staying in check with myself and my needs
After about a week of classes I realized my priorities were flipped and I had to reassess things. Classes were hard, making lasting friends meant stepping out of my comfort zone, and living away from home was a lot scarier than I thought it would be. Independence was more than just fun away from home.
Here are a few tips to help keep your expectations and reality in balance…
- Stay on top of school work – Unlike high school you are the only one holding yourself accountable, so build a schedule that will help ensure personal productivity. College classes are hard and need dedicated time. Don’t forget this is the reason you are here!
- Give yourself some down time – Unfortunately we aren’t super humans. Everyone needs a bit of downtime. If you don’t allow that for yourself amongst all the hard work, stress, and socializing you are going to run yourself down.
- Make the extra effort to make new friends – It’s worth it to ask the person across the hall to grab some food or someone in class to grab coffee. It can be intimidating, but extending that offer can be the difference between building more relationships.
- Join a club – This is a great way to expand your interests and make more friends. Wisconsin has so many different opportunities to get involved in; you can choose one that coincides with your major, personal hobbies, or just want to try it out.
- Call home – Getting homesick happens. Everyone experiences it at different levels and waves, but don’t be shocked when it happens. I found that the best cure is to keep in contact with loved ones at home at least once a week, both you and those on the other side of the phone will get a smile out of it.